Background
For a long time, customer service as a way of communication between market actors and consumers of goods and services existed only in the business sphere. Nowadays, it exists in most spheres of human activity, and education is no exception. Customer service has taken on a different form there due to the other type of relationship between education providers and recipients and the level of importance of this institution to society (Dawkins, 2018). Despite a large amount of advanced knowledge on the topic, there is still a need to clarify how customer service in the School District Operations departments should look.
Values and Principles of Customer Service at the School District Operations Department
Quality customer service at the School District Operations Departments has several specific values and principles. The first and most crucial principle is communication. It means that customer service providers should first initiate a dialogue between the community and school authorities. Moreover, customer service providers and the School District Operations departments must be easily reachable for the local community (Dawkins, 2018). There should be external and internal customer service where the internal one is about serving the school’s staff members (Dawkins, 2018). Genuineness is another critical value in this area (Dawkins, 2018). Decision-making and the efforts made by the School District Operations Department should be based on professional ethics.
Many Faces of Customer Service at the School District Operations Departments
The question is who in the School District Operations departments can become customer service providers. The answer is simple; each of the staff members can do customer service. These include “the school bus drivers who pick students up in the morning to custodial staff who interact with students and faculty throughout the day to the IT professionals who ensure learning and communication continues uninterrupted” (Kominiak, 2020, para. 5). However, staff members need to have well-developed skills so that they can perform customer service duties efficiently. The administration must provide the department employees with the necessary training and educational courses to develop customer service to a decent level.
Streamlining and Its Manifestations in Educational Management
It is no secret that improving workflow and performance is the primary goal of educational management. Experts in this field have developed many models, strategies, and concepts to promote efficiencies and effectiveness within various educational and related entities. Digitalization and the development of online and mobile technologies have made streamlining the flagship of strategies for improving multiple work processes in educational organizations. The researchers argue that “streamlining is the process used to simplify or eliminate unnecessary work-related tasks to improve the efficiency of processes in businesses or organizations” (Indeed Editorial Team, 2021, para. 2). By applying streamlining in different areas of responsibility, the School Districts Operation departments can significantly improve the overall performance within the entity.
Digitizing the Remaining Desk Duty
One way of applying streamlining to workflows in the School Districts Operations departments is to digitize manual processes. In 2021, a lot of data is already present only in the form of digital documentation. However, some paperwork is still present in educational organizations due to lack of funding, unique skills of working with computer data programs in staff members, or state and federal obligations. The digitalization of the remaining manual processes in “the construction, building and ground maintenance, leasing, energy management, transportation, safety, security, student meals, and after-school care” would greatly simplify the work of department employees and increase the performance of the organization (Department of operation, 2021, para. 1). There is another way to improve efficiency within the School Districts Operations departments.
Optimization Through Mobile Online Apps
Mobile online apps are one of those things in the online space that connect both adults and the young generation. Administrations of the School District Operations departments could order specific mobile online apps from software developers, in which teachers and students’ parents could exchange relevant data. Such an app would simplify the management of students’ transportation, safety, security, nutrition, and after-school activities. Moreover, parents could track the progress of their children using such apps.
Fundamental Principles of Facilities and Grounds Maintenance Budgeting in Educational Management
Planning, managing, and optimizing the budget of capital needs associated with maintaining buildings and grounds are another hot topic in educational management. One should never forget that they should consider the maintenance budget as part of a larger management plan that all School District Operations Department members contribute to. Therefore, cooperation and collaboration with other actors within the organization are fundamental planning principles. Those responsible for budgeting should allocate funds appropriately between “preventative maintenance and capital improvement” (Lackney & Picus, 2021, para. 31). It is also worth noting that a good plan should have both short-term and long-term goals, clear timelines, and well-calculated funds with detailed rationalization. Another important aspect of budgeting that planners in the School District Operations departments must consider is that the maintenance budget must match the vision of the educational organization. These are facilities and key principles of facilities and grounds maintenance budgeting in educational management.
References
Dawkins, G. (2018). Dawkins: One simple formula for school customer service. K12 Insight. Web.
Department of operations. (2021). Allen Independent School District. Web.
Indeed Editorial Team. (2021). 6 ways to streamline business processes and workflows. Indeed. Web.
Kominiak, T. (2020). Streamlining customer service: K-12 leaders reduce complexity and improve experiences in school operations. K12 Insight. Web.
Lackney, J. A., & Picus, L. O. (2021). School facilities. Education Encyclopedia. Web.