Customer Service Standards

Ohio Lottery Commission Customer Service Standards

Pursuant to Section 121.91 of the Ohio Revised Code, the following Customer Service Standards have been established by the Ohio Lottery.

The mission of the Ohio Lottery, to provide fair and entertaining games to its players, requires constant communication with the general public.  Accordingly, the Ohio Lottery is committed to providing clear, concise, and timely information, and has established these Standards in furtherance of serving our customers.

• Employees interacting personally with the general public will treat customers with respect and courtesy. Customers will be greeted upon arrival and will be asked to register for their visit.
• Employees will present a professional demeanor and will maintain a professional appearance in accordance with established agency dress codes.  
• Employees are allowed to participate in daily business casual attire except on Board Commission Days.  Reference LOT-HR-0051 Ohio Lottery Commission Dress Code Policy for appropriate or innappropriate work attire.  Any employee in the office on the Wednesday on which a commission meeting is scheduled must wear appropriate professional business dress. 
• Managers must enforce this requirement and are responsible for ensuring that staff is compliance (i.e., dressed appropriately for work).
• Employees interacting with the general public should ensure that business casual wear is appropriate for visitors.
•  Employees involved in the game show production and sponsorship events will be expected to wear Lottery team apparel and to provide an enjoyable experience for all guests.

Telephone Etiquette

• Employees will answer desk, Microsoft Teams, state-issued cellular phones, or any other state-providing answering service within the first three rings. Employees will identify themselves upon answering with his/her name and department. 
• Voicemail messages will be updated to reflect when an employee is unavailable, will inform callers of the employee’s anticipated return, and will provide an alternate contact for more immediate assistance.
• Voicemail messages will be reviewed and responded to on a daily basis.
• When an alternate answer point is available, an employee's phone will be forwarded to another Lottery issued number during an employee’s extended absence from the office. This must be approved by the employee's management team. 
• When a call needs to be transferred, employees shall remain on the line and inform the recipient of the caller’s identity and concerns before transferring.  
• When a call needs to be transferred to voicemail, the employee shall confirm with the caller that they are comfortable leaving a message.  If not, the employee shall record a message and notify the intended recipient.

Customer Correspondence

• Any form of written correspondence should be responded to in a complete fashion using business language, fonts, if needed on agency letterhead, which is provided as a template on Microsoft Word.
• Email correspondence should be replied to on the day received, minimally with an acknowledgement of receipt, if resolution is not possible.
• Employees shall update their “out-of-office notification” in Microsoft Outlook when out of the office.
• All Lottery employees' email signatures should be uniformed and adhere to Lottery brand guidelines.

Performance Management and Development

As a part of Performance Management and Development, the Lottery has included three separate categories for the evaluation of customer service:

• A statewide customer-focused competency is included in all employee performance evaluations.
• An agency competency “Communicating outside the organization” is included in all employee performance evaluations.  
• Employees with a significant interaction with the public will also be evaluated on competence for “Performing for or working directly with the public”.  This will be added to both the job descriptions and performance evaluations of identified positions.