When customer information isn’t shown

There are two ways a customer can submit a dialogue without sharing their identity with your district

Hidden Customers: Customers who provide an email and check the “Hide your contact information from the district” button.

• What does this mean? A district employee can still respond to the customer via Let’s Talk! but will not be given the customer’s name or contact information. The system will send communications while keeping the customer’s identity hidden to the district.
• Next steps: Respond to the dialogue, and close out when the dialogue has been resolved.

Anonymous Customers: Customers who leave the contact information fields completely blank

• What does this mean?: The district is unable to respond to the customer. The Let’s Talk! system is not given an email to send replies back to, therefore this dialogue is completely anonymous.
• Next steps:
  • Although an anonymous Dialogue doesn’t offer an opportunity to respond directly to the Customer, remember that there may be a legitimate reason that this message was sent to your attention.
  • If it’s not a legitimate message, close the Dialogue and move on.
  • If the message requires some follow-up, re-assign it, as usual, letting the right district staff members know about the feedback. Add tags, provide internal comments, and note actions taken to track any follow-up work completed.
  • Again: No response is required, but anonymous Dialogues must still be closed!

Setting Expectations

• In the platform itself and through all communications, customize your language to make it clear that all feedback is welcome, but only messages including contact information will receive direct follow-up.
• Landing page welcome messages and interest area introductions remind people of their options before they submit.
• After submitting, onscreen thank-you messages remind those who submit anonymously that they won’t be receiving direct responses.

Dealing with Anonymous Dialogues

• Although an anonymous Dialogue doesn’t offer an opportunity to respond directly to the Customer, remember that there may be a legitimate reason that this message was sent to your attention.
• If it’s not a legitimate message, close the Dialogue and move on.
• If the message requires some follow-up, re-assign it as usual, letting the right district staff members know about the feedback. Add tags, provide internal comments, and note actions taken to track any follow-up work completed.
• Again: No response is required, but anonymous Dialogues must still be closed!

Beyond the platform, follow-up on issues or questions raised through anonymous Dialogues can be shared out through public communications. For example, district newsletters, online FAQs, and other resources can carry updates on the steps the district has taken to deal with reported issues.

Show you’re listening, even to those with no names. Maybe next time they’ll be ready to be themselves.