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“CUSTOMER” IS NOT A FOUR-LETTER WORDWHAT CONTINUING EDUCATION PROVIDERS CAN LEARN FROM
UPCEA NE REGIONAL CONFERENCE
Todd Gibby, President, HE, Hobsons (@tgibby)
“CUSTOMER” IS NOT A FOUR LETTER WORDWHAT CONTINUING EDUCATION PROVIDERS CAN LEARN FROM
UPCEA SOUTH REGIONAL CONFERENCE
Todd Gibby, CEO, Intelliworks
Guy Felder, Program Director, University of Houston
WHY WE AVOID THE WORDCUSTOMER…
THE GRAND DEBATE
1. Education is not a business2. See above3. See above4. See above5. See above6. See above7. See above8. See above9. See above10. See above
TOP TEN REASONS WHY WE DON’T SAY “CUSTOMER”
WHAT IS A CUSTOMER, REALLY?
cus·tom·er Noun /kəstəmər/A person or organization that buys goods or services.
Do you offer a service?
Do people pay you for that service?
Do you compete with others that offer a similar service?
Do you want those who pay you for that service to pay you again for similar services?
POP QUIZ
YOU MIGHT BE A CUSTOMER-CENTRIC ORGANIZATION…
"If I'm a customer," the student thinks, "and the customer is always right, then why am I getting a C in this class?" The next logical step in that thought process is to visit the instructor -- followed by the department head and the dean, if necessary -- to demand an A, the way any other customer would demand satisfaction at any other place of business.”
- Source: The Chronicle for Higher Education, January 31, 2007- Rob Jenkins, associate professor of English and director of the Writers Institute at Georgia Perimeter College,
WE’RE NOT SAYING “THE CUSTOMER IS ALWAYS RIGHT”
Institution Student
RESPONSBILITY
RESPONSIBILITY IS MUTUAL
How do we help?
What do they expect of us?
WHY DOES CUSTOMER SERVICE MATTER?
CHANGING LANDSCAPE OF HIGHER EDUCATION 2005 2010
Institutions
Number of public institutions 1,738 1,705Percentage of all institutions that are public
39.6% 36.8%
Number of private, nonprofit institutions
1,745 1,713
Percentage of all institutions that are private
39.7% 37.0%
Number of for-profit institutions 909 1,215Percentage of all institutions that are for-profit
20.7% 26.2%
Enrollments
Public institutions total 13,085,114 14,909,531Public institutions as a percentage of all students
74.5% 71.9%
Private, nonprofit total 3,589,454 3,924,278Private, nonprofit as a percentage of all students
20.4% 18.9%
For-profit total 899.896 1,893,712For-profit as a percentage of all students
5.1% 9.1%
Source: Carnegie Classification, January 2011
Maturity Levels Characteristics
Level 4 – Innovators (0%) • Fanatics about data quality and governance• Develop understanding of student needs and motivations• Routinely perform closed-loop marketing measurement• Apply tech effectively to manage multiple student touch-points
Level 3 – Cultivators (25%) • Ongoing reporting on size and shape of inquiry pool• Use processes to manage data quality• Use shared and centralized systems to collect and manage inquiries
Level 2 – Collectors (55%) • Beginning stages of systemic inquiry management• Basic period reporting on inquiry pool• With decentralized inquiry capture comes additional manual processes• Ability to directly communicate w/ past inquiries, improving effectiveness
Level 1 – Responders (21%) • Lack fundamental collection practices• Provide “just the facts” responses• Lack consistent reporting of inquiry pipeline•Characterized by low-tech or manual processes
Source: Demand Engine: “Adult Marketing Needs a Makeover – Now!” (July 2011)
Base: 77 Institutions
INQUIRY MANAGEMENT MATURITY
PUBLIC OPINION OF HIGHER ED INSITUTIONS
Source: Harris Interactive, August 2011
52%48%
Public
Positive Negative
48%52%
Private
Positive Negative
35%
65%
For-Profit
Positive Negative
HIGHER ED NOT VIEWED AS SERVICE ORIENTED
Agree Disagree0
10
20
30
40
50
60
For-ProfitNon-Profit
Source: Harris Interactive, August 2011
Statement: Colleges/Universities do not care if students succeed, only if they enroll and pay tuition.
