The number one reason why an initiative focused on creating a culture of Service Excellence is not as successful in a college/university as it could be is: Senior Leadership Commitment. There is an old fable about a Pig and a Chicken walking down the road. The Chicken says: “Hey Pig, I was thinking we should […]
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Summer college tours are in full swing. Across most university campuses, it is not hard to find large groups of young, curious faces following a designated school leader around a campus listening to a prepared spiel . It’s also not unusual to see a group of older adults (parents) trailing behind a few feet trying […]
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Last week I was working on a large university campus training internal managers to become trainers of a customized 3 hour staff workshop on Service Excellence. This was the culmination of several months of prior work that involved developing a Service Philosophy and Service Standards, creating a Service Excellence Team, and conducting Manager Workshops. The […]
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Hire nice people. It is in the top three reasons why guests say they keep going back to Disney: it’s because the cast members are friendly and courteous. If you truly want a culture of service excellence, it must start with the people you hire today. How does Disney do this? It starts with […]
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Many colleges are starting to host Open House Days for students that have been accepted for admission to their school and also inviting students who are still deciding on which school to choose. Most higher ed institutions are thinking about how they are being compared to other higher ed institutions and many feel good that […]
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This week many college students are moving into their apartments and dorms to get settled in before their rigorous class schedules begin. Most colleges are very happy they have met their enrollment numbers for the semester, but now the real test begins, and it begins this week. Are we going to be able to retain […]
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Student satisfaction has a direct correlation to increased retention. If a student is happy, they will stay. Enrollment will increase because if they stay, they will inevitably tell their friends. This will increase recruitment opportunities which will result in more tuition revenue. Providing quality service means taking good care of the student while they […]
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In focus group discussions that I conduct at many colleges and universities to identify obstacles that prevent the delivery of excellent service, one of the most frequently mentioned is the presence of silos among departments. This is not only the case in higher education institutions, but also in many other organizations. Each department acts as […]
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The University of Southern Maine is trying to avoid a death spiral. Enrollment is down 1/3 leading to a massive budget shortfall. The market will not accept dramatic increases in tuition and the legislature is not willing to bail them out. To survive, 1/5 of faculty and 1/6 of staff positions are to be eliminated. […]
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As Darwin points out “it is not the strong that survive, but the adaptable”. Higher education has held a sacred place in our society. Our colleges and universities are a unique ecosystem that provides value to a wide array of stakeholders such as students, job seekers, parents, employers, businesses, communities, governments and taxpayers. Today, globalization, […]
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