Why don’t students who you’ve worked so hard to recruit and enroll, stay in school? Conventional wisdom would cite financial reasons, scheduling difficulties, poor grades, or simply personal. Yet, studies show that almost 72%
of students leave because of service-related issues: lack of concern by staff and faculty, feeling processed and not valued, not fitting in to the environment, and lack of responsiveness to issues.
This is where customer service training will help along with a culture of service excellence. Those educational institutions that are working on streamlining processes and looking through the lens of the student to make things easier are ahead of their competition. Simple processes, such as; finding a class, going through add/drop, getting a book, completing applications for financial aid, while not on their own are a reason to leave, but the cumulative effect of muddling through them, can make a student feel hassled, frustrated, and ready to give up.
Once the student has chosen your college or university, all efforts throughout their years should be focused on retention, not just the freshman year. To do this, it takes a culture of service excellence within the institution. All staff and faculty must recognize it is part of their job to assist, guide, and care about the students. Building relationships builds loyalty. Loyal students keep coming back.