mortiz0010

academic customer service, enrollment, retention, customer service, attrition, college,customer service in university, While working as a consultant for colleges concerned with meeting their enrollment goals, a few consistent realities have become apparent to me. These are not necessarily factors that one would discover through a survey or a committee study and report. Neither are they par­ ticulars that would be noticed immediately at your own college. And some realities might strike you as contra-indicated by our academic culture. Yet they seem to be key to enrollment success. The first, and perhaps most significant, is a recognition that, at its roots, enroll­ ment is a business issue for colleges. The recruitment, enrollment and retention process is a commercial interaction not unlike that of a store making a sale. Colleges attempt to attract buyers (stu­dents) to purchase (enroll in) their prod­ucts (courses) and not return them (drop out). Furthermore, colleges attempt to sel...

I did not write an article last week because my mind was not on customer service as much as another issue. I was thinking of kidney donations because…well, I need one. I have end stage kidney failure and will either need to find a person willing to be a donor or go on dialysis. If I have to go on dialysis I will have to stop working because I will not be able to travel easily to help colleges and universities. I am actively seeking a donor and that has been taking my time. But back to customer service as I hope for someone to step forward and offer the gift of life. Communication and Breaking Down Silos Many of the causes for poor customer service at an institution can be resolved in part through better communication. This is an issue for all academic institutions. As colleges and universities have grown and become more complex, we tend to know less of what others do, are doing and plan to do. We also have fewer chances to interact and learn since our jobs become busier and more deman...