Spotlight on Superheroes: Frontline School Customer Experience

You don’t get a second chance at a first impression.

But that doesn’t mean great customer service should stop after your first meeting with a community member. Each interaction you have with students, parents, or others colors their perception of your school and district. That’s why the work of K-12 customer experience superheroes is so important.

To Maribel Ponce, Bilingual Home School Liaison at South Elgin High School in Illinois’ School District U-46  and a recent winner of K12 Insight’s Cx SUPERhero Awards, focusing on the school customer experience is a way to show families they care.

“When parents call or show up at school, they want to feel valued,” she explains. “When we invest time, effort, and professionalism any time parents need assistance from us, there is good customer service—which should be any school or company’s goal.”

This is something Ponce puts into practice in her daily interactions with families. “I assist parents over the phone, meet with them face-to-face, and serve as an interpreter in meetings,” she explains. “It’s a major part of my work journey.”

The coworker who nominated Ponce for our Cx SUPERhero award shared that Ponce “is always happy and willing to help. She says that we are here to help in any way we can and should never send parents back home when we can help them or direct them to the appropriate place.”

But putting a customer service focus into action can be challenging and, as Ponce notes, requires thoughtful support and professional development. Customer-facing staff members “need meaningful training that motivates them to play the role of ‘helper,’” she explains.

After training, districts should measure their progress through customer feedback. “[Schools and districts should] implement an evaluation system where meaningful feedback can be given and received,” Ponce says.

For Ponce, it’s about more than just getting a paycheck. “I work because I’m passionate about helping others to solve a problem or straighten up misconceptions,” she says. “I do it because there’s a need, and I want to close that gap. We can make the difference!”

To learn more about how K12 Insight can help you improve the customer experience in your school or district, sign up for a free consult.