Name
NSW Rural Fire Service
Industry
Emergency services
Products and services
The NSW Rural Fire Service is the lead combat agency for bushfires in NSW.
Website
The challenge
The NSW Rural Fire Service (RFS) recognised the need to enhance the customer service mindset among their staff. Understanding that this directly impacted how team members represented the NSW RFS brand, there was also a strong focus on improving interactions among internal stakeholders. Amid their demanding duties, staff sometimes overlooked the significance of their personal conduct and its influence on both team morale and public perception.
The challenge centred on reinforcing the importance of personal interactions within their roles. NSW RFS indicated that an important objective of the training was to enhance service levels to internal stakeholders, encouraging staff to adopt a customer service mindset in all internal interactions. Often, the importance of maintaining a positive attitude and the effects of behaviour on others were underestimated.
Addressing these issues meant focusing on increasing positivity and encouraging proactive problem-solving as integral parts of service delivery. This effort aimed to foster a greater sense of ownership and the importance of participants’ roles within the organisation. A specific area for improvement was ensuring tasks such as email responsiveness and collaborative support in completing team tasks were handled effectively.
Course_
Our solution
CCE developed a team training program tailored to the specific needs of NSW RFS. The program consisted of three full-day, face-to-face courses of the Customer Service Excellence Course, designed to accommodate up to 16 participants per session at the client’s premises.
The course curriculum addressed the unique challenges faced by NSW RFS, covering:
- understanding the perceptions of both internal and external customers
- establishing effective communication channels and relationships
- setting and meeting customer expectations reliably
- generating a positive atmosphere and outlook among team members
- highlighting how outstanding service contributes to the organisation’s achievements.
- recognising and addressing the requirements of customers
These sessions aimed to enhance participants' ability to handle interactions confidently, manage challenging situations, and deliver satisfactory outcomes using the available resources.
NSW RFS selected CCE as their training provider due to our comprehensive curriculum and interactive approach.
Facilitator_
Dominic Siow
Dominic has dedicated the past 17 years of his career to helping organisations create workplace culture that inspires their people to be at their natural best. His talks, coaching and workshops on leadership, collaboration, influence and emotional intelligence have created a positive impact on more than 150 organisations throughout the Asia Pacific region.
View profileThe outcome
After completing the training provided by CCE, NSW RFS observed notable improvements in team productivity and a reduction in conflicts, indicating an increase in task ownership. Staff reported higher morale and improved collaboration, highlighting the role of CCE training in fostering a more positive and proactive work environment.
NSW RFS staff demonstrated enhanced collaboration across units and a heightened sense of pride in their roles. This transformation was particularly evident in routine tasks like email responses and follow-ups, which had previously disrupted teamwork. The newfound accountability and service-oriented mindset resulted in a consistently improved representation of the NSW RFS brand.
The benefits of the training have endured, with employees consistently applying their new skills in their daily work, thereby enhancing NSW RFS's operational efficiency and service quality.
“Customer service training with Dominic Siow was a great experience for me and I highly endorse it. The course was captivating, and I enjoyed every moment of it. I gained knowledge not only about customer service but also self-development tools and the importance of self-awareness. A big take away for me was ‘when emotion is high, intelligence is low’. Thank you Dom”
- Sarah Allan Fleet Administration Officer