We need to remember they are customers who deserve what they paid for,and also remember they are students who are here to learn and grow. Being able to bring both matters into the class will serve both the customer and the student.
Hi Wook,
I love how you lead by example. You except the highest from your students, and you show your students your very best.
Patricia Scales
Hi Rosemarie,
I cannot agree with more with your statement. As a culinary educator,I hold myself to a higher standard because I work with food and expect all my students to as well. The demonstration of this is to hold my students accountable for the safety of the food they will be serving to the future public. As our students want the best, we must give our best daily in the sense that, that is what customers always want. Having this attitude, for sure, will inspire.
Hi Jennifer,
I have experienced students wanting information fed to them as well. Students have to realize even though they are paying students, we are not going to give them an education. They must earn their grades.
Patricia Scales
Hi Erinn,
I fully understand! Our students need to know how to be self dependent. On the job they will have to do for themselves, otherwise their stay on the job will be short lived.
Patricia Scales
When I am advising my career students, I keep in mind that I am working for them. Working, in this instance, is helping them reach their goals and guiding them in the right directions. I don't do everything for my students, but I provide them a road map for them to get them where they are going. Although they are the customer, I want them to learn to do for themselves rather than do for them. This is a challenge for some of my students who have been enabled throughout their life, self admittedly. My focus is to teach the skills that will help them in their life, not just in the moment.
I feel like there is such a fine line. We want to please the customer while still trying to teach them. Often times I have found students who use the excuse that they are paying for their education and they want me to feed them the information instead of research and study.
Hi Alan,
Our students really do depend on us to help change their lives for the better. For some of our students this is a second chance for them, and they really and truly want to be successful.
Patricia Scales
Hi Kathryn,
Absolutely! Our students need us to share our knowledge with them so that they can begin the next phase of their life. Our students need to be educated.
Patricia Scales
We should focus on teaching and educating our students instead of thinking of them as "the customer".
Our students are indeed our customers. We, as instructors, have the responsibility to deliver a product. Our product is our training. We are sales people if you will as we have to keep their interest, help them learn, and show them the value of our training and experience. As the student progresses through our program, he or she gains the knowledge and the ability to go forth and make a career out of that traing. If we are successful in putting forth our product, the student will be successful in their lives.
I see customer service as taking care of someone. It can be in any setting. In the classroom I treat my studnets how I want to be treated: kindness and respect. If they have a question about a department out of my realm (ex: financial aid) I make sure to take them to that person's office to chat or set an appt.
Hi Sebastian,
You are right! Students need to understand that they must do their part to get what they should out of their education. Getting an education at most institutions is certainly no cake walk.
Patricia Scales
Many students have the wrong idea about paying for their education and not paying for a "service".I think this idea was indirectly put in their minds by some post secondary schools,which want to make any effort to keep the students happy with extra-curricular activities to retain the students into their programs.
Over the years if a student wasn't performing well academically ,this student would say that he/she pays to get the training in the chosen field forgetting the education process is a "2 way street" and he/she needs to do his/her part in getting the training they pay for.
Treating anyone, student, boss, co-workers with respect goes a long way. I link it to the golden rule - treat others the way you would want to be treated. I also think being mindful of not just your verbal communication but non-verbals as well presents a unified picture of someone who is not just an instructor or not just a student. There needs to be accountibility and responsibility in a 2-way street between instructors and students.
My thoughts on Customer Service and Students.
ED209
Facilitator: Patricia Scales
By Randall Aungst
12/5/2012
How is customer service defined in an adult setting?
According to the instruction module there are some issues with customer service as it pertains to students. One of which is the notion that “the customer is always right.†This issue, from my perspective, is not an issue with customer service as it pertains to students but rather an issue of understanding, or should I say perception, of the meaning behind the saying “the customer is always right.†Further I would go so far as to say the criteria by which most people pigeonhole customers is inherently flawed. The following will discuss my thoughts regarding both of these issues.
In the module the term customer is linked to monetary compensation for services or products. This notion limits, considerably, the people that fall into this category. Before we tackle that issues any further let’s discuss what we as customers of others expect when it comes to good customer service. I think that most people would agree that from a customer’s perspective there are three issues of interest. As a customer I expect to be treated with respect not indifference, that my concerns be heard not ignored and that I am attended to not dismissed. All of these issues of interest are geared to one key issue and that is that as a customer I must feel that I am important. When looking at the aforementioned list of issues that a customer expects, and if we accept this to be true, this list also looks like another list of expectations; that of what might be expected from a relationship. While specific expectations might change based on the nature of the relationship you are speaking about these same issues would most likely show up on that list as well. As such there could be an argument made for changing the criteria by which a person might be considered a customer. Under this new perspective a customer is anyone that wants something from you and you want something in return from them. In a relationship you want companionship, friendship along with a variety of other desires from the other party and likewise they have a list of wants and desires from you. With the student teacher relationship the student wants the knowledge that the teacher has to offer and the teacher wants the best efforts of the student. As such, under the new perspective, the student is the customer of the teacher and the teacher is the customer of the student. Both parties expectations are the same to be treated with respect not indifference, that my concerns be heard not ignored and that I am attended to not dismissed.
This brings us to the issue of “the customer is always right.†Most people misunderstand this statement to mean that as a provider of customer service one must always give into the customer. This couldn’t be further from the truth. The easiest way to understand the statement is to alter it, for explanation purposes. The statement should read “the customer never should be told they are wrong.†This is a more accurate depiction of what the saying means. It also is why customer service, when done correctly, is extremely difficult. The reason for this is that under the new understanding it is incumbent upon the customer service representative to construct communication in such a way so that the customer comes to the conclusion that their position is incorrect. In this way the customer is not being told they are wrong but rather guided to the correct conclusion so that they are always right. This is not an easy thing to do. In the student teacher relationship, under this new understanding of this statement, a student as a customer does not seem as contradictory as it is an instructor’s job to guide the student to correct conclusions as a matter of course and nature of the position.
Just food for thought.
Randall Aungst, MBA
Hi Linda,
Great point! You are on point, it really is all about the service we provide to our students. We provide a very valuable service to our students, and we should do our due diligence to ensure our students are serviced well.
Patricia Scales
I notice that a lot of the comments are focusing on the "customer" word in the question whereas I would focus on the word "service". Regardless of ones role in the College, instructor or Admnistrative, if one approaches the student with the attitude of service, the outcome will be more student focused. I tell my student's often that without them I wouldn't have a job. That comment is usually in response to them thanking me for my time. My job is to be "of service" to my students and graduates. The fact that they are paying for the school experience doesn't automatically make them a traditional customer in my mind. I've worked in retail and in that environment, the customer is always right. If we apply that to education, we will minimalize the student's responsibility to work for their education and participate. So "customer service" should be about provide a service to the student, however that might come about but with the understanding that the student also holds half of the responsibility to participate.
Hi Denise,
Great questions to ask yourself to ensure you are an effective instructor! You are right, it goes without saying that the students are customers, and we do not have to say that, but we certainly should give them our very best daily.
Patricia Scales
Hi Ben,
Great analogies! Our students are important customers, and we must do all we can to keep them happy and to produce quality graduates.
Patricia Scales
