Student Customer Service Perceptions Among Higher Ed Practitioners
Insights from EAB's 2023 survey of higher education leaders and staff
The distinction between “student” and “customer” is blurring as student and family expectations change and educational institutions redefine and communicate their value with evolving objectives. Whether or not your institution explicitly views students as “customers,” applying customer service principles to your processes can significantly enhance student engagement and satisfaction.
With the industry so dramatically altered after the last four years, EAB wanted to better understand how student “customer” service experiences have changed. To expand our knowledge, and to drive our future research, we surveyed 95 student success practitioners at four-year institutions.
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Student customer service is
- Helping students solve problems
- Guiding students in the use of institutional resources
- Providing answers to students’ questions
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Student customer service is not
- A blanket endorsement of “the student is always right”
- A one-sided approach; it involves collaboration and understanding
- An avoidance of challenges, but working together to find solutions
In this insight paper, we explore:
- Why customer service matters for student engagement
- What our survey revealed about service gaps
- Five steps you can take to close service gaps on your campus
- Resources for tech-enabled customer service
We also provide details about the overview and methodology of our survey. Download the insight paper to read more about our findings.
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