G117
EFFECTIVE CLIENT SERVICE COMMUNICATIONS

NOTE: The workshop content described below will be delivered through ZOOM ONLINE on two consecutive half-day sessions. Agendas and other relevant workshop documentation will be sent to you by the workshop instructor at least three days prior to the date of the first session.

WHY SHOULD YOU ATTEND?

The CEC’s workshop on Effective Client Service Communications will provide participants with the knowledge and skills necessary to be highly functioning administrative officers or assistants. The focus of the workshop will encompass six essential administrative competencies:

Organization – Effective management, organization, and prioritization of office functions as well as the workday/week/month for people, management and other stakeholders.

Communication – Clearly conveying and receiving messages to meet the needs of all. This involves listening, interpreting and delivering verbal, non-verbal, written and electronic messages.

Service Delivery – Understanding and meeting the needs of clients. Clients are individuals or groups who use the organization’s or department’s services.

Technical – Ability to accurately and thoroughly utilize office technology and to demonstrate practical knowledge of information management, e-mail management and privacy protection issues.

Adaptability – Personal willingness and ability to work in and adapt to change.

Interpersonal – Working cooperatively and productively with others to achieve results.

WHAT WILL YOU LEARN?

This workshop will focus on the skills required to be an effective administrative, program or project officer with an emphasis on improving your client relations and service delivery. The workshop participants will learn:

• How to develop a client service orientation
• An understanding of relationship management techniques
• Approaches to measuring client satisfaction
• How to build trust through key behavioural attributes
• How to communicate effectively in verbal and written contexts
• Essential skills and knowledge which constitute organizational, technical and interpersonal competencies
• How to address diverse challenges presented by difficult clients

WHO SHOULD ATTEND?

This interactive workshop will be beneficial to all individuals working in an administrative, program, project, advisory or other related positions or functions in public, private or voluntary sectors.

WHAT WILL YOU TAKE AWAY?

• Workbook consisting of presentation slides
• Exercises and handouts
• Certificate of completion

PROFESSIONAL COMPETENCIES

• Thinking Things Through: Innovating through analysis and ideas
• Engagement: Working effectively with people, organizations and partners
• Excellence: Delivering results

Agenda
8:45 - 9:10	Introductions and Workshop Overview Instructor and participant introductions. Key elements of the agenda. Overview of administrative competencies.
9:10 - 9:50	Client Service Orientation Definitions: Client Service Orientation, Core Motivations and Progression. Interacting with clients: client understanding, manner, communications, timelines and responsibility. Using your knowledge: understanding client viewpoints, determining client needs; responding and building relationships. Providing support and services: Key actions and behaviours. Measuring client satisfaction: What to measure and what tools can we use?
9:50 - 10:15	Small Group Exercise In groups, discuss and identify a minimum of three (3) specific questions in the area of “perceptions of service experience”, to be part of a bi-annual client satisfaction survey. Capture your results in bullet form and present your conclusions to the plenary.
10:15 - 10:30	Break
10:30 - 11:15	Building Trust: Attributes of Effective Advisory and Administrative Roles Fundamentals of being credible. Key actions – knowledge, liaison, delivering, building buy-in, anticipating and mitigating, understanding and acting on changing contexts. Effective behaviours – reliability, tact and diplomacy, listening and learning. Teamwork and collaboration: Key actions and behaviours. Strategies for reducing conflict.
11:15 - 11:55	Small Group Exercise In groups, and based on the provided template, discuss and identify what could be changed or adjusted in your existing client relationships. Capture your results in bullet form and present your conclusions to the plenary.
11:55 - 12:30	Being Adaptable: Contextual awareness and recognizing the value of new or modified approaches. Definition and motivation. Scale and progression – what is expected. Key behaviours, attitudes and actions. What is not adaptability! Links to analytical, creative and active thinking and listening. Being a change agent.
12:30 - 1:15	Lunch
1:15 - 2:00	Written and Oral Communications Key attributes of written and verbal communications: knowledge, skills, behaviours and actions. When and how to communicate with clients and within the team. How to tailor writing and presenting to different clients. Understanding the communications needs of our clients and management.
2:00 - 2:30	Small Group Exercise In pairs, discuss and draft an email to a client requesting a meeting to discuss new delays in the project deadline. Please identify the type of information you will need to share with the client during the meeting to get their agreement to the new deadline.
2:30 - 2:45	Break
2:45 - 3:30	Organizational and Technical Skills, Behaviours and Knowledge Understanding of your role, those of others and the linkages to the organization and broader context. Key actions and behaviours. What do we need to know? – rules, regulations, resources, preferences and project management approaches. Planning for effectiveness and efficiency.
3:30 - 4:15	Small Group Exercise In groups, and based on your experience, discuss and identify three key organizational processes or procedures, their impact on your work and potential solutions. Capture your results in bullet form and present your conclusions to the plenary.
4:15 - 4:30	Qs and As, Wrap-up and Evaluation Participants will have an opportunity to ask any final questions complete a short evaluation.