We Will Better Serve All Students
The presentation at Wichita State University by Stanley E. Henderson, a senior consultant, focused on ways to better serve all students. Key points included developing a student-focused approach, building relationships, serving students effectively, and the importance of personal service. Strategies were discussed to enhance the overall student experience and create a culture of enrollment. The session emphasized the significance of understanding and meeting the diverse needs of students to ensure their success.
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Presentation Transcript
We Will Better Serve All Students at Wichita State University Stanley E. Henderson, Senior Consultant November 15, 2016
Agenda for Today How we can better serve students Developing a student-focused approach
Recapping the First Two Workshops: Growing Enrollment, Promoting WSU Each has a role in a Culture of Enrollment Building relationships You are a community is one way to set the campus apart Living the message You never know who your audience is The optics of promoting Wichita State: putting yourself out there Getting, and giving clear, consistent messages Wichita State University, November 15, 2016 3
Serving Students You have to prepare to do a good job of serving students They will feel served if they get what they think they need when they think they need it In order to approach that standard, you need to KNOW Wichita State, more specifically, how to navigate it Where are the services located, how to refer a student, being sensitive to someone in trouble, not just academically Remember, 43% of your students are First Generation students Build relationships in your interactions Wichita State University, November 15, 2016 4
Relationships Determine How We View Service in Businesses and Offices and Universities Cleaners: Stella s Place Post office: Put it on the scale Restaurant: Hello Hendersons Dr. s office: The nurses have 24 hours to call you back University: Great place to work if it weren t for the students University: They recruit and retain best who serve best Wichita State University, November 15, 2016 5
Other Experiences You Can Think Of? Wichita State University, November 15, 2016 6
Service is Personal A gentleman arrived at the Boston Ritz Carlton hotel only to find that there was a problem with his reservation it had been made for a week in the future The hotel walked him to a similar hotel Desk manager says, I m not sure he was satisfied. Give him 30 minutes to get in his room and call him to be sure the room is OK And have their room service deliver a hospitality basket Wichita State University, November 15, 2016 7
Keeping the Person in Personalization Nordstrom Department Stores known for personal treatment What happens after they bag your purchases? While living in Cincinnati, drove to Nordstrom in Indianapolis Some EIGHTEEN MONTHS later, we returned to the store to be greeted by the clerk who helped us before Hello Hendersons! How are things in Cincinnati? Now you have that blue suit you bought last year; how about one with a pinstripe? You ll be wanting braces with that? Wichita State University, November 15, 2016 8
Anticipate instead of Wait Disney is famous for escorting people to where they want to go. Doesn t work for a street sweeper, who directed a father and daughter to a drink stand for lemonade Calls the drink stand vendor and says, See the guy in the blue jacket with the little girl coming your way? They want lemonade Drink stand vendor hands father and daughter two lemonades when they walk up Wichita State University, November 15, 2016 9
Owning the Problem A famous Cincinnati restaurant, the Maisonette, won a Mobil 5- star designation every year for more than 35 straight years, and each year the award announcement was greeted with another story about the legendary service A couple came to dinner, but their reservation had been lost The Maisonette ma tre d arranged for them to eat at the Palm Court at the Netherlands Plaza At the end of dinner, he showed up at their table, asked how dinner was, and the Masionette bought their dessert Wichita State University, November 15, 2016 10
Recovery Sometimes Better than Success I always wonder about those kinds of stories, but we had one that confirmed it We actually had a bad experience at the restaurant, and were even more disappointed that no response was received After vowing never to return, we went back to take a friend to lunch; in conversation with one of the servers, the topic of service came up as one of their gold standards. Not always, said my wife. This led to a complimentary dessert and champagne The maitre- d told us the meal was on them Wichita State University, November 15, 2016 11
Empowerment: Handle it, Dont refer Our second son was interested in a university some 500 miles away from our home When he talked to the campus visit program, he was told no visits were offered on the day we planned to be there OK, he made the first call; I ll make the next one. I m sorry. I can t make any exception. Let me talk to your supervisor. Of course, we can accommodate your family on that day. Let me recommend that you empower your staff to make such exceptions Wichita State University, November 15, 2016 12
