working with the public- e. killinger
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Working with the Public- E. Killinger 3-28-14TRANSCRIPT
3/19/2013
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Know how. Know now.
Working With the Public
Elizabeth Killinger
UNL Extension- Hall County
308-385-5088
University of Nebraska–Lincoln
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Working with the Public
Things to Remember
Tips for Quality Customer Service
Methods for Receiving Questions
Finding Answers
Asking for Help
Practice Exercise
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Dealing with the Public
Dealing with these taxpaying, stockholding
customers is the same as any other service job.
Offering them good service is the best way to get
repeat customers.
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Dealing with the Public
Our product is information. We extend information
derived from the research-based university.
Our customers have confidence in the reliability and
credibility of our information.
This confidence is the foundation upon which the
Extension Service is built.
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Remember…
University of Nebraska-Lincoln does not
discriminate. We offer services without regard to
age, color, disability, gender identity or expression,
marital status, national origin, race, religion, sex,
sexual orientation, or veterans status
UNL Extension offers impartial Research-based
information and include all options
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A Quality Customer Service
Experience A quality customer service provider is a person who:
1. Accepts responsibility for providing timely
customer service in a courteous manner
2. Understands that the success of an organization
depends on good customer service
3. Learns and practices customer service skills in a
positive manner
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Things to Remember Are customers always right? Of course not, but they
always have rights.
They have the right to courteous treatment, a
response based on respect, and an honest answer,
even if the answer is “I don’t know.” It is reasonable
for them to expect us to research the question and
formulate the best answer in a timely manner.
Our customers do not have the right to abuse you or to
be discourteous.
If you do not feel comfortable handling a question
or responding to an individual, refer the question
or the person to an Extension staff member.
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Methods of Receiving Questions
Phone
Walk-in
Questions in passing
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Phone Questions
Can be difficult due to no visual clues
Listening carefully is important, follow up questions
may be needed
Every time a phone call is made or received as a
Master Gardener, Extension is being represented.
The impression created is a lasting one and may be
the determining factor as to whether or not the
person will call or come back
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Phone
Learn how to use the phone ahead of time
Hold the phone directly in front of your mouth
Answer the phone with ‘A smile in your voice’
Listen closely to the client
Provide the best experience possible
Be sure to thank the client for calling, invite them to
call back again if they have any questions
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Phone Questions
Actively listen to the clients problem entirely without
interrupting
Restate the issue as you have heard it for
clarification
Follow up questions may be needed, ask either open
or closed questions depending on the situation
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Phone Questions Examples of follow-up questions
When did you first notice the problem?
How many plants or how much of the plant is
affected?
Where on the plant are you noticing the issue?
Where is the plant located in the landscape?
Do you have supplemental irrigation?
What is your lawn maintenance program like?
How many insects are there?
Where are you noticing the insects?
What do the insects look like?
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Phone Questions
If the answer is known
Relay the information to them and be sure to tell
them ALL of the options
If the answer isn’t known right away, ask for a
sample or photo.
Take their name, number, and mailing address
and tell them you will call them back or mail them
the information once you know what it is
Make it clear we don’t share client information
If you need to put them on hold, ask for their
permission and wait for a response
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Samples Brought In
Determine what information the client wants and the
best way to communicate with them
Listen closely to the client
Restate the issue for clarification
Ask follow up questions to gather more information
Utilize resources that are available for you for
identifying the problem or sample
If you don’t know right away, ask the client for their
contact information, and follow up in a timely
manner
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Questions in Passing
Can be a slippery slope
Are they asking you the question as ‘you’ or as
‘you the Master Gardener’?
