Customer Experience Lessons from Back to School

Image courtesy of macwagen

How do the first week of school and the school experience in general relate to the topic of customer experience?

My kids started school a couple weeks ago, and there I go thinking again! Yes, it got me thinking about some of the customer experience lessons we can glean from this "back to school season."

Getting back into the school routine is a crazy time for parents, students, and teachers. But there are some key things that I noted in the days that led up to the first day, and the first week, of school that are important lessons that can be shared more globally.

I thought I'd put the attributes into two different categories because some of the items relate more to the customer experience, while others relate perhaps more to the culture within.

Experience
The following items are critical to getting the school year off to a good start, for all stakeholders: teachers, administrators, parents, and students. You can easily see how you should be applying them to the customer experience.

1. Communicate, communicate, communicate! (proactive, reactive, multichannel)
2. Establish routines
3. Set expectations
4. Be consistent
5. Be responsive/quickly address questions and concerns
6. Set goals
7. Make  forms easy to complete
8. Don't ask for information you already have
9. Update data if they need to be updated
10. Make sure your facilities are clean
11. Enforce hygiene/washing hands/staying healthy
12. Be ready; conduct disaster prep/training
13. Plan ahead
14. Encourage/offer feedback
15. Collaborate with stakeholders
16. Be mindful of manners/attitude
17. Act with empathy, caring, and compassion
18. Have the right tools, supplies
19. Know your audience
20. Cater to different people's needs

Do you know the difference between education and experience? Education is when you read the fine print; experience is what you get when you don't. -Pete Seeger

Culture
You probably don't normally think about organizational culture when you think about your child's school, but it exists there, as well.

1. Solid leadership
2. The right people
3. Learning environment
4. Continuous improvement
5. Rewards and recognition
6. Celebrate wins and successes
7. Teamwork
8. Fun
9. Respect
10. Zero tolerance, no bullies

Did I miss anything? In what other ways does the back to school experience mirror the customer experience? What else can it teach us?

“Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world.” -Nelson Mandela