The aim was to discuss what makes brands more favorable than others and to relate their perceptions to the overall customer experience offered by those brands.
But something unexpected happened.
One of my students mentioned our university as a brand she didn't like.
How do your back-end processes affect the student experience?
During our exchange, the student stated that while she was more than satisfied with the university's academic offering and career preparation, it was very frustrating that administrative applications took a long time .
This observation resonated with other students in my class, who agreed: response times are frustrating.
During their time at university, students submit several administrative requests such as housing, financial aid, course registration, grade changes, etc. When requests take a long time, the overall student experience is affected and, over time, it negatively influences their engagement. This is especially true when an application is necessary to pursue other activities; for example, a delay in the outcome of a financial aid application is frustrating because it determines financial planning for the coming months.
We started an interesting discussion about what it means to deliver an exceptional customer experience in higher education.
What is the customer experience in higher education?
Simply put, customer experience is small business email list defined by your university’s ability to deliver your value proposition. Most students believe that the ultimate value proposition of a college or university lies in the caliber of qualifications they obtain for their future employment opportunities.
But getting there is a long journey. The customer experience starts with marketing initiatives and recruiting. It continues through the application process. Even after a student is admitted, the experience continues and extends to touchpoints like student services. At each stage, the quality of interactions influences the customer experience. If you achieve each stage with minimal frustration for your students— success ! You’ve delivered an exceptional customer experience.
In the book Fundamentals of Curriculum and Instruction , Tyler acknowledges the active role of students in the overall process and states, "It is what he does that he learns, not what the teacher does." The student's personal engagement plays a relevant role in preparing for future employment opportunities.
In higher education, maintaining student engagement involves years of small processes that contribute to a positive customer experience. Each process—whether it’s a transfer credit request or adding or dropping a course—can make or break the customer experience. Long wait times and frustrating paperwork decrease student engagement.
So how do you create a winning experience every time? Any higher education value proposition requires one key element: efficient, flexible processes to streamline interpersonal interactions and student touchpoints.