Who is a member?
Our members are the local governments of Massachusetts and their elected and appointed leadership.
An MMA webinar on April 15 titled “Top 10 Wishlist of the Internal Customer” explored what municipal employees need in order to be effective in customer service roles.
Stephen Coleman, fire chief and assistant town manager in Auburn, said municipalities know that customer service is important to their work, but most don’t offer employee training on the topic.
“If this is so important to us, why are we not spending any time on it?” he asked.
Coleman said “internal customers” — anyone with a stake in the organization — need to feel valued in their roles in order to boost productivity, morale, and job satisfaction.
“How do we expect our employees to treat the public with a smile if we are not creating an environment internally that allows them to thrive and be able to carry out that mission?” he asked. “If we’re not providing them with the same kind of customer experience that we expect them to deliver to the public, they’re not going to be able to serve the public in the manner that we wish or want them to.”
Coleman shared his “wishlist of the internal customer” — a list of the top things employees need from their supervisors to feel valued in their roles. They include: establishing a culture where it’s OK not to be OK, providing a healthy and safe work environment, listening to staff, advocating for training and equipment, and prioritizing recognition and encouragement.
Southbridge Human Resources Director Noor El Gaderi moderated 15 minutes of questions and answers, addressing inquiries regarding boosting morale among remote teams, working with colleagues who are resistant to change, and tips for making employees feel valued.
• The Top 10 Wishlist of the Internal Customer presentation (740K PDF)