Exemplary Customer Service Training Program

About the Program

Category: Personnel Management, Employment and Training (Best in Category)

Year: 2009

Employee Development conducted an extensive project in Maricopa County from July through December 2007. The project was investigational in nature posing the question to Department management teams: What essential training to you need for your staff? Ranking at the top was the need for fundamental customer service training. Customer Service Training has been outsourced to a highly respected training vendor for a number of years. Although the training was in demand and routinely used, it was not unique to county government and was generally geared towards private or non-government use. Additionally, it required certification of County employees in order to “instruct” according to the vendor’s methodology; purchase of materials per employee was $50 per class and the training was broken into multiple modules requiring employees to be away from job duties from one to as many as five times in order to acquire all training. It was determined that an internally developed customer service curriculum addressing the specific service standards set by Maricopa County leadership and incorporating all standards into a one-day training session would exceed current training effectiveness and at a cost-savings to the County.