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Customer Service Training

Education is a central pillar of Facilities Management’s Customer Service Strategy, and FM’s new department-wide Customer Service Training is a key part of that education.

The goal of FM’s customer service strategy is to create a culture of customer service excellence in Facilities Management and for each of us to become agents of customer service. The skills and best practices covered in FM’s customer service training will help us get there.

Who are FM’s customers? Our customer is anyone who uses a campus facility, including students, coworkers, visitors, and vendors.

What do we mean by Customer Service? Customer service goes beyond closing work orders or completing tasks and projects. Customer service also encompasses the professional relationship we build with customers by:

  • Setting and meeting expectations
  • Being responsive
  • Communicating regularly
  • Holding ourselves to the highest standard

FM’s customer service training will strengthen our culture of service excellence and provide tools that support each of us in delivering the best possible experience to our campus community. Great service builds trust and strengthens FM’s reputation across campus. Through this training, you will learn:

  • How to effectively communicate with confidence
  • How to proactively solve problems
  • How to recover when issues arise
  • How to build customer relationships

Training Expectations

All FM employees – supervisors, frontline staff, and leadership – will participate in customer service training. With the exception of participants in our pilot sessions, each employee has been assigned to a learning cohort with whom you will complete four in-person training sessions, scheduled one day per week for four weeks. Each training session lasts no more than 3.5 hours (with a short break), allowing FM employees to balance their training requirements with regular job responsibilities.

The Customer Service Training Team will share individual cohort assignments and training schedules by email and through calendar invitations for your specific training sessions.

Training at a Glance

Pilot sessions: October 21–30, 2025
Full rollout: November 10, 2025 – March/April 2026
Format: Four sessions (12 hours total)
Sequence: Supervisors → Frontline → Leadership

Learn More About Customer Service Training

FM customer service training is in-person and will take place in one of two campus locations:

College Park City Hall
7401 Baltimore Avenue, 4th Floor
College Park, MD 20740

Seneca Building
4716 Pontiac St.
College Park, MD 20740

Exact location and room number for each training session will be included in the calendar invitation. Please note that your training location may not be the same for all four of your training sessions, depending on room availability, so please double check your calendar invitations.

Security at 7401 Baltimore Avenue:
7401 Baltimore Avenue (College Park City Hall) is a secure building, requiring an elevator code to access the 4th floor. Staff assigned to training sessions at City Hall will be provided an elevator code or will be met in the lobby by a training coordinator. If you need assistance, please call 301-405-0801 from the lobby and someone will come meet you. 

We encourage you to consider walking, carpooling or taking ShuttleUM to your training location. Please plan ahead and allow adequate time for travel and parking.

Parking: College Park City Hall / 7401 Baltimore Avenue:
If you drive to the City Hall, please take advantage of the following nearby parking options:

  • For staff with any DOTS parking permit (daily, 2-day, 3-day or annual), parking is available in overflow lots including 15, 16A, 16B, 16F, 17A, K3, K5 or Mowatt Lane parking garage. See this map for overflow lot locations.
  • Limited free and paid street parking is available around City Hall. Please note street signage for time of day and City of College Park permit requirements.
  • Levels 1 - 2.5 of the College Park Municipal Building parking garage offer public, paid parking for those who do not have a permit for the garage upper levels. The garage is in the same building as Ledo Pizza and is accessed from Yale Avenue. Find out more about rates and hours here.

Parking: Seneca Building / 4716 Pontiac Street, College Park
Staff with any DOTS parking permit (daily, 2-day, 3-day or annual) can park in the UMD parking lots in front of and on the south side of the Seneca Building (Lots K5 and 4a). Both are staff overflow lots. 

  • Be sure to accept the calendar invitation for each of your four in-person training sessions and review the detailed description.
  • Plan ahead and allow adequate time for travel, parking, and building access. Sessions will begin promptly at 8:30 a.m. ( morning sessions) OR 12:30 p.m. (afternoon sessions).
  • Be sure to sign in when you arrive at the training room. Credit for attending these required training sessions will be based on your recorded attendance.
  • If you have any questions or need assistance on your training day, please email FM Customer Service Training.

What if I have a conflict with an assigned training date?

FM Supervisors have been asked to prioritize Customer Service Training for themselves and their staff. If you have a work commitment that conflicts with one of your assigned training sessions, check with your supervisor first to see if adjustments can be made within your team to enable your attendance.

If the conflict is unavoidable, as early as possible before your training date, please email FM Customer Service Training, and copy your supervisor, with the following information:

  • Your name (first and last)
  • Your FM unit and supervisory organization
  • Your supervisor’s name (first and last)
  • Your assigned Customer Service Training Cohort #
  • The training date on which you cannot attend

A member of the Customer Service Training team will contact you with instructions on how to make up the missed session.

What if there’s a weather-related or emergency closure on my training day?

If the university announces a weather-related, full-day closure or delayed opening for staff, any morning and afternoon training sessions scheduled for that day will be cancelled and rescheduled. Affected training participants will be notified by email and calendar update. As soon as possible following the cancellation, the FM Customer Service Training Team will contact you with your make-up training date (or options).

Early closures due to inclement weather, or closures related to other campus emergencies, may also affect the training schedule. Any changes to your assigned training schedule due to an emergency situation (weather or otherwise) will be communicated via email and/or calendar update.

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