Iowa Youth Seminar on Service Quality
Dr. Patrick Langan
Dr. William Withers
Wartburg College
“Ability to please the customer should be, for good management, top
priority for hiring and training of employees. My impression is that many
people that serve customers in restaurants…would enjoy the job more were it not that customers come in and interrupt their conversations.”
W. Edwards Deming, Out of the Crisis, 1992
Executive Summary:
According to recent national studies, some 86.2 percent of high school and college-age students (age 16-21) plan to work 32 hours per week (on average) during the summer months. Few say their summer plans have been affected by the recent downturn in the economy. A recent study of 4,867 high school juniors and seniors in Iowa by the Des Moines Sunday Register mirror these national studies.
Many of these students will work in retail and/or food and beverage service sectors.
While dealing with customers 'face-to-face' may seem like a natural form of interaction for some of us, many student-employees making their first venture into the business world find this experience full of pitfalls for both employee and employer alike, not to mention the customer. Further, many employers can not afford to adequately educate and train young employees for this critical component to their overall business success.
The Iowa Youth Seminar on Service Quality project was designed to research, develop, and “host” the first service quality workshop for high school to college-age students on June 11, 2003 at Wartburg College. This seminar would assist in developing many of the skills required to make every customer encounter in Iowa a positive and successful one.
Upon completion, Iowa student workers completing this workshop will be better able to:
· Explain the importance of delivering high levels of customer service, recognizing the key components of customer care,
· State the importance of their individual role in achieving high levels of customer care,
· Demonstrate improved techniques in projecting a professional image and “first impression,” through active listening and understanding,
· Demonstrate the use of calming and defusing techniques when dealing with an unhappy customer,
Wartburg College in Waverly, Iowa, initially hosted the June 11, 2003 “camp”. If there is demand, the curriculum will be made available to host sites all across Iowa.
Statewide, the results from the research and program development were designed to potentially address three primary areas outlined by Iowa’s Strategic Planning Council. The council, composed of 37 Iowans from all corners of the state, was charged with meeting the challenge put to them by Governor Tom Vilsack to "create a vision of what kind of place we want Iowa to be in the year 2010 and create a statewide strategic plan to move Iowa from where we are now to that vision by the year 2010." Areas outlined by the council and addressed by this project include:
Community Services:
This project addresses innovative approaches to workforce shortages, skill development, and employee retention, by developing the base skill sets of young employees. Upon completion of this program, employers (and employees) will benefit the community through improved customer service and a heightened appreciation for consistency and quality. Furthermore, the training modules are easily applicable to any number of other more industry-specific areas making participants more marketable in the job place.
Education and Training:
Regional workshops related to quality and customer service will be easily replicated and delivered in any Iowa community. We are anticipating the quality and customer service module to serve as a benchmark for future training initiatives focused on improving and the development of business in the state of Iowa.
Business Development:
Although not our top priority, Entrepreneurship plays a significant role in terms of the final product. It is imperative that our young people begin to develop themselves both professionally and creatively through the participation in businesses of all types.
If successful, the curriculum has the potential to impact the following communities who are host to Iowa’s private colleges and universities (random order): Sioux City, Indianola, Fayette, Forest City, Waverly, Oskaloosa, Storm Lake, Pella, Dubuque, Cedar Rapids, Mount Vernon, Sioux Center, Des Moines, Lamoni, Grinnell, Mount Pleasant, Decorah, Clinton, Orange City and Davenport.
Study Variables
q This project was funded through a collaborative grant from the Iowa Department of Economic Development, the Iowa Association of Independent Colleges and Universities, the Institute for Leadership Education at Wartburg College, and the Waverly Area Development Group.
q Surveys were distributed to 200 employers across Iowa, including the top 100 employers of youth as quantified by the Iowa Department of Economic Development and the Iowa Workforce Development Center. The survey was conducted from January, 2003 through February 10, 2003.
q Fifty of the 200 employers contacted completed the survey instrument (n=50).
q Secondary data was compiled from two published national studies and another regional study conducted by the Des Moines Sunday Register.
q Hy-Vee Inc. participated in both the primary and secondary studies. This food retailing chain annually employs 12,000 youth in seven states, including Iowa.
Key Initial Findings
q Youth employers identified the following traits as key variables when hiring for service-related positions in their organizations:
1. Communication Skills
2. Overall Work Ethic
3. Reliability/Accountability
q Hy-Vee Inc., one of the region’s top youth employers, identified the following traits:
1. Personality/Friendliness (“Smile,” Enthusiasm)
2. Reliability/Responsibility (Punctuality)
3. Initiative
q Among the physical factors that most negatively affect an employer when hiring youth, respondents prioritized the following:
1. Poor Hygiene
2. Clothing (unkept, unprofessional)
3. Hair (unkept, dyed)
4. Body Piercing
q 90% indicated the physical attributes above do impact their decision in making the hire.
q Asked about reasons why they worked in the summer, youth workers responded to a related, secondary survey by answering:
1. Car/Transportation Costs
2. Clothing
3. College
q 79% of employer respondents said there was a “very extensive” relationship between the customer service youth workers provided and the perceived overall quality of their company.
q 83% of employer respondents said they could recall a youth worker who they perceived to have “exceeded customer expectations” in service.
q 96% of employer respondents said the service quality their youth workers provided their customers was either “important” or “very important.”
q 78% of employer respondents said they provided “some” customer service training, but 65% of those said they would provide more if it were available.