They get what they pay for! What I mean by that is if they put forth a lot of effort they will get a lot back in return. Some times it takes extra effort on the students and my part to help them increase the investment level to insure they meet the standards set. I teach graduates in a post graduate program so they already come to me pretty driven. Even still the focus can fall off from external or internal issues that we (the student and I) wil contend with to keep them on track.
Hi Charles,
I love the analogy. You are right on point! What a great example. Everyone certainly plays a role when it comes to customer service in the educational setting.
Patricia Scales
Customer service in the educational setting should be looked at from a stakeholder point of view. Who are stakeholders? Students, instructors, staff, vendors, businesses, community, anyone with an interest in the success of the students and institution. Students should realize that their is a customer service relationship between the instructor and the students, as well as between the students and the instructor, and students to each other, as all are stakeholders in the classroom success and learning process.
Hi Anthony,
Rapport/relationship building is certainly important in the educational setting. Students will work hard as to not to disappoint you when a relationship has been established.
Patricia Scales
When I think of customer service in a educational setting I like to add relations or relationship to the process.Building a relationship with the customer, in this case with the student is helpful. It needs to be an academic / classroom relationship but it makes the teaching process easier.
Hi Stephanie,
Nicely stated! You understand how to provide impeccable customer service to students, and the good that will come from providing impeccable customer service. I can tell you put your students first.
Patricia Scales
Customer Service is just what it is, a service! We owe it to our students to provide the best service whether it is going above and beyond the call of duty to make sure they don't feel like another number or another placement! Students should also be encouraged to meet the Advisor's half way as well. I believe when we can bridge the gap between Admissions, Faculty, and Career Services, we will be able to provide Efficient Customer Service to Students, which will create better retention, and better Graduation percentages, which will lead to better job placement! This will definitely give the Institution a greater reputation and a sense of accomplishment.
Hi Markia,
As an instructor we have to entertain all of our students regardless of age. Students need to be engaged and as the instructor we have to think of ways to keep our students excited.
Patricia Scales
Hi Ben,
The instructor has to be in full control to promote superior customer service. Students deserve an environment in every way for effective learning to take place. Never make promises to students that you are unable to keep. The adult learner holds the instructor accountable, and accountability is a key component of impeccable customer service.
Patricia Scales
For adult learners, customer service means providing the proper setting and materials for learning to take place while eliminating as many distrations and negative elements as possible. The classroom should be comfortable with adequate lighting and equipment for the instructor to present his or her materials. In addition to managing the setting, the instructor should establish clear goals and expectations for what materials will be covered, ideally through a timeline. This is in effect a promise to the student customer and keeping that promise is part of customer service. Lastly, recognizing common problems encountered by students and knowledge of how to solve them is key to good customer service. This gives instructors the ability to defuse situations before they can bloom into bigger problems.
Wow, this is a hard pill to take seeing the student as a customer. I see any education
or training as a value with a dollar figure
as just wrong!
Education has no value, but Priceless!! For the Student to learn or the use the knownledge given in the educational settings as a choice for the student to use it for making a living or living as a good human being
Some students may never use the training to make money, or just have the knowledge of being
Teaching older adults is easier, than younger adults! With older students life events are very important to the learnings in any classroom.
Younger ones need a little intertaiment to kept their focus.
Hi Charles,
You are on point! Our customers are definitely our students and the employers. We have to do a fine job with keeping all of our customers happy.
Patricia Scales
We must keep in mind that in this business we have two major customers. There is the student who comes to us with the need to gain the knowledge needed to find a job. He is commiting a large amount of time and money to reach that goal. On the other side we have the employer who expects us to turn out an employee who meets his needs. To service both these needs we must have commitment from the student,instructor,the support staff and management. If everyone involved keeps this constantly in mind both custoomers are satisfied. The instructor must make the student aware that they have the responsibility for their own suscess. He must also provide the information and training they both expect,while also providing a helping hand to the student customer so that suscess is a possibility. While the staff and management need to provide support needed to meet outside factors that creat roadblocks to that goal. Chuck Peters
Hi Kenneth,
We have to treat our students as great customers, but we have to also let them know when they are wrong. Students are not always right. We also have to hold our students accountable and to very high standards.
Patricia Scales
Customer service in an educational setting is difficult. The students are paying to come here which does give them some right to be treated as a customer, on the other hand we as instructors need to treat them as students, which means "the customer is not always right". We also have a responceability to the industry to produce a product that they are willing to hire
Hi Maurice,
We must take care of our students. We have to make sure that their every need is met. As an eduational institution we must give our students the tools to be successful.
Patricia Scales
I do not believe it is only the "shift in behavior towards delivering what the customeer wants and not necessarily what the customer needs," it is also the lumping of labels (i.e. customers and students) and how many have come to accept how to deal with them, by today's standards. When many hear student, they believe they are being (or will be) treated like a child or their needs are not being taken seriously (enough). When many hear customer, they believe that they will be treated as an adult and as such, they know what is right for them (even though as consumers, they seek out the experts that will provide them with the products, goods or services which will offer them the greatest benefit to their life or lifestyle). Regardless of whether they are branded one way or marked another, it is important that the individual's needs are not overlooked.
I like the definition of "customer" in the education sense however I have a different opinion/experience about students as customers than what is stated on the page "What is a Customer." It states that learning institutions can be selective about students while businesses cannot and that learning institutions continually test their students. It has been my experience that some "learning institutions" simply lower their "pass rates" in order to meet the "profit" margin necessary to stay in business.I wholeheartedly disagree with this sort of action yet I am seeing it more and more. I do believe that my students are customers however there are a select few who believe that since they are "paying" for their education that we should "spoon" feed them the required information.Frustrating !!!
Hi Edward,
We have to be of great service to both our students as well as to the employers who hire our students.
Patricia Scales
Customer service in adult education is somewhat of a balancing act between the student and the industry being trained for. The student is paying for the education and experience that the instructor has to offer, but what is taught is usually determined by the industry partners. The students need to know from a customer service stand point that they are getting what they payed for, and the industry needs be sure that they are getting the product they need. That being said I think it a boils down to meeting expectations from both points of view.
