Literacy Basics - Community Literacy of Ontario

Marketing Circle: Customer Service

Introduction to Customer Service

Once we sell our product, we have to deliver it. For literacy agencies, customer service is about fulfilling our side of the contract and meeting the needs and wants of our targets with our excellent programs and services. Our program delivery builds on every segment in the marketing circle that we have worked on so far. What we provide must accurately reflect what we have “sold” to our stakeholders and it must also reflect the needs and wants of our target.

We might not be comfortable interchanging the word “customer” for learner or student. However, like marketing, the word “customer” can be helpful in reminding us of the exchange that is taking place between our programs and learners.

Remember that our program (or product) is one of the four P's of marketing. As we develop programs and services for the target market, we need to make sure that we can deliver them. That is, we have to have the materials, expertise and environment to fulfill our part of the marketing exchange. While the learner takes part in the program, we need to make sure that he/she is satisfied that their needs are being met. We cannot leave this to chance. Encourage staff and volunteers to get into the habit of asking students about their experience at your agency. Give students every opportunity to participate in decision making where their program is concerned. When we do these things, benefits accrue on both sides. Our target succeeds in the program in the expected time and we have positive statistics to report. As well, we will get good word of mouth marketing from the learner. The college will become a stronger partner as we send them students who are ready for their college preparatory programs. We will have the satisfaction of knowing that the learner is able to move forward with his goals and objectives because of our service.

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