how to make sure customers remember you … positively

How to Make Sure Customers Remember You … Positively

How to Make Sure Customers Remember You … Positively 1/28/2021

Virtual Acquisition Office™ a Unison company. All rights reserved. © 2021


Bonnie HangerSenior Acquisition Expert

Jodie Paustian, CPCMSenior Acquisition Expert

MEET THE PRESENTERS


Learning Objectives

▪Identify types of customers and their expectations

▪Discuss the differences between customer service, customer engagement, and customer experience

▪Explain various techniques and skill sets that complement exceptional customer service and deliver positive experiences

3Virtual Acquisition Office™ a Unison company. All rights reserved. © 2021


Session Overview

▪Who are your customers?

▪What do your customers want?

▪What is customer service?

▪What is customer engagement?

▪What is good and bad customer service, and the overall customer experience?

▪Why is customer experience important?

▪How do you deliver better service and experiences?

▪What are some successful skill sets you need?

▪What can you do to build a better customer experience?

▪Wrapup



The Customers

▪Office of Management and Budget (OMB) Circular A-11 defines a federal government customer as individuals, businesses, and organizations (such as grantees and state/municipal agencies) that interact with a federal government agency or program, either directly or via a federal contractor or even a federally funded program. This also includes public servants and employees in their interactions with federal processes

▪FAR 1.102 – deliver on a timely basis the best value or service to the customer and work together as a team


https://www.whitehouse.gov/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/a11.pdf

https://www.acquisition.gov/far/part-1#FAR_1_102


Internal Customers▪Peers

▪Leadership

▪Program partners

6

▪Internal agency offices• Counsel

• Security

•Office of Small & Disadvantaged Business

• Industry Liaisons

• Competition Advocate

• Chief Financial Officer

• Chief Information Officer

• Category Management Office

•Office of Procurement Policy

Virtual Acquisition Office™ a Unison company. All rights reserved. © 2021


External Customers

▪Industry partners

▪Taxpayers

▪Other government agencies•OMB

• Government Accountability Office (GAO)

• Small Business Administration (SBA)

• Congress

▪Shared services organizations



Competencies Related to Customer Service

▪Federal Acquisition Certification (FAC)-C/Defense Acquisition Workforce Improvement Act (DAWIA):

Problem solving, customer service, oral and written communication, interpersonal skills, decisiveness, technical credibility, flexibility, resilience, and accountability

▪FAC-COR:

Business acumen and communication skill sets, knowledge management, writing statements of work

▪DAWIA COR certification:

Attention to detail, decision-making ability, flexibility, oral and written communication skills, self-management and initiative, influencing, and persuasive interpersonal skills

▪FAC-P/PM:

Leadership

▪DAWIA PM certification:

Interpersonal skills, communicate effectively, flexibility, resilience, conflict management, team building, decisiveness, customer service, and problem solving

PROGRAM MANAGEMENT

CONTRACTING OFFICER’S REPRESENTATIVE (COR)

CONTRACTING



Customer Expectations

▪Confident you know what you’re doing

▪Treated with respect

▪Kept informed

▪Given accurate, honest, and clear information

▪Have needs met

▪See a consistent process

▪Know how long actions are going to take

They want good customer service!



Customer Service Cycle▪Taking care of the customer’s needs by providing and delivering professional, helpful, high-quality service and assistance before, during, and after requirements are met

▪Benefits:

• Strong relationships

• Better morale

• Increased efficiency



Be Proactive

▪Reactive vs. proactive: responding to a problem after it arises vs. anticipating a customer’s concern and addressing it beforehand

▪Establish effective communication plans throughout the life cycle of your procurement

▪Follow through in contract administration efforts to ensure the contract provides the needed results –supplies or services



Customer Engagement

▪Process of actively building, nurturing, and managing relationships with customers

▪Cannot happen without communication; however, communication can happen without engagement

▪Engagement is:• Listening to one another and having dialog – making it a two-way conversation

• Understanding what others think about the message – are there concerns, was it clear, what do you think we should do?

• Getting participation from both the sender and receiver – it is active, not passive

• Connecting, being attentive, and acting in good faith

▪When successful, stakeholders feel heard and know their opinions matter, which brings cooperation and collaboration in problem-solving



The Bad vs. Good

$10.2M Contract Procured Soda Bottles for COVID-19 Testing

DLA’s Proactive Contracting Anticipated Customer Needs

Grr…Great!


https://www.gotovao.com/Documents/6164bcbb54f44d7a987df07ceadaa1ba

https://www.gotovao.com/Documents/ec62b70915f64fa5a73e217d7613d6a2


Customer Experience

▪Refers to a combination of factors that result from touchpoints between an individual, business, or organization and the federal government over the duration of an interaction and relationship

▪Can include factors such as ease/simplicity, efficiency/speed, and equity/transparency of the process, effectiveness/perceived value of the service itself, and interaction with employees

Customer Experience (CX)

Customer Service

Customer Service




Customer Experience Resources

▪Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) – The Customer Experience (CX) Cookbook, November 2020

▪American Council for Technology and Industry Advisory Council (ACT-IAC) white paper – Customer Experience Playbook: A Guide to Transform Service Delivery

▪Department of Agriculture (USDA) – Digital Strategy Playbook

▪Performance.gov Resources


https://www.va.gov/ve/docs/cx/customer-experience-cookbook.pdf

https://www.actiac.org/act-iac-white-paper-customer-experience-playbook-guide-transform-service-delivery

https://www.usda.gov/digital-strategy

https://www.performance.gov/#sub-banner


The Importance of CX

Creates engagement –when an individual is

happy with their experience, they feel more

invested.

