At Achievement Centers for Children, customer service is a cause. That’s because its business is about more than transactions and selling products. It’s about bettering the lives of children with disabilities.
Customer service at Achievement Centers for Children — which is headed by Executive Director Patricia Nobili — begins with the hiring process for new employees. Various family scenarios are posed to applicants, who are then asked questions based on those scenarios and their answers are subsequently assessed. Applicants must not only have the requisite skills for the job, but they must also possess a passion for serving children with disabilities and their families.
New hires are trained by the company’s quality assurance manager and the clients’ rights officer — a staff member who advocates for client families. The training includes an education in the agency’s expectations that employees will, when necessary, go the extra mile when assisting a client.
Achievement Centers has put a number of quality control measures in place to ensure a high level of customer service is provided to all clients. The agency has undertaken a performance improvement plan, overseen by three committees: the quality assurance committee, the agency management team and the president’s committee. The agency’s quality assurance manager coordinates the combined efforts of the three committees, so that high-volume, high-risk or problem areas are quickly identified and addressed. When problems do arise, they are quickly identified, investigated and reviewed, and an improvement plan is put in place.
The agency also continually tracks and compares client satisfaction surveys, which helps keep everyone focused on the best interest of the clients and their families.
With an extensive screening and training process and a strong culture, Achievement Centers for Children makes customer service everyone’s business, from new hires all the way to the top of the organization.
How to reach: Achievement Centers for Children, (216) 292-9700 or www.achievementcenters.org
