Overview
Schools, colleges and universities are facing increased scrutiny to excel at customer service and handle a variety of complaints effectively.
To achieve this, staff must understand how to efficiently communicate and write credible, succinct and comprehensible responses to complainants.
On our Effective Written Responses to Complaints in Education course led by Communications Specialist, Sue Calthorpe, gain techniques to deliver effective written responses to complaints through a combination of expert tutor input, practical case studies and supported exercises.
Leave the day with practical written techniques and a clear plan in mind when replying to complaints.
Susan works with organisations and individuals to improve their written communications skills.
She worked as a regional and national newspaper journalist before setting up a full-service communications company, now established for 30 years.
She works with public and private sector organisations to help with:
- Effective emails
- Report writing
- Briefings and submissions
- Persuasive and influential writing techniques
- Promotional writing
- Effective complaint handling
- Communicating complex information for non-technical readers.
Her recent clients include Legal & General, HSBC, BRIT, the Law ...
Learning Outcomes
- Effectively assess and plan your reply
- Create credible correspondence moving forward
- Learn from best practice how to respond to a complaint
- Develop practical written techniques to elicit information from colleagues
- Understand what is working and what needs improvement in complaints letter writing
Agenda
Registration
Trainer’s Welcome and Clarification of Learning Objectives
Complaints in Education: What is Working and What Needs to Improve
- Gain an overview of trends and insight into the most common complaints in education
- Understand the effect complaints have on both staff and the people who depend on the service they provide
Best and Bad Practice
- Assess a range of real-life correspondence
- Identify best practice and receive expert advice regarding style, tone, vocabulary, presentation of facts and evidence
Morning Break
Assessing and Planning Your Reply
- Develop planning tools to create a suitable reply
- Identify ‘trigger’ points from correspondence to provide better responses
- Understand how correspondents want their complaint handled and what they expect from the reply
Lunch
Summarising Detail
- Ensure that your response is delivered efficiently
- Introduce a six-part grid to help with this process
- Learn how to summarise complex information into language and structure that can easily be understood
Creating Credible Correspondence
Create and give feedback on a range of letters to review and refresh personal skills
- Develop your own best practice
- Identify areas for improvement
- Utilise skills developed throughout the day to create letters
Feedback, Evaluation and Close
