A Universe of opportUnity for every Child - Austin ISD

C o M M U n i t y Build strong partnerships with parents and the community
at the classroom, campus, and district levels.
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To the school Grounds and Beyond...
Welcome to our school!
That’s a greeting rich in promise, and
one that AISD is serious about. Because
public schools belong to the community,
AISD is committed to providing
exemplary service, engaging citizens
in District leadership and decisionmaking,
and offering a warm smile to
everyone who visits an Austin campus.
customer service initiative
AISD has made significant strides
toward becoming a school district that
not only provides an exceptional education
for all students, but also provides
excellent customer service. Since its
inception in 2003, Austin schools have
worked toward providing exceptional
customer service to all customers –
internal and external.
A major component of ensuring high
student achievement is establishing a
learning environment in which visitors
feel welcomed and valued; and that’s
why the Austin Association of Public
School Administrators, along with representatives
of Education Austin and
AISD’s District Ombudsman, have created
new Standards of Customer Service.
The standards will be distributed to
every employee and Staff training will be
available during the 2007-08 school year.
Our pledge is that, when you – as
a parent, visitor, school partner, or
employee – interact with an AISD staff
member, you can expect our very best.
During 2006-2007, “Mystery Callers
and Visitors” also contacted every AISD
campus and Central Office area to gauge
the level of customer service. Each principal
and Central Office Administrator
received feedback specific to his or her
campus or department.
As part of its Customer Service
Initiative, the District began the RAVE
(Recognizing All Valuable Employees)
program which provides an opportunity
for individuals to nominate employees
who personally make each customer feel
welcomed and valued. RAVE continues
to be a highly successful way to recognize
and reward employees who provide
exceptional customer service. Last
school year, more than 180 employees
were recognized for their outstanding
customer service. Nominations can be
made on the AISD website, http://www.
austinisd.org/inside/customerservice/
rave.phtml. Each recipient receives an
award and recognition.
AISD also kicked off the next phase of
the customer service initiative with the
AISD CARES campaign. CARES is an
acronym for: COURTEOUS (treating
customers with courtesy), ATTENTIVE
(active listening), RESPECTFUL
(being respectful of all customers),
EMPATHETIC (listening with empathy),
and SENSITIVE (being sensitive
to our customer’s needs), the qualities
each employee displays when interacting
with customers.
Customer service training, Unlocking
Sensational Service, is now available
upon request. Its purpose is to introduce
customer service concepts to
participants, providing them with the
tools necessary to excellent customer
service in all customer interactions.
A Customer Service DVD is also available
and has been distributed to all
campus principals and Central Office
Administrators for staff training.