Suaad Younis

Learning to be flexible and adaptive to students' needs is a great way to ensure success in any institution. 

Building up a team will result in better customer service. 

The image of the institution should go just beyond pictures and testimonials. Processes should also be a part of it. How is the admissions process streamlined to make it easier for the student to apply and be accepted? Is the acceptance process smooth and efficient? What about student services? Instruction and grades? It is easy to paint an image of what could be possible at a university, however, there needs to more substance to the processes to make the students feel they bought into something valuable. 

Education should not be so business oriented, however, that is the reality of it nowadays. Customer service in education needs to go farther than what is mentioned here. The products that are being sold is learning and knowledge. The students need to realize that their investment is within themselves. Customers that buy these products because it is a trend will not flourish since they assign temporary value on it. The issue is that universities and colleges are no longer the only ones who sell these products and that students can learn just as much on their own or within other… >>>

Creating a culture =that is student-centric is essential for student success and overall health of an institution. 

Being compassionate and empathetic towards students is essential. 

It is sad that education is a business. 

I think meeting students at their level is very important in both academics and social-emotional readiness and development. Everyone is not at the same level so differentiating in the ways we approach and care for students will look differently. 

Colleges have gotten better in meeting the needs of students. When I was in college, there was no support for me when I graduated and had to find a job on my own. There was no guidance into the teacher hiring process or knowledge about what to expect. Nowadays, students have better support systems and can easily succeed in their future careers and education. 

Handholding can often lead to learned helplessness which is why there needs to be a right balance between what the institution can and cannot do for students. When you pamper customers, they begin to feel that all aspects of your business will be the same and will get angry when prices or services change. It is the same with colleges. Students need to be given agency so that they are held accountable when it comes to issues that they are responsible for.