- Dangerous temperatures that can quickly cause frostbite with minimal exposure
- The accuracy of weather predictions
- The ability of school bus drivers (and presumably teachers) to report to work on time
- How long a student can safely wait at a bus stop before a delayed bus arrives
- The potential for a bus breakdown in extreme weather
- Building conditions (heat/water/electricity/access to parking lots and sidewalks)
- The safety of students walking to school
Importantly, the superintendent demonstrates empathy in the email – a key trait of successful customer service agents – by putting herself in parents’ (who are, in this case, her customers) shoes:
“We recognize that a decision to close schools often requires alternative plans for childcare and other work arrangements,” the email reads. This is critical because it builds trust with parents, who often struggle to make alternative plans for work or childcare when schools fail to communicate closure decisions clearly.
The superintendent further makes a connection with readers by referring to a shared experience.
“We can all recall forecasts of snow that never fell and know that media can make all-day news of an anticipated storm,” she wrote. “For those reasons, my announcing a closing for snow the day before is unlikely.”
The email concludes by explaining when parents can expect closure announcements for both snow and cold, and the various communication methods used to transmit that information in a timely fashion. The school district does its best to be where its customers are.
The reason this particular communication is impressive is that it carefully sets the appropriate expectations with parents, so that they may in turn plan ahead to the best of their ability. Just like in the business world, expectations are critically important in determining things like what gets shared on social media or how customers perceive their experience with a company.
Simply put, when companies exceed customer expectations, then customers are happy. When companies miss those expectations, they disappoint or even anger the customers.
The key is to be clear about what those expectations should be.
For example, smaller companies don’t need to have 24/7 customer service, but they do need to inform their customers of when service is available. Even big companies will often set expectations for email response time – within one business day, for example.
It’s also important to remember that “customers” aren’t just people walking down Main Street with shopping bags. Schools have multiple types of “customers,” including parents, students, teachers, bus drivers, custodians and administrators. Hospitals have patients, but also doctors, nurses and staff.
By setting the appropriate expectations, companies, schools and other organizations can avoid having disappointed customers. When a customer knows ahead of time what to expect, it’s like coming in out of the cold.
