Strengthening Service from the First Call

In this episode, we explore the important role customer service teams play across LARA and how they help shape the public’s experience from the very first call. From answering questions to guiding callers through complex processes, these teams provide clear, professional, and empathetic support every day.

We also touch on efforts like the Phone Guidelines Workgroup, which are helping strengthen consistency, training, and resources for staff serving on the front lines.

Transcript

Anastasha Osborn 0:14

Hello everyone and welcome back to the LARA Living Room. I am your host, Anastasha Osborn. So, as a reminder before we kick off this podcast, that this is a place where we take a closer look at the people, programs, and initiatives that happen right here at the Michigan Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs. Now, one of the most common ways people interact with LARA is through a phone call. So whether someone is applying for a license, looking for information, or trying to resolve an issue, those first conversations often shape how people experience our department. So behind those calls are some dedicated customer service teams across Lara who work every day to help people navigate complex questions and then really connect them with information that they need. So today's episode is called Strengthening Service from the First Call. So we're going to be talking about the important role that our customer service plays across LARA and then how our teams really work to provide clear, professional, and helpful support to the public. But before we get started, fill up your coffee or a drink of choice, grab a seat and get comfortable because you are now in the LARA living room. So joining me today is Christina Kohler, who has extensive experience working with customer service and helping improve how we support callers across the department. So, Christina, thank you so much for being here. Thank you for having me. Yes. So before we really kind of start off, really you know the customer service world here at LARA, can you tell us a little bit about your role here at LARA and then how customer service fits into the work that you do? Absolutely.

Christina Koehler 1:38

Um, so I work in um licensing for the Bureau of Professional Licensing. I am a uh manager for that section. Um, however, I started in 2015 and have done all levels of customer service over the phone and in person while working for the Bureau. Um, however, I have worked in customer service my entire life, so a good 30 plus years of experience both in person and over the phone.

Anastasha Osborn 2:06

Okay. So safe to say that you have a lot of customer service experience and you've been doing this for a long time and do you enjoy doing it?

Christina Koehler 2:13

I do, I do. I think customer service is the lifeblood of any organization. So I strive to um how do I put this exactly, to make that my focus um in everything that I do and try to portray that to the people that I work with on a daily basis too.

Anastasha Osborn 2:28

Absolutely. So for a lot of our, you know, for a lot of the public, so to speak, um, a phone call is really their very first interaction sometimes with LARA. So why are our customer service teams so important when it comes to helping people understand our programs here or navigating, you know, these really complex processes?

Christina Koehler 2:49

So just exactly what you said, with it's the first phone call is like their first experience potentially, or maybe their tenth experience, but we're creating a relationship with those people, and so if the relationship is not good with our agency, they're gonna put the state of Michigan as a whole. So my biggest concern always is that we're making sure that we're putting our best foot forward and providing the best customer service and trying to help as much as humanly possible so that they have a good experience so they can relate that as uh a good experience for them as well, and hopefully have a good um a good overall thought process about the state of Michigan.

Anastasha Osborn 3:27

Yeah, absolutely. And I love that because you know you're thinking outside of just LARA, you're also thinking like the bigger picture, the all our other sister departments, and then the state of Michigan as a whole. Um, because you're right, they might lump us all into just one. Um so customer service staff across LARA, obviously, we have so many different bureaus, we have so many different type one agencies. So questions probably vary depending on where you which team you are working in. So, can you talk a little bit about the types of calls that your team specifically would typically receive and kind of the role that they are playing in helping connect our callers with the right information or resources? Sure.

Christina Koehler 4:06

So um the Bureau of Professional Licensing handles licensing for health and occupational licenses. Uh, we're split up into four different teams based on the license types. Um, my specific um section uh group is only health licensing. So um we have a a number of different um questions, or I shouldn't say questions, but um topics that can come up. So first thing, IT things. Um all the time I need to get my password changed, I can't log in.

Anastasha Osborn 4:33

That's probably universal, probably across the entire department, probably.

Christina Koehler 4:36

Yes. Uh probably across the, you know, all of the whole world, honestly, who knows?

Anastasha Osborn 4:41

Right.

Christina Koehler 4:42

Um, and so we answer everything from IT-related stuff all the way down to specifics on what kind of license should I be applying for? Um, did you receive my documentation? Has my transcript gotten there yet? Um, how do I get my fingerprints done? Yeah. So it's kind of a little bit of everything, so we have to be prepared for just about anything. Can can be really um interesting sometimes.

Anastasha Osborn 5:06

Yeah. And so I guess for our listeners, when you're talking about like your team division or um the profession specifically that your team oversees, can you give us some examples of like what those professions include?

Christina Koehler 5:17

Yeah. So um, so my section has pharmacy, okay, um, which is huge because it's not only the pharmacists, but we also have pharmacy technicians, and then we have pharmacies that have to be licensed through our agency as well. So um so that's kind of it runs the gamut from a facility down to a uh a technician. Um so that can be really interesting. And then we have um we have four in our in for the Bureau, we have um four licensed professions, I guess you could say, that handle uh what we call the head um uh the head group, if you will. So we have counselors, we have marriage and family therapists, we have psychologists, and we have social workers. And so while they're all very similar, they're all different because they have different statutes and they have different administrative roles. So um that can make a difference of how they handle themselves and whatnot. Um, I think the the biggest one that my section has is between pharmacy and then dentistry, which has a number of license types for the specific profession because there's everything from dental assistants all the way up to the actual dentists, and then you have specialties involved. And those are different license types.

