A crucial part of job training, particularly with employees coming straight out of high school, is learning soft skills. Those skills, such as communication, teamwork, and problem-solving, influence how well someone can work or interact with others in the workplace. Las Cruces Utilities (LCU) Director Delilah Walsh spent time giving interns from the Doña Ana County’s Summer Enrichment Internship Program an idea of how to navigate the relationships that make an employee an asset to a business.
“Employers want workers who understand the dynamics between a customer and their business,” said Walsh. “Plenty of times, it’s things you learn through practice, how to be actively listening or how to empathize with your customer. But it’s always good to have the training to cover things that may seem obvious but are not.”
Walsh explained fundamentals like having an open posture – with arms and legs uncrossed – and what the physical distance between you and a customer can say. She also went deeper, asking the interns to empathize and how to reduce defensiveness and be a diffuser in emotional exchanges.
“What we want our interns to learn is that they have the role in solving problems, even in stressful situations,” said Walsh. “There are no ordinary moments when it comes to building relationships with customers, every situation is unique, and all the tools come together to keep high-level quality customer service at all times.”
“Empathizing with the customer was the part that I understood the best,” said Zane Calzada, a sophomore from Organ Mountain High School who worked in LCU’s Office of the Director. “It’s our role to listen and relate to the customer in the moment.”
Paid, real-life job experience internships for area high school in Doña Ana County is funded by a 1.2-million-dollar grant awarded by the New Mexico Public Education Department’s College and Career Readiness Bureau. The program provided 520 students an opportunity to enhance a college or job application. LCU has 23 students in various department lines of business.
“What I learned was that complaints aren’t always negative or bad,” said Serena Ortega, a senior from Las Cruces High School who worked in the LCU Technical Support program. “Customers provide an opportunity to learn.”
LCU Customer Central can be reached at 575-541-2111 from 8 a.m. - 6 p.m. Monday through Friday. LCU provides services to approximately 100,000 Las Cruces residents and businesses.