Chris’ university experience and how school administrators can improve the whole student journey
Prioritising customer service is quickly becoming the norm across all industries, and the education sector is no exception.
Student expectations around efficient service delivery have increased and competition between educational institutions for students is now very high. Students today want a welcoming learning experience from a campus that proactively adopts innovative tech which makes everything more convenient – from apps and software platforms to student services portals and more.
This means that educational institutions must focus on improving the student experience using a more digital approach, not just inside the classroom but also across their entire journey, or risk students selecting other colleges and universities that they feel will serve them better.
We sat down with a previous university student, Chris, from one of our Partner Agencies to discuss his experience during university enrolment. Here’s his story and the key learnings that come from this.
Like most students applying for a post-graduate Masters degree, Chris was going through the enrolment process while working at a full time corporate job.
“Digital technology is mainstream today for everything. So, naturally I expected, when applying, that this would be an online process, making it easy to navigate around my working days,” Chris said. “However, the enrolment process was anything but.”
The beginning of the student journey: online enrolment
One of the reasons why Chris chose this university was for convenience. Having completed his Bachelors Degree in the same institution, he thought that the admin process would, this time, be easier for him as they already had his records on file.
Ready to expand his knowledge but committed to his job, Chris was looking for an institution that helped him balance both.
“Like most people studying a Masters Degree, I had a full-time career,” Chris said. “So, it was very important for me to choose a university that offered the technology and had the online systems in place to make the student experience streamlined and easy.”
Seeing the option to fill out the documents online, Chris thought this was the end of the process and that he could complete the entire enrolment remotely.
That, however, was not the end of the story.
The next step of the student journey: queuing for a student card
Upon finishing the online application process, Chris was informed that he was required to physically go to the campus to get his student card.
“Honestly, I felt that something like this could be done online,” Chris shared. “As I have already spent time filling out application forms and verifying my identity, it seemed a little unnecessary to then have to go to the campus just for the student card.”
But it was a non-negotiable step of the process. Chris was informed that he needed to be there physically in the student services room, and that the university could only accommodate him between 9 am to 5 pm, from Monday to Friday.
“But that’s exactly when I work!” Chris said. “And I wasn’t told about how long the process would take, what was involved or if I could secure a booking so I could make arrangements, considering I had work commitments. I was told to just show up.”
Without any options, he drove to the university and saw a long queue upon arriving.
“I was already frustrated with having to go all the way there, but what made it even worse was that when I got there, I had no idea what to do,” Chris shared. “All they said was ‘go to the student desk’ and that was all. There was no queue check in or system. It was just a long line.”
This was during the peak of the enrolment season. So, as a lot of students were there, he had to physically wait in the queue for over an hour before finally getting his picture taken for his student card.
The final step of the student journey: assessing struggles and how they could have been avoided
“It was a poor use of my time,” Chris added, “it was a slow queue, and I had no idea when it would finally be my turn.”
For a full-time employee like Chris, spending time in a queue on a workday meant compromising meetings, tasks and even a lunch break – which all could have been avoided had the system been more digitally driven and efficient.
“If I had been informed that the process would take that long, I would have planned my day better.” Chris said. “A simple notification system could have allowed me to do something productive with my time or just come back when it was my turn to get my student card.”
A lot has changed over the years in the education sector, and the main one is prioritising the student experience. With the availability of technological advancements, forward-thinking institutions are now looking to streamline processes, not only for their benefit but also for their students as well.
While education technology is now being used across several aspects of education today, there are still experiences like Chris’ that show how service design and technology solutions can be utilised to streamline queues and make student services far more efficient.
There is a simple way to improve student experiences like Chris’
This involves adopting student management technology that can completely transform the student experience for everyone. It’s a smart investment that streamlines the entire student management process, from enrolments to student support services.
At NEXA, we understand the value of using technology to create better student experiences for people just like Chris.
Whether you need an automated communication system to minimise prolonged and unnecessary wait times, a comprehensive solution to map out the entire student journey during the enrolment process or a way to collect feedback like this to improve your service, NEXA has the solution for you.
NEXA is an Australian company that delivers innovative digital solutions to empower both our clients and their employees by taking advantage of digital technology. With NEXA, you can support and enable your team, deliver excellent service levels and thrive in today’s evolving landscape.
So, are you ready to improve your patients’ experiences?
Talk to us today to find out how you can make your interactions matter.