Anastasha Osborn 6:24

Yeah. Interesting. So for your section, do you guys have your own customer service team? And then is there a customer service team for the other sections as well?

Christina Koehler 6:31

Yes. Okay. So we have um departmental technicians um that actually answer the phones and process applications. So, and we have so we have a team for each of those four sections in licensing.

Anastasha Osborn 6:43

Okay, beautiful. And that would make sense um because that's very specialized. So what that way they become kind of um experts in that specific profession, so they're able to answer those questions. I would imagine it would be very difficult for one person or for a group of people to know all the professions and if you want to answer all of those questions.

Christina Koehler 7:00

So I think we have like 48 professions, so it's it's a lot. And so I'll give you a little backstory. When I came to this agency in 2015, we had just kind of combined with um an office in Okemos that was for occupational um licensing, so we kind of all submerged, and the general office assistants, is which is what my title was at the time, they answered all the calls. So I was getting everything from real estate to medicine. Yeah, and it became very clear very fast that that was just too much information to try to get out there well. So the split up happened, and then we were specific on our profession.

Anastasha Osborn 7:36

Very smart. I feel like that was a very smart move. It was because again, like I said, it helps you that team be able to become the experts on those specific professions and not have to know all 48 of them. Yes.

Christina Koehler 7:47

Yes, and people are happier that they can get a real solid answer instead of you know the I'm not really sure and just send it in again or whatever the case is.

Anastasha Osborn 7:55

Yep, absolutely. So kind of leads me into my question that I I had, which is working customer service can also be challenging at times, especially when callers um are frustrated or dealing with really stressful situations. So, what are some of the skills or I guess resources that you give to your staff to help them navigate those conversations while also still providing, you know, that top-tier professionalism and and service? Absolutely.

Christina Koehler 8:22

So my biggest thing is just having empathy for the situation that you're hearing. This may be the tenth time you've heard this situation because these kinds of things happen, right? But this is the first time that you've heard this particular person. So we need to have empathy and we need to listen fully to their situation. My biggest thing is if they can't feel heard, they're not their the call could go a different way. Right. So being empathetic to the situation, listening to them fully, that goes miles. Right. Yeah, I bet. I've been in situations where we couldn't uh fix the problem at the end of the call. However, because of the way that they were treated, that they were heard, and we're, you know, we were able to say, okay, well, we just need to do some research or whatever the case is to be able to get this handled. And they were okay with it because of the way that we handled the call.

Anastasha Osborn 9:11

Yeah, absolutely. And I think that does definitely go a long way too with those callers, just showing them that you understand their frustrations and here's how I'm gonna try to help you. Yes. Um, more so probably de-escalating a lot of those calls. Yes. One thing I actually really wanted to highlight um was that you helped lead a cross bureau and type ones. Well, there are also type ones in there. So great. So uh cross bureau and type one phone guidelines work group. Um, and that specifically was to look at ways that you guys could all come together and strengthen consistency and provide resources for our customer service teams. So I want you to kind of just briefly talk about that and kind of what was the goal, um, what was the outcome, and then how did that or kind of maybe some things you saw in that work group for sure.

Christina Koehler 10:01

So the um what the biggest thing that I found is that so much of our jobs are different, but the customer service aspect was so similar, no matter what questions you're specifically answering, but like the types of questions and then also the type of customer that's calling in and all of that stuff. So uh that was really illuminating, if you will. And um, so we had a really good, we had multiple really great conversations about how we handle this. This is how we've done this. And the other thing we found is that um oftentimes the directives were very bureau specific rather than being Laura specific or even state of Michigan specific. Um and and so they everyone that was involved in that group was very excited about trying to have some consistency. Um I I always strive for consistency. I like people to get the same experience no matter who they talk to, where they're calling, what their situation is, right? So um so that was kind of I think the thought process behind um creating that work group and and making sure that people had um our technicians and the people that are answering phones have some um not only skills but also have some opportunities to learn some things so that they don't feel they're you know left out there treading water. Yeah, in difficult situations, especially.

Anastasha Osborn 11:15

Yeah, and I think you guys are probably ahead of the curve because when did this work group actually like meet? And then I know you guys put a big report together that you shared with our directors office.

Christina Koehler 11:26

So we met um starting in late 2024 and finished up in early 2025, and then the report and um the um the presentation was in April. Okay, and so I've been working kind of behind the scenes trying to work on a OneNote to have put on our um like internal website so that we can have all those shared um information that was shared during that um that work group.

