Coastal Now Menu

Feel the Teal: CCU's new customer service initiative

Our university is about to take on a service initiative that is customer focused and service driven. Service experiences on campus are defined by the personal connections our customers have with you — our faculty and staff. You serve as the voice, face and attitude of Coastal Carolina University.

We must together build a strong universitywide culture of exceptional service where everyone can Feel the Teal. By focusing on undergraduate and graduate academic excellence and good academic customer service, we will see an increase in student willingness to learn and engage not only in their studies, but also in experiential learning and leadership activities. Good customer service will better enable us to offer a quality product – education. As Neal Raisman said in The Power of Retention, “A good education with good customer service will make for greater retention, happier students, and satisfied graduates who will support the school by becoming advocates for it.”

The primary objective of this customer service initiative is to make certain that everyone who interacts with Coastal Carolina University in any way—be that person a student, a member of the general public or CCU employees—gets treated with care, courtesy and respect. 

I want everyone to “feel the teal."

You are Coastal Carolina's most valued asset. To ensure that we are able to deliver on our pledge to place a priority on service, first you must have the right resources and tools to do your job well. I have appointed Eileen Soisson with the charge to provide leadership in the development of new and enhanced training programs that focus on the consistent and seamless delivery of service to our customers, as well as providing more opportunities for employee growth and engagement. Soisson brings 20 years of training experience to our campus. She has designed, implemented and evaluated training programs for corporate clients as well as governmental agencies and various nonprofits. She will be an important partner in further defining our Feel the Teal service culture and taking us to the next level.

A CCU Customer Service Basics Program has been developed and already piloted with Campus Recreation. I encourage you to observe these customer service champions in action at the HTC Center. The staff has been been implementing what they learned in training and using the “Disney Point” and the “10-Foot, Five-Foot Rule” as part of its everyday service delivery. They are leading the charge in customer service, and I am very proud of Jody Davis and his team for taking this initiative so seriously.

The following new programs and services will help us to move forward as a retention-focused university providing world class academic customer service:

* A Customer Service Champions Committee will help to ensure Coastal Carolina University’s Customer Service Plan undergoes continuous improvement and reflects our shared values.

* Minimum standards will guide behaviors when interacting with a customer.

* A new employee orientation is being created to include customer service and the history of our university so we can share our culture with new faculty and staff from day one and will be one of a series of trainings and seminars designed to improve our experience as employees.

* Secret shoppers will be trained to catch people demonstrating excellent academic customer service as Customer Service Champions making sure customers can “feel the teal."

* A “Train the Trainer” program will be offered to each department so that training is a consistent and constant process and not just an annual event. 

* “Teal Truths” will be an interactive method of training and culture building that will address issues of service and their resolution, and also correct myths about us and our students.

* Monthly service-focused meetings where idea sharing, best practices and collaboration are encouraged.

Over the next few months, we will work together to Feel the Teal to ensure this becomes a core part of who we are as a community. Regardless of what role you play, you represent Coastal Carolina University in every connection you make with the customers who have entrusted their higher education experiences to us. I’d like to thank each of you for the outstanding service you deliver on behalf of CCU every day. This is an exciting time for all of us, and I look forward to sharing updates with you regularly on our progress.

Sincerely,

David A. DeCenzo
President

Article Photos