Winning Student Favor via CX Excellence

Authors: Beth Schultz, VP of Research and Principal Analyst

Not available for licensing.

Higher education is a crowded sector, with stiff competition among public universities and private colleges of varying sizes, footprints, and educational fortes. Standing out from the crowd is an imperative; schools must find a way to capture the attention of prospective students—and that’s just the starting point. They must also be able to maintain a connection with the student as they progress through their decision-making and overall educational journey. Unfortunately, many are lacking essential strategic and technology ingredients to facilitate either.

Like their commercial counterparts, higher-ed institutions require a well-considered customer experience (CX) strategy buoyed by a strong technology platform that not only will serve their needs for today, but also assure their ability to support rapidly evolving requirements for the future. With a forward-looking CX strategy and platform in place, they should be able to differentiate with capabilities that allow them to reach prospective students across a wide variety of digital touchpoints; support digital interactions, seamlessly across a student’s journey; break down silos negatively impacting the student experience; deliver personalized experiences for students; and identify students in danger of leaving, while also boosting retention rates.

Table of Contents

  • Understanding the CX Landscape for Higher Education
  • Prioritizing CX Initiatives
    • Why Does Education Need a Strong CX Strategy?
    • AI’s Status and Impact on CX
    • AI Should Be Top-Priority Investment for Educational Organizations
      • Virtual Assistants for Students
      • Generative AI for Agents and Students
      • Workflow Automation (WFA) to Improve Agent Efficiency
      • WFO/Workforce Engagement Management (WEM) for Agent Empowerment
    • Value of Voice of the Customer/Student Programs
    • Delivering a CX Experience Across All Interaction Channels
    • Cloud/Hybrid Cloud Makes CX Innovations Easier
    • Conclusions and Recommendations
  • Working With Metrigy