Training and coaching of all of our staff in the areas of technical knowledge, teamwork and quality customer service need to be a priority, if, as a whole, we are to gain the trust and respect of our customers. As stated above, our customers' perceptions of us are mixed, but overall perceptions are generally positive. Specifically, our Medical, Psychological Screening Exam Services and Test Validation and Construction and Service Center programs are viewed very positively. The SPB Open House that was conducted in January was a tremendous help in demonstrating to our customers that we want to be approachable and service oriented. Most of our customers believe that we are doing a much better job in the area of customer service and that we are headed in the right direction.
Customer service has to be the cornerstone of our existence.
Everything that we do, from providing basic information services to the public to the sweeping civil service reform effort that we are now undertaking, must be done with the primary goal of meeting our customers' needs. Although some of our staff have received training in the area of customer service, it is critical that all Division staff attend, and even retake, such training. Partnerships We are doing a much better job of partnering and participating with the other state departments and the unions. Our partnering efforts with the Department of Personnel Administration have declined recently, but we are working hard to rebuild that relationship through increased communications. A concern within the Division is that our focus on increasing revenues by charging for our partnering and consultation services in the area of civil service reform could potentially impede the overall efforts to change the system.