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Council presses HR on customer service, secret shoppers and AI training tools
Summary
Council members asked HR about secret-shoppers, mandatory customer-service training for people-facing employees and HR's use of AI-driven training tools. Council approved a motion to require annual customer-service training for people-facing staff; HR described use of SkillGym and plans for an LMS rollout.
Council members raised multiple questions on March 21 about how the city measures and improves customer-facing interactions, and whether training can be made mandatory for people-facing employees.
Several council members asked whether the city uses "secret shoppers" or mystery callers to test customer service. Denise Starr and Iris Ware said departments are piloting secret-shopper programs; DDOT recently recruited more than 20 secret shoppers to assess on-bus customer experience, and HR said departments sometimes use mystery-caller approaches for telephone or paratransit services.
Ware described a layered approach to learning and development focused on customer-facing skills: "We anchor everything that we do" in core values and tailor customer-service training by department, she said. Ware said HR has developed de-escalation curriculum, role-based certification tracks (administrative assistants, leadership cohorts) and an IDP (individual development plan) emphasis separate from corrective PIPs.
AI and simulation tools: Ware said HR is piloting SkillGym, an AI-driven coaching simulation that provides scenario-based practice for managers and supervisors. "It responds real time and adapts to your responses, and they give suggestions on better ways to respond," Ware said. She said the product is being used in executive leadership development and will be rolled out in a smaller form for manager boot camps.
Council action on training: A council member moved that the city require ongoing, annual customer-service training for all people-facing employees. The clerk recorded no objections, and the motion passed.
LMS and metrics: HR said it is implementing a learning management system (LMS) to centralize training data; staff expect to run demonstrations now and aim to have the LMS live by the start of the fiscal year. HR cautioned that loading historical data takes time and said it expects to produce more detailed quantitative training reports later in the summer or early fall.
Ending: Council members asked HR to return with implementation details, timelines and reporting options for mandated customer-service training.
