Taylor County High School students attend SGTC for Customer Service Training
Ten Taylor County High School students completed a 20-hour program in Direct Customer Service at South Georgia Technical College this summer. The special program was designed by SGTC Crisp County Accounting Instructor Tammy Hamilton in an effort to help “Bridge the Gap” for workforce development. SGTC Career Services Director Cynthia Carter and SGTC Administrative Assistant to the Student Affairs Vice President Peiare Adderley assisted with the classes.
The students were provided a detailed outline of topics covering: the importance of customer service, customer expectations, personal communication styles, five conflict behaviors, and traits of sexual harassment.
The Taylor County High School Customer Service participants are shown above displaying their SGTC “Bridging the Gap” t-shirts.
The students who attended included: Chelsea McDaniel, Danica Zheng, Jashala Jackson, Jireh Gray, Keon Jackson, Logan Windham, Romeo Bowen, Skylar Hobbs, and Valaisjia Newton.
The program was designed to help students gain the skills and knowledge to succeed in the workforce. Every good company wants to provide excellent customer service and Hamilton shared some of the secrets to great customer service with the Taylor County High School students.
The students began the sessions with a meet and greet, self-introductions and an engaging ice breaker. In addition to SGTC’s Hamilton, Carter, and Adderley, TCHS CTAE Director/Assistant Principal Michele Kimble, High School Counselor Diane Madore, and TCHS Bus Driver Ollie McCrary supported the students during the training sessions.
The Taylor County High School students are shown in front of the SGTC Landings Cafeteria where they experienced part of SGTC’s “Complete College Experience.”
Most employers require a high school diploma and individuals who develop great customer service can improve relationships with customers, which is a vital part of a business and can determine its success or failure. Customer Service representatives have direct contact with customers, are skilled in handling complaints, processing orders and answering questions. Effective communication, customer interaction, rapport, and relationship building are all vital components to excellent customer service.
Mrs. Hamilton shared with students that “being honest when there is a mistake and effective listening are very important. Employees must be dedicated to ensuring customer satisfaction by providing exceptional service and support.”
SGTC’s Adderley helped students to understand the various generational gaps and how to handle different situations. SGTC’s Cynthia Carter engaged the students by discussing first impressions. “Customer service is the personality of the company and the reasons customers come back. Without customers there is no company,” explained Carter, who added that “your most unhappy customers are your greatest source of learning.”
The Taylor County High School students completed a resume development worksheet and created a resume as part of the classes. They all engaged in an interview game by participating in mock interviews to help prepare them for an interview, reviewed common questions during interviews, as well as covered the do’s and don’ts of interviews, and the right way to submit references during a job search.
During each day of the sessions, the students were exposed to the “complete college experience” at SGTC and dined in the cafeteria. The students were presented with a Certificate of Completion at the end of the program.