This document discusses branding and customer service in parks and recreation. It emphasizes that branding is about creating an emotional connection and building loyalty by delivering on a brand promise. The brand promise for parks and recreation presented is to make lives and communities better by providing access to nature, outdoor spaces, recreation facilities and programs, and activities that foster social connections and development. Excellent customer service is key to helping customers realize the value of programs and services, and involves understanding customer needs and responding to them. Strategies discussed include having a customer service plan, leadership commitment, training, tools to empower customers, and gathering customer feedback.

1. Living The Brand through
Customer Service
Promising our Consumers an Experience!
Presented by:
André Pichly, M.S., CPRP
Recreation Superintendent
City of West Sacramento

2. Branding 101 in Ten Minutes
Why is having a Brand important?
The goal is for parks and recreation to be valued as an
essential community service.
With brand loyalty we have:
• Funding
• Programs
• Positive Growth
• Organizational Health
• Community Involvement

3. Branding 101 in Ten Minutes
What a Brand is not:
• A product
• A logo/mark
• What the company says it is
• It is not just a slogan

4. Branding 101 in Ten Minutes
“The most powerful and enduring brands
are built from the heart.
If people believe they share values with a
company, they will stay loyal to a brand.”
-- Howard Schultz
Chairman and CEO
Starbuck’s Coffee Company

5. Branding 101 in Ten Minutes
Branding is about emotional connections.
• Favorite Restaurant
• Favorite Room in Your House
• Favorite Personality (actor, musician, politician, athlete, comedian, etc.)
• Favorite Retail Store

6. Branding 101 in Ten Minutes
The Branding Process
• Brand Assessment: where we are today
• Brand Promise: what we say we will deliver
• Brand Blueprint: how we will “get it done”
• Brand Culturalization: promise is integrated
into everything
• Brand Advantage: end result

7. Brand Promise
Parks and recreation makes lives & communities better
now & in the future by providing:
• access to the serenity & inspiration of nature;
• outdoor space to play & exercise;
• facilities for self-directed & organized recreation;
• positive alternatives for youth which help lower
crime and mischief; and
• activities that facilitate social connections,
human development, the arts and lifelong
learning.

16. What is Customer Service?
“Customer service means all features,
acts, and information that augment the
customer’s ability to realize the potential
value of a core product or service.”
Total Customer Service: The Ultimate Weapon, by Davidow & Uttal

18. Intentional Customer Service
“Companies that provide outstanding
customer service don’t do it by dumb luck.
They manage to do it. They put into action
the six (6) elements of customer service:
strategy, leadership, personnel policies,
design, infrastructure, and measurement.”
Total Customer Service: The Ultimate Weapon, by Davidow & Uttal

20. Customer Service Strategy
1. Do a self-analysis of your agency. Be
brutally honest.
2. What would you like to see different?
3. Identify obstacles that stand in the way.
4. Develop a simple plan: “What do we
want to do, who’ll be involved, when do
we start?”

21. Customer Service Leadership
1. You need at least one (1) champion.
2. Commit to be a role model.
3. Commit to ongoing trainings.
4. Commit to being patient.
5. Treat staff the way you want them to
treat your customers.
6. Involve front-line staff in creating that
customer service strategy.

22. Customer Service Personnel
Policies
1. Acknowledge the importance of front-
line staff.
2. Empower front-line staff to make
decisions usually reserved for higher-
ranking staff.
3. Think of ways you can serve your front-
line staff

23. Customer Service Design
1. More than “courtesy”.
2. What’s your Customer Service model?
3. Training, training, training.

24. Customer Service Infrastructure
1. What tools are in place that can help the
customer in the absence of staff?
2. What can be done to let the customer
help themselves?
3. Cost vs. benefit

25. Customer Service Measurement
1. What do customers want?
2. How satisfied are customers with your
services?
3. Once you have that information, how
are you going to respond?
4. How are you going to communicate the
changes?

26. 2-minute small group discussion
What thoughts, emotions,
and ideas come into your
head when you study this
picture?

29. Our Guest
Service
1. Make Eye Contact and Smile  Guidelines
2. Greet and Welcome Each and Every Guest
3. Seek Out Guest Contact
4. Provide Immediate Service Recovery
5. Display Appropriate Body Language at All Times
6. Preserve the Fun and Exciting Guest Experience
7. Thank Each and Every Guest
Great customer service is how we help our
guests realize our brand promise of . . . .

30. Excellent Customer Service Practices
+
Understanding your customer values, wants
& needs AND responding to them
=
Helps your customers realize the value of
your programs and services
Doing these things helps deliver
on the brand promise of . . . . . .

31. Thank You
for your participation!
Presented by:
André Pichly, M.S., CPRP
Recreation Superintendent
City of West Sacramento
andrep@cityofwestsacramento.org
I’m on LinkedIn, too!
For more information about the Parks Make Life Better branding campaign go to
www.cprs.org. Check out Parks Make Life Better on Facebook, too!