If they are just having conversations with ‘you’
feel free to give you opinion
If they are asking ‘you the Master Gardener’
remember you are representing the University
and to follow those guidelines
It takes time to know which hat to wear
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Pesticide Recommendations
The University is an impartial 3rd party
Try to give the client the active ingredient; then give
examples LIKE…
Glyphosate, a product like Round-Up or
complete weed killer…
Give multiple examples if they are available
Utilize the herbicide guide if needed
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Finding Information
If you utilize the internet, gather the information from
educational resources (ending in .edu)
Start searching in UNL, if an answer isn’t found
at the UNL site, try another Extension site from
the region, KS, MO, ND, SD… before going to
others like Ohio State or Cornell
If you utilize a book, make sure it is
1. Recent or up-to-date
2. Makes similar recommendations of the
University
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Examples of Good Print Resources
Master Gardener Notebook
Integrated Turfgrass Management for the Northern
Great Plains, EC97-1557
Guide for Weed Management, EC 130
Landscape Diagnostic Guide for Problems Affecting
Woody Ornamentals and Herbaceous Perennials, EC
1260
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Examples of Good Web Resources
Internet Center for Wildlife Damage Management-
http://icwdm.org/handbook/index.aspx#rod
Web Link for NebGuides- http://ianrpubs.unl.edu
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Asking for Help
Sometimes help is needed for problem solving or
identifying the problem
Good photos aid in proper identification
Proper sampling techniques ensure good samples
for further testing
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Taking a Good Insect Photo
Make sure the insect is either still, not moving, or
dead. Insects can be frozen for 15 min.
Place the insect on a piece of paper where they can
stand out.
Provide a ruler or other item for a scale
Use plenty of light
Get as close as you can to the insect
Make sure the photo is in focus
Take several shots before uploading to the
computer.
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Taking a Good ID photo
Make sure the specimen is either still, not moving, or
dead.
If the sample is brought in, place it on a piece of
paper where they can stand out.
Provide a ruler or other item for a scale
Make sure the photo is in focus
Take several shots before uploading to the
computer.
Try not to shoot photos into the sun.
Plant material- take close ups, and distant photos
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Sending in a Sample Send several whole plants, roots and all that
represent all stages of the symptoms being
expressed (when possible). Often what appears to be
a leaf problem can be a root-related problem.
Include "normal" plants from the area near the
symptomatic plants for comparison.
Enclose the root ball in a plastic bag to keep the soil
from touching the leaves.
Place entire plant sample in a plastic bag to reduce
drying with dry paper towels.
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Sending in a Sample
Providing the following information allows more
accurate diagnosis:
Planting Date
Symptom Description
How many plants in the area are affected
What is the symptom distribution (sunny spots,
edge of planting, scattered plants, etc)
Fill out "Submission Form" and include it with the
sample.
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Lawn Samples Before applying any pesticides, cut a 4” X 4” square
or a 6” diameter circle from your lawn at the edge
between the healthy green and the brown or affected
area, including the roots and soil
Completely dead grass does nothing
Wrap the sample in paper towels or newspaper and
place immediately in a closeable plastic bag to keep
any insects in the sample and to keep the sample
fresh.
The blades should still be attached to the runners
and make sure the sample grass is not completely
dead.
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Lawn Samples
DO NOT ADD WATER, excessive moisture can cause
rapid deterioration of the sample
Provide background information; when the
symptoms first appeared, variety, chemical history,
patter & distribution of problems.
Pictures of symptoms can be helpful
Place wrapped sample tightly in a box to prevent soil
from dislodging.
Ship early in the week (Mon-Wed)
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Woody Plant Sample Collect samples from a branches that are showing
symptoms but are not dead
Canker Samples: include portion of the branch
broader between discolored and healthy bark
Dutch Elm Disease, Oak Wilt, or Verticillium wilt:
branch specimens should consist of 4-6 pieces, with
each piece measuring 6-8” long and ½-1” diameter
Pine Wilt: wedge-shaped sample of wood from the
lower trunk or base of large lower limbs that is a
minimum 1” thick. Branch from affected area that is
a minimum of ½” in diameter and 6-8” long
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Woody Plant Sample
Provide background information; when the
symptoms first appeared, variety, chemical history,
patter & distribution of problems.
Pictures of symptoms can be helpful
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Insect Samples
Soft-bodied Specimens: place in a tight-sealing
bottle with a liquid preservative like alcohol or
vinegar
Hard-bodied Specimens: wrap in loose tissue and
place in a crush proof container
Living Specimens: place with the host plant or
damaged material along with loose tissue into a
ventilated container.
Do not: tape specimens to paper, place loose insects
in envelopes, or use water or formaldehyde as a
preservative University of Nebraska–Lincoln
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There are times…
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Extension is a Division of the Institute of Agriculture
and Natural Resources at the University of Nebraska–
Lincoln cooperating with the Counties and the United
States Department of Agriculture.
University of Nebraska–Lincoln Extension educational
programs abide with the nondiscrimination policies of
the University of Nebraska–Lincoln and the United
States Department of Agriculture.