Finally, a consultant that actually collaborates with the client. TLG asks great questions, listens carefully, works very hard and creatively, presents a variety of suggestions and solutions, encourages response, and once again listens very carefully.

—Paul Driscoll
Dean of Admissions
University of Redlands
Redlands, California

March 2006 Lawlor Focus

Customers Want Convenience

Can you imagine a world without ATMs, self-serve check-out grocery lanes or automated ticketing kiosks at the airport? Ironically, such automated processes initially were met with some grumbling from consumers most often because of the lack of a human "touch." Now, however, most of us appreciate the efficiencies these devices offer and agree that this type of automation has improved customer service by offering value-added convenience.

Today’s customers expect—and to some extent demand—tremendous efficiency in their consumer experiences, whether in person or over the Net, and organizations that provide it are in a better position to earn and keep customers. Robert Passikoff, president of Brand Keys, Inc., a brand and customer loyalty research and strategic planning firm, points to Zoom Systems' high-end vending machines as a prime example. Placed in airports, hotels and even grocery stores, these sleek, black, credit card-only machines don't dole out pretzels or soda; rather, they sell expensive Bose headphones, iPods, DVDs and wireless laptop cards. And customers are buying thousands of dollars worth of merchandise every month.

"If you had suggested something like this in 1997, it would have been a dismal failure because people were not under the same kind of pressure they are in their lives [now]," says Passikoff. Reporting on the Brand Keys' annual customer loyalty survey for 2006, which examines nearly 400 brands in 36 categories to assess customers' needs, values and brand perceptions, Passikoff notes that the value of convenience is up again this year—nearly five times as much as when the attribute was first measured in 1997.

Every successful organization tries to capitalize on some values, but "convenience" should be a focus for everyone. For, as Passikoff notes, "Make good on your convenience promise and consumers will beat a path to your proverbial door. If not, they'll beat a path to whichever door they think is most convenient."

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None of us in higher education equates the college experience with a shopping excursion, but perhaps there are lessons to be learned from the retail world, including the importance of convenience to our customers.

Particularly when institutions brand themselves as intimate communities where faculty and students know one another by name, students, their families and alumni expect to find less red tape, greater communication and more efficient processes—all of which they associate with convenience.

Consider a few ways to make your institution more convenient for students, parents and alumni:

  • Make it easy for families to visit campus with more frequent open houses as well as self-guided tour information provided online or in brochures readily available to campus visitors.
  • Streamline the application process to remove any stumbling blocks: use the Common Application, offer fee waivers for online applications or make standardized tests optional.
  • Paying for college fills families with enough angst; reduce the paperwork with online information, faxes or e-mail messages for families.
  • Ensure that everyone can conduct business with your campus with the same ease they do in the "real world": offer online services for paying bills, making donations, buying theatre tickets, finding sports scores, etc.
  • Make cumbersome paperwork a thing of the past; for example, use web tools that allow students to register for classes or enable alumni to sign up for homecoming activities.
  • Today's customers expect to be able to find relevant, accurate information about the institution. A current, up-to-date and easy-to-navigate web site is a must.

One cautionary note: Don't sacrifice all human touch just for the sake of efficiency. Customers have different expectations—and different definitions of convenience. Invest in phone skills training to ensure that customers who want to talk with a "real" person are equally satisfied.

The "convenience" factor in higher education shouldn't be confused with less rigor. It has more to do with time management and offering your customers the tools they need to make good, informed and smart decisions—and with ensuring their loyalty to your organization.

In the News: Recruiting at Community Colleges

At the most selective schools, a very small percent of students came from the poorest socioeconomic quarter of families, while the majority came from the richest, according to a 2003 study. Now, a small group of selective colleges is turning its attention to what may be an untapped reservoir of capable, low-income students: the 6.5 million people who attend community colleges.

Five well-known private colleges and three highly selective public schools—Amherst, Bucknell, Cornell, Mount Holyoke and the University of Southern California, as well as the flagship campuses of the Universities of Michigan, California and North Carolina—have announced plans to accommodate about 1,100 more community college transfer students from low- to moderate-income families over the next four years. The Jack Kent Cooke Foundation will contribute nearly $7 million for support programs, while the colleges will spend more than $20 million of their own money on support programs and financial aid.

Read the full article "Elite Schools Tap Students at Community Colleges" (may require login)—The Washington Post, March 6, 2006.

Expert Perspective: Teens Forecast the Future

Teens recently surveyed by Teenage Research Unlimited (TRU) were uncharacteristically pessimistic when asked about the state of affairs today. According to a TRU Omnibuzz® survey of 1,183 teens ages 12 to 18, 53 percent say the country is on the wrong track, while only 18 percent say the nation is headed in the right direction.

Their concerns about the future range from environmental issues—only 17 percent of teens say they're satisfied with U.S. progress on environmental issues—to education and the economy. Fifty-one percent disapprove of the nation's track record on education, and, despite indicators that say the economy is growing, only 22 percent of teens think the future of the economy is bright. Not surprisingly, the majority of teens surveyed (56 percent) say the United States' political leaders are headed in the wrong direction.

TRU Trends Director Rob Callender says that last year's natural disasters—and lackluster response efforts—contributed to teens' overall feeling of unease about the world around them. "For many teens, 2005 was a year plagued by disasters, both natural and manmade," Callender explains. "Although the tsunami in Southeast Asia technically took place in 2004, teens generally listed that tragedy as the introduction to a year of earthquakes, hurricanes, tornados, floods and fears of global pandemics. Political controversy and stories of high-level corruption haven't done anything to reassure teens, either."

Despite their gloomy outlook, Callender says teens haven't given up hope yet: Sixty percent of teens said they believe 2006 will be a better year than 2005, with only 11 percent indicating the coming year will be worse and nearly one-third (29 percent) not committing to an answer.

Complete survey results are available from Teenage Research Unlimited.

Did You Know?

Going to college to earn the "MRS" degree is no longer in fashion, according to the Harris Interactive Youth Pulse (July 2005). Today, personal goals such as career development are more likely to be pursued over relationship goals. The poll revealed that more youth expect to be settled in a suitable career by age 30 but not necessarily in a marriage: Eighty percent of 8- to 12-year-olds and 86 percent of 13- to 21-year-olds expect to be in a career they like by age 30, whereas 67 percent of 8- to 12-year-olds and 72 percent of 13- to 21-year olds expect to be married by age 30.

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If you would like The Lawlor Group to help you audit the convenience factor on your campus, please contact us by e-mailing tlg@thelawlorgroup.com or calling 800.972.4345.

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