Creating service excellence in higher education
Colleges and universities have the potential to be models of service excellence by providing best-in-class and unified experiences for those they serve. And in the 21st century, it’s almost expected by a student body that’s grown up with access to personalized service in nearly every other aspect of their lives.
Today, companies are continuously developing ways to improve how they serve their customers. Feedback loops are continuously providing input on how to make the customer or user experience better. Agile companies respond quickly to feedback and make adjustments accordingly. They realize the experience they provide for their customers is integral to their success because without customers, there would be no company.
Higher education is facing a number of challenges. In addition to a pending enrollment cliff, there’s a PR problem, both outside and inside our organizations. Society is questioning the value of high-cost, four-year institutions, and internally, many admissions struggle with low student engagement and high levels of distrust. At the core is often a disconnection from the beliefs and values colleges and universities espouse and the audiences they serve. It is time for institutions to get to know their students and their needs on a deeper level, or there is a possibility they will lose them altogether.
As institutions grew in size, the bureaucracy grew. Siloes formed. Territories marked. Information became power. “We know what the students need” was often used to support the changes administrators wanted to make. However, taking the opportunity to understand students’ needs and shift towards a more service- and customer-centric approach is not only a worthy investment – it’s a critical one. Not only do we need students in order to exist, they need us more than ever for their success.
What is service excellence in higher education?
Service excellence stems from a unified experience of core values and beliefs that are not only spoken but demonstrated in everyday interactions. Every point of connection with a student is an opportunity to build trust and loyalty in a meaningful way.
Creating a positive, seamless service experience for students is crucial to student success and retention. The “student experience” through these touchpoints contributes to their overall perception of whether the institution can support them in attaining their degree or goals. So, if you want to change students' perceptions, it has to start with examining the frequency, quality, and substance of those interactions. In other words, every interaction counts.
Shifting towards a “service excellence” culture
A number of schools, such as Johns Hopkins University, Temple University, and Rollins College, have launched institution-wide “service excellence” initiatives that take coordinated steps to put the student experience front and center. That process starts with a thorough understanding of who they are, what their needs are, and how and where schools engage students during the higher education journey to ensure we’re getting them to graduation.
Getting to know your students
When exploring changes that may impact students, it is vital to include their voice in the exploration phase. As with any change, those likely to be impacted prefer to have a say in how the outcome is achieved. This is no different for students. In fact, making assumptions about what students want or need may lead you down a path to failed initiatives. Students will happily share their thoughts, ideas, and feedback with you, if you ask.
There are many ways to capture the students’ voices in your work. This can be accomplished with hosting focus groups, disseminating surveys, establishing a student advisory group, or even engaging in one-on-one conversations. What’s important is that you make the ask, listen to the feedback, and incorporate this viewpoint into your decision-making process.
In fact, students may be your greatest source of inspiration for finding ways to do things better and smarter. They are shrewd consumers who can help you to think outside of the box.
Building student personas
Building personas to inform your processes has been a staple of other industries for quite some time. Higher education admissions teams have embraced this as part of the enrollment funnel approach to better understand the needs and motivations of prospective students.
This practice can be a valuable tool to gain a clearer understanding of the students you’re serving and how they’re navigating your administrative and academic processes. The better you understand their pain points, the easier it will be to target improvements that will have a lasting impact on their success.
Some administrators might balk at the concept of creating and using personas, as each student may have unique circumstances that contribute to who they are and what motivates them. This exercise is not meant to be exhaustive, but only representative. Personas can help administrators see how a particular type of student navigates their processes and systems so that adjustments can be made.
It is a lens through which one can view things from another perspective, putting oneself in another’s shoes. This practice shifts the focus from administrators to the students themselves, allowing for a more holistic view.
Mapping the student journey
Once personas are created, the next step is to map the student journey. Student journey mapping provides a holistic view of the student’s interactions with an institution and captures every touchpoint, from recruitment to alumni engagement.
Touchpoints are defined as specific interactions that occur throughout a student’s journey with the institution, including:
Participating in an in-person or virtual course
Submitting a form
Reading the website
Getting a postcard in the mail
Attending an event
Receiving an outreach campaign email
Meeting with an advisor
There are several benefits to engaging in student-journey mapping, including an improved student experience, data-driven decision-making, and enhanced coordination between groups. By understanding the journey, we create better-aligned services and communications across groups or departments for a more cohesive, seamless, and supportive experience that enhances student success and satisfaction. We are able to glean actionable insights that guide strategic improvements based on actual student experiences. We can also identify where efforts overlap or where communication gaps exist, which leads to better inter-departmental collaboration. The process brings together leaders at every level who are responsible for these different touchpoints, illuminating areas where students may be experiencing pain points.
The greatest pain points tend to emanate from a lack of communication and coordination across departments and services, which stems from a siloed administrative mindset that is perpetuated by organizational structure and cultural differences. For instance, when a student has committed to attend an institution, they may receive emails from:
Admissions about next steps
Registrar about registration
Advising about scheduling a time with their advisor to discuss which courses to register for within days or even hours of each other
These messages may contain conflicting or inaccurate information that leads to confusion, resulting in students contacting the institution for clarification and support. These three departments may also not report to the same executive or interact on a regular basis, so the coordination of student messaging may not be a priority. In the end, these interactions may contribute to a less-than-desirable service experience for students, who recently accepted their offer of admission.
Colleges and universities have an opportunity to identify holistic solutions that will have direct and positive impacts on the student experience, while also creating operational efficiencies for our staff. Working together as one team, they can implement cross-functional solutions that resolve pain points, ensuring students are set up to succeed. This is the pathway to achieving service excellence and creating a student-centric experience.