A teaching?colleague in DC,?Peg Mulqueen,?recently posed the question on Facebook, ?Is the?person leading a yoga class a teacher or customer service representative?? Responses ran the gamut, with some teachers stating that customer service ?has no place in yoga instruction? and others feeling like it?s part of our job responsibilities.
There was also a question as to whether pleasing the students should trump the teaching ? to which, we all agreed, the answer was a resounding ?no.? But I believe it?s not one or the other.
Excellent customer service and teaching with integrity can coexist.
As yoga instructors, we are primarily in the teacher role during class, but we ?have an obligation to the studio (and to our own businesses) to be respectful, helpful, and honor the fact that they are paying us for a service.
In choosing poses or instructions, we are 100% in the teacher role. If the question becomes, ?will the student like me if I tell them this?? instead of ?will this serve my student,??your teaching will suffer.?If you only focus on offering instruction, your relationships and your business will suffer.
How do we find a balance? The secret is to create a customer-centric business. Keep your students in mind with every non-teaching decision you make. Build trust with your students and create an excellent experience, in and out of the studio. When the trust is there, you can hold good boundaries and teach from a place of confidence.
In the classroom, a teacher wears many hats that have nothing to do with instruction.
When I make announcements, I?m a representative of the studio. When a student asks me about a mat in the boutique, I?m offering good customer service on behalf of the studio. When a student asks me about my retreats?or private lessons, I?m marketing my offerings ? hopefully, skillfully.
In doing things like adjusting the a/c or offering to distribute eye pillows, I?m not teaching, but I am attending to their comfort and creating a better experience for the students. That may seem minor, but it adds value and enjoyment to their time at the studio.
By keeping your offering grounded in User Experience best practices, you will build strong relationships with your students ? the kind of relationships that enable you to challenge them; to offer an instruction they need, but may not like; and, ultimately, to be a more effective teacher.
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