By BOSEDE OLUSOLA-OBASA
Yesterday, October 5, carried a double celebratory significance in many countries. It marked the first day of the week-long annual observance of Customer Service Week, and it was also World Teachers’ Day.
For me, this was significant because it opened an important angle to my ongoing conversations about service attitudes in Nigeria and the need for improved service delivery.
First, I would like to offer a heartfelt congratulations and THANK YOU to all teachers, across every category, who impart knowledge and make the people of our nation better equipped to build its legacy. THANK YOU FOR YOUR SERVICE!
Now, to a few thoughts that have occupied my mind and shaped my perspective for years: If every service provision has a customer at the receiving end, who, then, is the teacher’s customer?
Is it the parents, the students, or whoever pays the tuition fees? This may seem like an elementary question until you place it alongside everyday realities. Customers are not defined only as the people who pay the bills; they may also be the people who use the products or services. Interestingly, the latter ultimately owns the experience, which is a key factor in the continuity of any brand.
So, let us answer the simple question: Who is at the receiving end of a teacher’s service? Who deserves to be treated like a customer and served satisfactorily?
The inability to correctly answer simple but thought-provoking questions like these is one of the reasons service delivery in the education sector sometimes goes wrong.
I will answer the question by sharing what has shaped my decade-long opinion about the “School Customers’ Value Chain.” Mind you, it is arranged first according to priority and then according to interrelationship:
The teacher is a customer of the school owner or employer. If the employer gets this wrong, the school is starting from a faulty premise.
The parent(s) and student(s) are customers of the school, in that order. The school owner or administrator must create a structure that supports this mindset.
The student is a customer of the teacher or educator and the school, in that order. A teacher’s failure to recognise or accept this is one reason for some service failures in the school teaching system.
When a school owner understands that educators should be treated as customers who deserve to be served satisfactorily, they create the right environment and energy for educators to relate with students as important stakeholders in the growth of the school brand. This ultimately meets the needs of the school owner or employer while leaving parents impressed and satisfied.
To drive the point home, making intentional efforts to satisfy both internal customers (your team) and external customers (your paying clients and students) is a smart strategy for any school.
On the occasion of World Teachers’ Day and Customer Service Week, I thought it wise to remind school owners to make teaching a prestigious profession for their educators. This should never be limited to one day of the year; it should become part of the corporate culture.
On the other hand, I wish to remind every teacher that their work is ultimately measured by the impact they make on the destinies they touch in the course of their service. No student truly leaves a teacher without carrying something from the relationship, whether positive or negative. The teacher’s responsibility is to ensure that the connection made is positive and life-changing when it matters most.
Dear Educator, please keep these guides close to your heart if you wish to render legacy service beyond merely teaching the subjects or courses assigned to you:
Volunteer extra attention to support the learning of a student who is not catching up quickly, without making the student feel unintelligent.
On the job, serve your students well, even though they may not have the capacity to repay you now.
When serving younger people generally, pay attention to what they are not saying. Make them feel free to speak with you.
Resist the temptation to serve students better only because their parents or guardians are present or regularly offer you something extra.
Treat the indigent student from a poor home as well as you treat the student from a wealthy or royal family.
Never curse your students or their parents in absentia.
Do not transfer your work pressure or demands onto your students.
Do not transfer whatever pain a parent caused you onto the student.
Stop complaining about job dissatisfaction, Nigeria’s economy, or other personal problems in front of your students when you should be teaching them.
Stop showing up only for the cameras. Value the destiny of every student and your sacred role in shaping it.
Many years down the road, students may forget what you taught them, but they will seldom forget how you made them feel.
Enjoy the rest of your week.
I’m Bosede Olusola-Obasa, Character Development Trainer, Corporate Culture Strategist, and Best Service Attitude Advisor.
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