Front Line Staff Make People Feel Welcome Hire for the sparkle quotient People with no personal affect may be great employees for some jobs, but not those that call for helping people Lethargy says, rightly or wrongly, I don t care Some schools use telephone interviews for staff that will be answering lots of phone calls Include role play situations as part of the interview process Train staff to be EMPOWERED to handle situations Wichita State University, November 15, 2016 13
Building Relationships into YOUR Service That means ENGAGING the student on the phone or in front of you: Express interest, empathy, concern-- Hey, how are you? It s good to see you. How can I help? You can tell someone is smiling on the other end of the phone when they are talking to you Instead of You can t do that, try That might not work, but what about X? Get rid of No and use Let s try RESPONDING is different than just ANSWERING What s the question the student SHOULD be asking? Wichita State University, November 15, 2016 14
Are You Student-centered or University- centered? One university mapped the processes students had to navigate in moving through four years; they found 140 different systems a student HAD to go through in order to get a degree Why do most universities require students to APPLY for graduation? Where are the barriers? A favorite statement in the academy: We can t make exceptions. If we did, we d have to change the policy I like the line that says, Don t make exceptions until there is a reason to Wichita State University, November 15, 2016 15
Putting Policies in Perspective Most students feel that their professors are understanding and can work with them when an issue arises in class But when faculty gather in departments, rules and policies proliferate It s harder for a department to make an exception than it is for an individual In advocating for an exception once with a department, the chair said that she considered me to be the dad who always gave the children what they wanted, while she was the mom that had to clean up the mess Wichita State University, November 15, 2016 16
Smoothing the Students Way, Positively Wichita State is in the process of looking at policies such as registration holds to see what purpose they serve and whether individual holds are warranted to keep a student from registering There is a balancing act to consider: most policies have a legitimate purpose behind them What campuses are doing today is reviewing policies to see if their impact on students ability to succeed is outweighed by the benefit to the university Can a university s business interest, for example, be handled in a way that is less onerous to a student s academic performance and persistence? Wichita State University, November 15, 2016 17
The Bottom Line of Service Remember: Express interest, empathy, concern Putting yourself in the other person s position can give you perspective that can help resolve problems You re in a community of higher education where everyone is a member, where people look out for each other act like it If it weren t for the students, we wouldn t be here Wichita State University, November 15, 2016 18
Student Focus Judy Espinoza
What is Student Focus? Student Focus is based on a standard organizational objective to understand customers, anticipate, monitor and strive to exceed their expectations. It demonstrates a personal commitment to identify their visible and underlying needs and continually seeks to provide the highest quality service. It often is a determining factor that goes hand in hand with the overall success of an organization. This student focus orientation, from the top down, ensures that students and their satisfaction is at the heart of everything you do. Wichita State University, November 15, 2016 20
How do we define success? In the fulfillment of our Vison and Mission the student experience must: Deliver on its promise Be overall positive Be timely and responsive Be professional but also human Provide easy, helpful access to information and/or assistance Wichita State University, November 15, 2016 21
Why is student focus important? The impact of student focus has been amplified in today s environment Positive and negative sentiment spread faster than ever before Higher Learning competes intensely for students, faculty and staff Having a student service mind-set not only attracts new students, faculty and staff, it builds morale and enhances retention Wichita State University, November 15, 2016 22
Why is student focus important (cont) Everyone wants to be proud of where they obtain their education and where they chose to serve those who seek higher learning People are more engaged and productive when they are in an environment that is committed to doing whatever it takes to consistently deliver an awesome experience for their students, their, if you will, customers Wichita State University, November 15, 2016 23
Team-Based Student Focus Training HR is launching student focus training in the spring: Core training will focus on how to provide overall customer satisfaction to all of our publics Start with areas that have the most direct student contact: advising, financial aid, registration Consult with departments to understand specific issues or areas needing focus Train managers how to coach and develop employees Wichita State University, November 15, 2016 24
University Service Standards? What are some of the behaviors we could all agree imbue a welcoming environment that is student focused and one we would all be proud to be a part of? Wichita State University, November 15, 2016 25
Questions? Wichita State University, November 15, 2016 26