If you always advocate for your client’s best interest, they will advocate for you.— Doug Stuck, VAO Director of Client Solutions

Creates a shift from a reactive state to a

proactive state – allows for joint solutions.

Creates a pillar of trust –when an individual trusts you, they are more likely

to have open & direct communication.



Deliver Better Services & Experiences

▪Become the customer’s champion: •Whether you are working virtually or in the office, respond to inquiries, provide

information, handle issues, offer guidance, or resolve concerns

• This reflects on the reputation of you and your organization

▪Be engaged and provide support to assist customers throughout their journey – as the requirement is developed; during solicitation, evaluation, and award; and (just as important) when administering the contract

▪Lead by example, and remember: Acquisition is a team sport!



Customer Service Skills for Acquisition

1. Active listening

2. Adaptability

3. Attentiveness

4. Conflict resolution

5. Creativity

6. Decision-making

7. Dependability

8. Effective communication

9. Empathy

10. Friendliness

11. Open-mindedness

12. Patience

13. Product/service knowledge

14. Quick thinking

15. Reading physical and emotional cues

16. Responsiveness

17. Timeliness




Treat everyone fairly, courteously, and

respectfully

Be sincere, transparent, and trustworthy

Create a personalized experience; remember

to use their name

Prevent background noise so others know

they have your full attention

Set goalsSmile! You can hear it

over the phone

Acknowledge challenges when necessary and ask

for help if you need it

Offer alternatives if the proposed solution isn’t

acceptable

Establish regular schedules for meetings

or information exchanges

Provide checklists, samples, templates, and

guidance to reinforce your conversations

Set up a shared area for document reviews and

collaboration

Offer training sessions with customers on

various topics

Elements to Build Better CX



Wrapup

As a result of our webinar today, you can now:

• Identify your customers and their expectations

•Discuss the differences between customer service, customer engagement, and customer experience

• Implement various techniques and skill sets to make sure your customers remember you … POSITIVELY!

•Enjoy your future WIN-WIN experiences!

Virtual Acquisition Office™ a Unison company. All rights reserved. © 2021 20

YOU

’RE

HA

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I’M HAPPY


VAO Resources

▪Softer Side of Acquisition: Mastering Customer Service

▪At a Glance: VAO 2020 Resource Guide

▪Countdown to Contract Award: Get Organized and Meet the Customer

▪Webinar: VAO Fall 2019 Roundtable

▪Daily News: • VA Cookbook Serves Up Recipes for CX

• Ideas and Inspiration: Keeping Customers First

• How to Provide Better Customer Service


https://www.gotovao.com/Documents/fa1762379a654ad7858ec8e215f3b0d5

https://www.gotovao.com/Documents/ee8bd7442acb48be8c911b205a49ffc9

https://www.gotovao.com/countdown-to-contract-award-toolkit

https://www.gotovao.com/Documents/b5e711d9b43544febe52162444ece517

https://www.gotovao.com/Documents/9b0e6fd31c1043aea3a0c1a4b7f3e3e5?src=Email%7CToday'sAcquisitionNews%7C11-20-2020%7C%7B954013ED-5B6C-40E6-8890-32D24F0D7BE1%7D&token=M6Ecr3QXDLKwBb0nCAaHwMpJz+ukEQkfPJaqxzoY/hgp49fY4iKeLgPXot7qtnpQjR/+uJ7pSIKlq5/NTqyBjl+G2quc6e/mzCqictpVcKJ61kWZy86w10GhSOxLHr2BpdyYfZCBvCMvtjdqIeWmbw==

https://www.gotovao.com/Documents/b77d247fb6eb45cead99eb8fb1958e98

https://www.gotovao.com/Documents/89a1d8dbd4434af7a44bcb684e077e50


Other Resources

▪OMB Circular A-11, Section 280 – Managing Customer Experience and Improving Service Delivery

▪Performance.gov – Federal agencies’ efforts to deliver a smarter, leaner, and more effective government

▪OFPP Memorandum – “Myth-Busting #4” – Strengthening Engagement with Industry Partners through Innovative Business Practices

▪“Top 10 Soft Skills for Customer Service Jobs” – Alison Doyle, May 2020

▪“Excellent Government Customer Service Is Not An Oxymoron” – Richard Petree, March 2011

▪“CX Strategy: Customer Service and Customer Experience-What’s the Difference?”– IT Modernization Centers of Excellence, September 2018


https://www.whitehouse.gov/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/a11.pdf

https://www.performance.gov/

https://www.whitehouse.gov/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/SIGNED-Myth-Busting-4-Strenthening-Engagement-with-Industry-Partners-through-Innovative-Business-Practices.pdf

https://www.thebalancecareers.com/top-soft-skills-for-customer-service-jobs-2063746?utm_source=emailshare&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=shareurlbuttons

https://www.iaao.org/uploads/Petree_March_2011.pdf

https://coe.gsa.gov/2018/09/18/coe-update1.html


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▪At any time, please send questions regarding this presentation to [email protected]

Questions and Answers


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