Skyping and Video Conferencing, Apps for data collection, Big Data analysis in recruiting. Millennials (and their younger siblings) are used to being contacted on multiple platforms - the sooner we become comfortable with those forms of communication the better.
Technology is an important element of education and needs to be considered; however, what specific customer service trends would you like to see?
I would like our location to improve the entire computer system to include wifi, laptops with direct connections to information, event calendars for school related activities, etc. We are very hands-on with our students however, we lack technology that would broaden our reach.
Great awareness Laura. Today's student is connected to technology and especially their smart phones. I understand that you are restricted by company policies, but what can you do to help the people that are making the policy understand today's changing student?
It sounds like you have some experience with online chat Rachel and that its proving to be successful at your school. What is your experience with Skype? Have you had success using that as a tool?
I would like to see us abandon the practice of double booking admissions appointments. It's just my opinion. I understand that the statistics on no-shows point to this being a reasonable strategy for booking, however, when it does happen that both people show, it is just not possible to give outstanding personalized customer service to two people who do not know each other at the same time. It defeats the purpose and sends a confusing mixed message to the representative who is tasked to provide absolutely excellent customer service and interview two unrelated applicants at once, with the goal of enrolling them. It can be done, and we accomplish it to the best of our ability, I am simply giving my feedback that double booking does not set the stage for us to provide the best customer service possible.
We are quickly learning that the student population of today is all about technology. I sometimes feel we (our school) is lagging behind in some ways. At the level I am at, I am quite restricted by company policy and technical support. However, the one thing that I am incorporating now, that is within my ability, is texting. This is becoming, more and more, the most effect means to contact our student body and actually GET a response back from them. I see it here at school that almost all of our students are practically hardwired to their phones so much so that I regularly have to remind them to put it away while here.
I'll have to get creative to find other ways to reach out that stay within the companies policies which currently don't allow us to use online technologies at this time - phone, email, text is all we have.
I tend to agree with your statement of online chat and Skype. Working in admissions, online chat is a great tool to engage with potential students and motivate them in wanting to visit the campus to see first hand what we have to offer. Being a trade school, the best marketing tool to engage with the student and build a rapport in motivating the student to visit the school.
Social media continues to grow with methods such as Twitter, Instagram, Vine, etc. and plenty of schools have figured out how to make it work for them. Great idea Henry.
I think that we should do more with social media to engae with our students and get instant feedback especially with twitter.
I think we could benefit from "Onlien Service Gets a Facelift". I believe that being able to utilize more chatting a skype options, with an ability to file-share, would be essential in making the enrollment/financial aid process more convenient for those students who do not yet live in the area that they plan to attend school in.
Thank you for sharing your ideas Kourtnee. I really like the forward-focused attention you mention because it helps the student look toward their goals and their future rather than feeling stuck in the places they have been. It also seems like a great approach for the Millennial generation because much of their experience has been with an 'all about you' focus.
The trends i belive that I would like to see incorpaorted at my school is "Its All About You." If we give our students this type of service their attendance, academics and communication would improve and balance the campus. When a customer knows and feels its all about them they would want to keep coming back for more great customer service. Plus they would tell others about how much we as a campus care about their education. But when we give this type of service it will show tyhe student we dont care about your background we care about your future and what we can do now to improve you as a student to become the greatest in your field of study.
I would like to see our school utilize Facebook and Twitter. This could be used for both the Student Therapy Clinic and for prospective students. Because so many people rely on both of these to get news and information, it is an easy way to stay connected with a large volume of people. I believe that any and all resources should be used to keep our school's name circulating.
So it sounds like you see great customer service as a standard rather than a trend. What a great experience it could and may already be for the students at your school when the entire team takes care of your students. Thank you for your post.
Word-of-mouth inquiries or referrals can be some of the best inquiries we can get and you're 100% correct, unhappy students can potentially talk badly about your institution and lower the number. I'm curious, what is the current process for handling student complaints? I'm also wondering what you can personally do to help minimize these complaints?
I get the sense that your high-level customer service and building rapport with your students has positively impacted the process at your school. How do you see kicking it up to another level? What can you personally do to continue the trend?
Great customer service should be the responsibility of every employee that interacts with the customer. When the customer feels taking care of and that they are more than just a number or acquaintance they will feel more welcomed.
I would like to see our school address every student complaint and do it's best to satisfy the student. Our school rely's on word-of-mouth for enrollment and unhappy students can lead to lower "starts."
continues high level customer service..Its os vital when dealing with students that a connection is built at the outset so the student feels comfortable coming to you. So a realtionship is built with the student that goes beyond the actual enrollment process
