Purpose OCFO Customer Service Policy The purpose of this document is to establish customer service standards and expectations for the employees of the Office of the Chief Financial Officer (OCFO). These standards and expectations apply to all employees of the OCFO (new and existing), whether they support internal or external customers. Our Customers The OCFO serves two customers: External and internal. External Customers External customers are any residents, taxpayers or other District agency staff and visitors to the OCFO. These customers make contact with OCFO employees in-person, on-line, via telephone, email, and US mail correspondence. Internal Customers Internal customers are employees of the OCFO. Internal customers are those who depend on you to do your job so they might get their work done. Customer Service Values/Principles As employees of the OCFO and District of Columbia, we are committed to providing the highest quality service in a fiscally sustainable, responsive and respectful manner to foster trust within our community. This standard promotes all that is positive about the District of Columbia. To achieve the best customer service throughout the agency, we support the following values/principles: 1. We care about our community and its people, as well as our workplace and our colleagues. 2. We believe in meeting our customers needs by providing exceptional, respectful, courteous and efficient service. 3. We seek to identify creative and innovative approaches to serve our customers. 4. We believe all employees have the responsibility of meeting exceptional customer service standards within the parameters of their job. 5. We strive to make decisions with input from those most likely to be affected. 6. We believe in listening to our customers and promptly responding to their ideas and concerns. 7. We genuinely desire to make the customer happy and the experience memorable. P a g e 1 5
Communication Standards In all communications with internal and external customers, OCFO employees should: 1. Be polite, courteous, respectful, professional and responsive. 2. Use appropriate language at all times; avoid slang, profanity and acronyms. 3. Be aware of your verbal and non-verbal communication at all times; project a positive and welcoming demeanor with your tone and body language. 4. Dress professionally at all times, adhering to the established OCFO dress code policy. 5. Stop whatever you are doing and give all internal and external customers your full attention. 6. Be patient. a. Listen carefully to the customer s needs. b. Repeat what you heard to ensure you understand the need. c. Ask questions for clarification, if necessary. Customer Service Standards Walk-in/Face-to-Face Customer Service Standards 1. Greet all walk-in customers within 3 minutes of entering your work area, whether you can immediately assist them or not. a. Use a standard greeting established by your department/unit/cluster. b. Make eye contact in a way that welcomes the customer. c. Smile. d. Introduce yourself. Clearly speak your name. e. Maintain a positive attitude, even if the customer expresses anger or is confrontational. 2. Wait on all walk-in customers within 12 minutes of entering your work area. 3. Treat all walk-in customers in a professional, respectful, courteous, and patient manner. a. Ask them their name and refer to them by name. 4. Resolve the customer s situation in a timely, efficient manner. Try to resolve the situation the same day. a. If you are unable to provide immediate assistance, provide a timeframe for resolving the situation. b. If taking longer than anticipated, revisit the customer so they know you are still working on their issue. P a g e 2 5
c. Willingly admit mistakes when they are made. Apologize and quickly correct the mistake. 5. Be mindful of the customer s privacy. a. Do not discuss customer situations in public areas, such as hallways and bathrooms. b. Do not discuss customer situations with employees who are not able to assist with a resolution, family member or friend. c. Secure all documents so they are not left out in the open. Always follow IRS safeguard procedures as they relate to protection of Federal Tax Information. 6. If you need to refer the customer to another person, department or administration, be sure the customer understands why you cannot assist them and why they are being referred to another person, department or administration. Stay on the line with the customer until an agency representative answer. Always announce the call. 7. Thank the customer for their patience and understanding. a. Confirm the problem was resolved to their satisfaction. b. Ask if they need help with anything else. 8. Promptly wait on the next customer. You should not exceed more than two (2) minutes between customers. 9. Do not use or have your cell phone visible when servicing customers. Telephone Customer Service Standards 1. Answer all phone calls within three (3) rings. 2. Answer in a professional, respectful manner. a. Use a standard greeting established by your department/unit/cluster. b. Have a smile in your voice. c. Introduce yourself. Clearly speak your name and title. d. Ask how you may be of assistance. e. Never hang up on the customer, even if they are being argumentative and confrontational. If the call requires your supervisor s assistance, inform the customer and transfer the call as appropriate. 3. If you must put a customer on hold, ask for their permission first and advise the customer as to how long the wait will be. If the customer is on hold longer than the stated time, advise the customer as to the reason for the delay and determine if the customer wants to continue to wait or would prefer a return call. P a g e 3 5
4. Do not leave a customer on hold longer than two (2) minutes. If the customer prefers you to call them back, clearly communicate a timeframe in which they can expect your call. 5. When transferring a call, give the customer the phone number and name of the person to whom he or she should talk. Stay on the line with the customer until a representative comes on the line. Always announce the call. 6. When you are done, ask the customer if they feel the situation has been resolved to their satisfaction. a. Ask if they need help with anything else. 7. Thank the customer. 8. Create a voicemail message that clearly indicates your name, department and when the customer can expect to receive a return call. 9. Create out-of-office voicemail messages that contain a date when you will return, an expected timeframe for responding to messages, and the name and phone number of someone the customer can contact if they require immediate assistance. 10. Check your voicemail every morning and at least 2 times during the business day. a. Respond to voicemail messages within 24 hours or 1 business day. Email Communication/Written Correspondence 1. Respond to all email messages and written correspondences within the guidelines set up by your department/unit/cluster. a. Acknowledge receipt of all correspondences even if you can t immediately resolve the customer s situation. 2. Since our email is considered public information, do not include confidential customer information in any email. 3. Do not attach any highly confidential customer documents to an email message, like tax documents that may contain social security numbers. 4. Be professional and courteous in all email and written correspondences. 5. Be sure the correspondence is clear, concise and accurate. a. Carbon Copy (cc) appropriate parties when necessary. 6. Thoroughly proofread all email messages and written correspondences to ensure they are free of spelling, punctuation and grammatical errors before sending. a. Be sure the tone of the correspondence is appropriate and professional. 7. Include the date, recipient s name, sender s name and the subject in the heading line of the email or in the RE section of a written correspondence. For written correspondences, note any enclosures at the bottom of the letter. P a g e 4 5
8. Establish a standard signature line that includes your name, title, department/unit/cluster, address and phone number. 9. Create automatic out-of-office email responses that contain a date when you will return, an expected timeframe for responding to messages, and who the customer may contact if they need immediate assistance. 10. Avoid using all caps in the body of an e-mail. 11. Use Time New Roman size 12 font in all written communication. 12. Avoid references to personal philosophies and quotes. Internal Customer Communications 1. Internal customers should be treated in the same respectful, professional and timely manner as external customers. 2. Respond to all requests from internal customer by the close-of-business on the same day (unless you are out of the office). 3. Communicate any changes to a process that might impact your internal customer s ability to complete their work in a timely fashion. 4. Provide a timeframe for when the customer can expect a response. 5. Follow-up to make sure the information was sufficient. a. Make sure the customer s needs were met. b. Ask if they need help with anything else. Training Requirements All current and new OCFO employees are responsible for: 1. Reading and understanding this policy. New hires must complete this step within two months of coming aboard the agency. 2. Electronically signing-off in CFO Learn that you have read and understood this policy. New hires must complete this step within two months of their start date. 3. Taking the OCFO Customer Service e-learning module in CFO Learn. New hires must complete this step within two months of their start date. 4. Attend all other mandatory customer service training courses to reinforce the principles of exceptional customer service In addition, individual departments and administrations may have specific customer service training. Employees working in those departments are responsible for completing that additional training in a timely manner. P a g e 5 5