CXPA Event Recap: UMUC’s Customer-Centric Approach to Higher Education

In March, Lesley Boucher, ORI’s VP of Customer Experience, had the privilege of moderating a panel of CX experts at the Customer Experience Professionals Association’s (CXPA) first local networking event for 2017 in the D.C. area, held at the University of Maryland University College (UMUC).

Two of UMUC’s leaders in customer experience—Brian Gnatt and Beth Tanner—discussed the challenges of running an (almost entirely) online educational service with a focus on top-notch customer service, covering challenges and insights around delivering quality service to a diverse array of students. The panel sparked a productive audience interaction with leaders from varying industries, all geared toward the same issue: getting the right product or service to the right people at the right time.

The leaders at UMUC consistently focus on this level of customer experience, and it permeates the entire institution. How are they able to deliver value for their clients? For one, they understand the value of gathering client information and then turning that information into something actionable. With insights gleaned from a global 24/7 contact center, UMUC leaders are regularly reminded that students come from diverse backgrounds, have unique needs, and require a school that is able to work for them—not the other way around.

By asking the right questions, gathering the right information, and taking action, UMUC is able to design education with a customer-centric focus. With a comprehensive customer experience program and a curriculum designed and regularly updated with the unique student in mind, UMUC is leading the charge in bringing commercial customer experience best practices to higher education—a market ripe for innovation and change.