On Thursday, Oct. 6, 2011, the Customer Service Team presented the sixth annual Customer Service Awareness Day at the Baca Center. We had a wonderful turnout of 140 people. See and download photos from photo gallery

During the week the Customer Service Team presented three training sessions that were attended by more than 100 people. The sessions were:

• VOIP New Phone System Training and FAQ by Brian Finger, Technical Specialist
• Understanding Yourself and Others by Teresa Bledsoe, HR Director
• Extraordinary Customer Service by Brad Voss
• How the City’s Website Can Work for You by Shannon McIntire, Brooks Bennett & Chris Sauder

In all, around 250 employees took part in Customer Service Week activities.

Recognizing achievement
Once again, the Customer Service Team recognized individuals and departments for their great customer service. Individual awards were presented from each department and a department/division award was voted on by all City employees. Also, the Innovations Team presented its annual Award of Merit for innovative projects.

Steve Norwood, city manager, and Laurie Hadley, assistant city manager, spoke about the importance of customer service in the City. Cheryl Delaney, finance director, spoke on internal customer service. Councilmembers Craig Morgan and George White helped present the awards.

A new touch this year was the Brag Wall. Staff could leave compliments for their fellow employees who they felt were “cornerstones” of customer service. These comments were collected on the Brag Wall all week during the training sessions and at Customer Service Awareness Day. We collected 99 comments. These comments will be featured in Rock Beats’ Employee Fanfare in the coming months.

A few comments were:

• Roger Thompson is a cornerstone of Round Rock customer service because he will help all that need help and is friendly and dependable.
• Stacie Carter is a cornerstone of Round Rock customer service because she works well with everyone and is diligent in all she does. A true blessing to the Finance Department.
• Judy Morris is a cornerstone of Round Rock customer service because she cheerfully responds to her customers’ requests as soon as possible.

Department/Division Award
City employees, 283 in all, voted online for the Outstanding Customer Service by a Department or Division Award in September.

Outstanding Customer Service by a Department or Division: Parks and Recreation

The Parks and Recreation Department received 41 percent of the votes. The employees in this department are always willing to assist other department. Crews work to keep our parks and ball fields in tip top shape so Round Rock stands out from the crowd. They work in 100 degree weather or freezing cold. This department goes the extra mile weekly to ensure our residents have a memorable experience right here in Round Rock!

Innovations Award of Merit (Rock Award)
To encourage and foster new methods to be productive, the Innovations Team has developed the citywide Innovations Award program. Submissions are accepted and recognized throughout the year. Recipients of the Innovations Award are considered for the annual Award of Merit or the “Rock” award. The winning department keeps the Rock for one year and then passes it on to the next winner.

The 2011 Award of Merit goes to the Library for its RFID and Self-Check Project.

This new self-check system provides faster, more accurate check-out and check-in of library materials. Books can be checked out in stacks rather than one at a time and customers can even pay their fines at the self-check. Within a month of the system coming online, self-checkouts increased to 70 percent of all check outs. The project was a true team effort. Staff and volunteers had to retag 180,000 items in the Library’s collection before customers could begin using the system. Patrons love the new system, calling it “magic.”

Individual customer service awards
A highlight of the day came with the presentation of the individual awards to acknowledge great customer service from each department. These awards have become very popular. Each department picked an individual who exemplified great customer service in their area. Here are the winners for Outstanding Customer Service by an Individual from each of the participating departments, pictured with Councilmembers Morgan and White and City Manager Steve Norwood.

Administration — Monique Adams
Monique consistently goes above and beyond on even the simplest of citizen requests and always realizes the role of public service. Her knowledge of the community and the City is invaluable. She exemplifies the meaning of customer service in her courtesy and professionalism.

Finance — Anne Keneipp
Anne has done a tremendous job during the department’s transition to the new online timesheet system. The project has been time consuming and required many late nights but she put forth an enormous effort to make it happen. She is a great example of customer service. (Not present)

Fire Department — Captain Allen Duennenberg
Allen goes above and beyond what is required of normal duty assignments. He has a heart of gold and is always willing to help. He goes out of his way to help our residents. (Not present)

Human Resources Department — Kevin Vaughn
Kevin is a new staff member who has shown great patience and taken new approaches to helping employees. He is focused and responsive and willing to adapt to continuous challenges. His care and concern is always evident.

ITC Department — Carol Radziewicz
Carol has done a great job of keeping up with the high demand for customer service requests on the TrakIt software, in addition to her other duties. She applies her skills in a friendly, humble and consistent manner every day.

Library — Geeta Halley
Geeta is whip smart and concerned about the far reaching results of decisions made today. She is also careful and intuitive with internal service and kind to patrons. She is a lovely person who puts people first.

Municipal Court — Myriam  Parker
Myriam has a good attitude, is always willing to work with others and is eager to learn new processes. (Not present)

Parks and Recreation Department — The PARD Crew Guys
The Parks and Recreation Department took a slightly different tact and decided to honor the PARD crew guys that have been truly working hard behind the scenes during a brutally hot summer to keep our parks and ball fields in top shape. They come early and leave late for special events. It doesn’t matter what you need, they help out with a smile.

Planning and Development Services — Diane Buck
Diane has many external and internal customers. She provides excellent service to all. She interacts with lots of different people in lots of different capacities – and she does it all with professionalism, with courtesy and with a smile.

Police Department — Sherrill Voll
Sherrill always comes through in a pinch. She’s personable, helpful and a pleasure to work with. She helps the department serve our citizens better.

Transportation/General Services (Facility Maintenance/Vehicle Maintenance) — Patty DaSilva
Patty is a first point of contact for both internal and external calls. She receives an average of 50 calls a day and answers each one with the utmost courtesy. She shows her great customer service skills every day.

Utility/Environmental Services/Inspections Group — Gabrielle Blair
Gabrielle dispatches crews to respond to citizen requests, answers calls for the Water, Wastewater and main Public Works line and greets all internal and external customers. She is always professional and courteous and happy to help anyone who needs it.

Congratulations to our winners! We’ll see you next year. Please let us know how you think we can make CSA Day even better.

Photos by Brooks Bennett