“CUSTOMER” IS NOT A FOUR-LETTER WORDWHAT CONTINUING EDUCATION PROVIDERS CAN LEARN FROM

UPCEA SOUTH REGIONAL CONFERENCE

Dan Obregon, VP of Marketing, Intelliworks (@dobregon)

Guy Felder, Program Director, University of Houston (@GuyFelder)

“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

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

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)

How do we help?

What do they expect of us?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D3qltEtl7H8

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

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

GETS PERSONAL

OFFERS RESOURCES

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IwE1zb9fiVs

HOW ZAPPOS “WOWS” THEM…

• Service is accessible

• Customers are heard

• Agents are empowered

• Communication is clear

• Decisions are made quickly

WHAT YOU CAN DO TO “WOW” CUSTOMERS…

HOUSTON PICKS UP THE PHONE

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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