School is definitely back in session. 

The groan of uncooperative children getting out of bed in at 6 a.m. is audible for miles…at least it’s that way around where I live…while the teachers guzzle down a gallon of Folgers’s (with or without creamer) gearing up to take on a hundred plus uninterested kiddies and a few contrary parents who are dissatisfied with the teachers’ performance in the classroom.

I hate to admit it but in a number of my classes I, too, was one of those uninterested students—who wasn’t?  But even now as I look back, all my teachers are teaching me a couple of unexpected lessons—how to sell an idea to potential customers and how to apply customer service.  As strange as it sounds, it’s true.

Teachers have to pitch their lessons to grab their students’ attention and then maintain it throughout the class period.  I asked a teacher once how she did that and she told me that it’s a matter of incorporating the students’ interests.  Don’t we do that in business? 

Customers want freedom of choice, flexibility (especially when it comes to time), and convenience so we offer them online self-service centers, online knowledge bases, Q&A sections with forums, etc.  While incorporating those interests, we also educate them on what our companies do and what more we can offer them. 

Now, there will always be a hitch sometime, somewhere and a customer will send in a complaint like an angry parent.
    
Again, take a lesson out of the parent/teacher conference playbook. 

• Respond calmly and professionally. 
• Let the individual vent their frustration. 
• Acknowledge that you understand that they are upset and let them know that you want to fix the issue. 
• Then come up with a plan of action to fix the problem. 
• Make sure you include the customer in the process. 
• Give them a chance to voice their opinion on how they would fix it. 

As I said earlier, it’s a little crazy how teachers are the perfect sales and customer service reps.  They do it every day,often under more stressful conditions and sometimes for far less pay. 

So, while you find an unexpected lesson in business from educators, make sure you thank a teacher and get PhaseWare’s customer service software to implement the lesson learned.