Friendliness and understanding2
Control over their options3
Assurance that their voice matters4
Convenience and flexibility5
Help when they need it6
Clear benefit from their investment7
As few barriers as possible1
WHAT EDUCATION CUSTOMERS EXPECT
A FEW THINGS TO NOTE FROMAMAZON.COM (AND OTHERS)
1. They basically INVENTED the idea of online service.
2. They know how to bridge the gap between online and offline interactions.
3. They deliver the right information at the right time to the right audience.
4. They learn from their mistakes.
5. They inspire others to provide even better service.
SO WHY AMAZON.COM?
ON THE SHOULDERS OF GIANTS…
SHOWCASE POPULAR SERVICES
PROVIDE MORE DETAIL
GET PERSONAL
OFFER RESOURCES
Empower Employees
HOW ZAPPOS “WOWS” THEM…
• Service is accessible
• Customers are heard
• Agents are empowered
• Communication is clear
• Decisions are made quickly
How we have leveraged thisOnline
Offline:First Call Resolution
WHAT YOU CAN DO TO “WOW” CUSTOMERS…
It all started with a shoe order and a blog.1. What do we really do for people?2. How do we help them?3. What do they expect of us?
What do we really do for people? (or who are we)
HOUSTON PICKS UP THE PHONE
THE JOURNEY TO BEING CUSTOMER FOCUSED
From: We have a staff who does that To: Everyone answers the phone
Customer service Rep
Customer service Rep
Customer service Rep
Director
Marketing
Coordinator Student worker
Operations
ENHANCE ONLINE EXPERIENCE
• Highlight key offerings
• Provide search and directory up front
• Give a clear benefit statement – “How We Can Help”
• Offer multiple channels to contact us and stay informed
OFFER ADDITIONAL RESOURCES/COMMUNITY
• Informational videos via YouTube
• Feedback and blast messaging via Twitter
• Community engagement via Facebook
Funnel Relevant Messaging
Proof positive 668 Inquires
316 from
Website
21 via chat
live for two
weeks)
239 via phone
92 via email
Through the launch period of our CRM and the re-design of our website we have seen a positive change in our inquiry traffic from phone to web.
COMPARISON
10/7/11 to 10/14/11
Email21%
Web42%
Chat17%
Phone19%
Touchpoints
7/7/11 to 7/14/11
Phone 60%
Web10%
Email30%
Touchpoints
OCT/SEPT YOY GROSS REVENUE
2010 2011
$90,000 $120,000
$210,000
$330,000
September October
Major Outcomes
• Funnel to conversion forecasting takes guess work out of filling classes
• Funnel guides marketing decisions
• Advisors and programming staff worry less about filling classes and more about meeting potential student’s needs
• CRM provides valid data to help leadership understand and make decisions about offerings
• Because the majority of our programs are
graduate programs, our target audience tends to be nontraditional students that work full-time, often have families, and are not able to be on campus very often.
• Since we have a lot of different programs
that operate independently, it was really important that we standardized our branding across multiple communication channels.
- Amy Thornton, Program Manager, University of Southern Mississippi, Eagle
Learning Online
EAGLE LEARNING’S LOFTY CHALLENGES
UNIFIED BRANDING• We were able to create program microsites
and inquiry forms for every unique program while creating a consistent look and feel that portrayed the image we were looking for in Eagle Learning Online.
RIGHT PROGRAM FOR THE RIGHT STUDENTS• Able to collect appropriate information to
direct students to the programs that were right for them.
PROGRAM BUY-IN• We’ve learned that getting faculty on board
often requires the help of another faculty member who’s already on board.
ADDRESSING THE CHALLENGE
THE RESULTS?
We currently have about 30 programs, and we’re
growing constantly. We just received approval for
three more programs to go online.
Our initial projections were that we would grow
enrollments by 17% in one year.
We’ve grown more than 17% in just one semester
so we have far exceeded our initial goals.
HOW CAN WE BECOME MORECUSTOMER CENTRIC?
THE KEYS TO SUCCESS
1. Know your students’ motivations2. Hire good communicators3. Build “hoop-less” admissions / financial aid processes4. Take a proactive approach to student advising5. Automate routine communications6. Hire faculty suited to online teaching7. Set and maintain high standards for student/faculty
communication8. Evaluate, evaluate, evaluate9. Check your program’s vital signs regularly10. Use cross-functional teams to develop enhancements
and improvements
Source: American Public University System and Intelliworks
ABOVE ALL…BE HUMANE. A LITTLE PERSONALIZATION GOES A LONG WAY
Source: Fast Company Magazine, September 2006
• Offer a clear path to service
• Provide multiple touch points:– Inquiry Forms– Phone Numbers– Online Chat– Email
• Personalize follow up
• Be proactive not reactive
AND, JUST FOR THE RECORD…
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