Anastasha Osborn 11:51

Yeah, and I love that so when I was saying like ahead of the curve is because you know, going into 2026, um, one of our big goals here at Lara was to create a one Lara feel, right? So it didn't matter who you talk to, which team or bureau or agency, that you are gonna get very consistent service or um what what have you. Yes. And so I think you guys were ahead of that curve saying, okay, we need to look at our customer service teams, how can we be more consistent in giving this Lara feel um and how we are talking to the public? Because you guys are kind of like our first line of defense, so to speak. Absolutely. Absolutely. Yeah. So how many people were a part of that work group? I think there was, did you have like one from each team?

Christina Koehler 12:34

Yes. Okay. And and I want to say, like the I think it was 10, but every now and again we would we only had eight in the group. It just sort of depended on you know what was happening in their in their work lives and could they make it to the meeting and that sort of thing. But people were really great about sending messages if they couldn't, you know, make it and hey, I have this resource, this might be beneficial to talk about next time or to add to the report, you know, that sort of thing.

Anastasha Osborn 12:57

So and then just for our listeners, so when we're talking about this phone guidelines work group and this report, um, this was something that was internal. Um, it was something that Christina led, and then you know, the team met internally, they created these resources that they could then share internally. So, while it's all internal and you may not see that report as the public, you know, or as our our partners or stakeholders, but you will definitely reap the benefits from that work group.

Christina Koehler 13:24

Definitely.

Anastasha Osborn 13:25

Yeah. So when people are calling, you know, people call Lara. Um, they might only interact with one staff member, but that interaction, as we kind of already talked about, can shape the overall impression of the department, the state of Michigan, all of that stuff. So, how, in your own opinion, and maybe your own words, um, how do strong customer service practices help to build that trust, you know, with the public?

Christina Koehler 13:50

Absolutely. I I kind of touched on a little bit ago the um you're building a relationship. That is that is one thing that I have taken from my very early days in customer service when I was 16 years old, working my first job, which was a juice bar. Um, so it's very one-on-one most of the time. Um, and then periodically we'd get busy and there might be five people up there, but um, but I wanted them to come back. That's the goal, right? You don't want to have such a bad experience that you never want to do that again. So, and I also in my many years of customer service, you don't always hear the good stuff, but you always hear the bad stuff. So, so by creating this um these resources for our technicians or general office assistants that are answering phones to have some support and feel like they have the backing of all of Laura, that's that's sort of what that feels like because we want to build that relationship where they don't automatically connect it to a negative situation. We want it to be as positive as possible.

Anastasha Osborn 14:47

Yeah. Um, something I just thought about was when you were a part of that work group, or maybe if you just know just from your experience of working customer service here, so each team or each bureau or agency has a customer service team of some capacity. Um are you familiar with the sizes or generally, you know, I can give a rough estimate and how big our customer service teams are across the department? I know it's a big ask, or if you just want to share maybe just from BPL how big those teams are.

Christina Koehler 15:17

Sure. Well, I can I can certainly tell you about licensing. Um, there is nine technicians on each of the four teams, and all of the technicians answer phones and um and also maybe not all in the same day, you know, you know, there's a little bit of a schedule.

Anastasha Osborn 15:32

I was just gonna say, yeah, because if we're thinking bureau size, I'm sure, then that depends on how big your customer service team needs to be, and BPL being one of our biggest bureaus. Yes, because it has the most professions that you guys license, which makes a lot more sense. So yes. Beautiful. Well, I think we are just about at time, but I wanted to give you the opportunity, you know, to maybe as we are kind of seeing LARA grow and evolve, um, what do you see as kind of the future of customer service um in our department specifically?

Christina Koehler 16:00

So my so my experience with LARA has been fantastic.

Anastasha Osborn 16:05

How long have you been here?

Christina Koehler 16:06

2015. June of 2015 is when I started. So um, and I came over from DHS, well, DHHS, but it wasn't at the time. Um department of Healthy and Human Service Labs, yeah.

Anastasha Osborn 16:16

I was like, I always get the H's mixed up. Yes, yes.

Christina Koehler 16:19

Um, and so my experience here has been really phenomenal. I felt like they always put um the client, if you will, the the customer first, um, which I thought was hugely important because of what we do. It also felt true to me and who I am as a person. I try to, even in small situations, I try to create a customer service level, if you will. So um, so the experience has been fantastic. And I think going forward, as long as we keep that focus and are able to train people appropriately and give them the resources that they need, I think it's only going to get better with time.

Anastasha Osborn 16:59

I appreciate you being here to kind of shed some more light on it, talk about kind of your experience and what you kind of worked on in the work group as well.

Christina Koehler 17:07

So thank you so much. I had a lot of a lot of fun being here. Excited.

Anastasha Osborn 17:10

Well, thank you. Um, as we can see, customer service really is, I mean, at the heart of everything we do, even outside of I think our work life. So every interaction, including those first phone calls here at our department, really shape how people experience us here at LARA. So, and of course, the work of the phone uh guidelines work group, that's just another way that we're helping ensure that the staff across our department have all the tools, they have all the resources and guidance that they need to then deliver that professional, consistent service to the people that we serve. So, thank you so much for listening to the LARA Living Room. If you enjoyed today's episode, be sure to check out our other conversations highlighting the people and work happening across Lara. From our living room to yours, we will see you next time.