It is important to address complaints or concerns in a timely fashion as it shows we take the student seriously and are respecting them. In any venue, if we do not address people or issues in a timely fashion, people feel as if they are being ignored or neglected. In an educational atmosphere, it is not any different. Students have options and choices as to where to attend...if as an educational entity we do not show our students that they are important to us, they will just go somewhere else where they do not feel they are lost in the crowd or insignificant.
Hi Amy,
Excellent comments - your three points certainly constitute a good foundation to student-first customer service!
Jay Hollowell
it is important to address students complaints in a timely manner, because doing so not only reassures the students that they matter and that they are the reason why we do what we do. Also it will allow them to move on quickly and refocus on what is most important, their study.
There are many reasons to address student complaints and concerns in a timely fashion, such as student respect, trust, quality assurance and compliance.
Kora,
Well said, thanks! And, of course, not responding in a timely manner creates conditions for escalation of the problem and grounds for mistrust.
Jay Hollowell
Students are the customer and their voice should be heard regarding an issue with the school, process and or faculty. Ignoring can escalate a simple solution that can be fixed and address at a low level. This also shows the student that the school is concerned about the quality of the institution.
I have found that if you respond immediately to such problems, often the situation is quickly defused. Students just want to know that they're being heard, not ignored. It has been good for me to learn to face the confrontation rather than put it off. Things only get worse if you allow the situation to percolate. If students can see that you are a real person who is willing to work with them and help them to the best of your ability, then the conflict is often more easily resolved. Also, students are less likely to take dramatic action, such as dropping the class or complaining to the head of the department.
Thanks Crystal,
Early intervention in such situations is one of the hallmarks of good student customer service and also helps to manage expectations across the board.
Jay Hollowell
I am our students FA Advocate. I of course follow all laws and regulations, I also want to do whatever I can to ensure that the students financial situation does not set them up for failure.
If a student has a complaint it is usually handled initially by our Student Services Department. If need be the student, myself, and Student Services meet to figure out the issue and how we can resolve it.
Ignoring students makes them feel unimportant, that can fester and spread very quickly to other students. In our town there are not many colleges, bad news travels fast between us and the other institutions.
It is important to address complaints and concerns as soon as possible because we want the student to feel like their issue is valuable to us, and that we want to fix the situation and right it as best we can. If this is not done in a timely manner, the student may sense that we do not care about their concern, and complain to someone higher than our institution, or even worse, withdraw. We want all students to feel valuable and important to us.
By listening and responding to a student complaint in a timely manner, students feel heard and supported. If the student's complaint is handled appropriately, it can alleviate the need for a student to feel they must go outside of the organization to be heard and have their issue resolved.
If a student concern is ignored, regulatory and state agency's can become involved escalating an issue to a level that could have been avoided.
Elizabeth,
Thanks so much for your comments. We love to hear that school representatives take on the role as advocates and, particularly, work at resolution of any issues in a collaborative way! Bravo!
Jay Hollowell
Addressing student complaints and concerns is important not only to the student, but to the institution. The student wants to know that he/she is important and matters and a complaint or concern means there is a liklihood that trust or transparency can be compromised. The student obviously feels that his/her expectations are not being met. The institution is obligated to respond promptly. It speaks to integrity, valuing the student, taking responsibility for the student's educaitonal experience, and being accountable.
It is important to respond to student's complaints and/or concerns in a timely fashion because it lets the students know that they matter and we want to assist them. Letting issues go unresolved gives the message that the student is not being heard.
It is important because the faster you can help a student the better. In my position as a restart coordinator I come into contact with varies complaints from students. When I handle the complaint or concern fast it rebuilds trust. If I would ignore the complaint the student would become dissatisfied not just with me but the school.
If a school truly cares about the student they will address all complaints and concerns immediately. This builds trust and confidence with the student. When a school continually ignores concerns it reflects negatively on the institution and could damage reputations. Student success rates would decrease when they lose trust in their school.
Hi Jennifer,
Thanks for your comments! Several participants have mentioned how important it is to address student questions, concerns or complaints in a timely fashion. It really does build trust with students as the foundation to a student customer service-driven and compliance culture environment.
Jay Hollowell
The students trust is built with you as the first point of contact in the school. The longer you wait to give he or she feedback on the question, the more that prospective student will begin to question not only the trust in your answer but also the commitment you have built with them individually. Time lapse leads to the prospective student feeling "unimportant" by not responding in a timely fashion or possibly thinking that the answer will not be true and accurate.
It is essential to address student complaints because you want to ensure the success and satisfaction of each student. Not addressing issues can lead to student dissatisfaction that can become a public complaint which could lead to sanctions for the institution. Most importantly, the student could have a simple concern that could have been handled quickly and affirmed the institutions commitment to the student.
It is important to address student complaints and concerns in a timely fashion to ensure that students know that you care and are interested in helping them be successful. When students are ignored, they start to think that they are not important and the institution does not care about their success.
