Student Services | Survey

Report Points to Need for Improved Student Services

• By Leila Meyer
• 09/06/12

A new survey from Oracle revealed that the majority of students say that the quality of student services directly affects their overall satisfaction with their school, but just about half say their schools meet their customer service expectations.

According to the report, schools can improve services for students by integrating IT systems to manage student data, identify trends, and provide more consistent, personalized services.

The survey, Making the Grade: Optimizing the Higher Education Student Experience, surveyed more than 1,000 undergraduate students and 180 higher education administrators. In the survey, 66 percent of students reported that student services affect their overall school satisfaction, but only 60 percent reported being satisfied with that service and only 57 percent say their school treats them as valued customers.

According to the study, students aren't the only ones who aren't completely satisfied with their student services. The study found that only 19 percent of school administrators say they have a comprehensive view of their students. Thirty-one percent of administrators say that their student information systems provide multiple views of their students, and they have to piece that information together, while 20 percent say their information systems contain multiple view of their students that actually conflict with each other.

Other findings from the survey:

• Thirty-nine percent of students and 27 percent of administrators rate their school's mobile access to student services as very good;
• Fifteen percent of students and 10 percent of administrators say their school is very successful at using social media to keep students informed;
• Fifty-four percent of students and 61 percent of administrators say their schools should make it easier to figure out where to go for answers;
• Twenty-four percent of students and 49 percent of administrators say their schools should provide consistent information; and
• Thirty-seven percent of student and 27 percent of administrators say their schools should improve response times.

"Schools that focus on the basics--such as ensuring information accessibility, providing multiple contact points for students, and delivering consistent processes--and leverage mobile and social media platforms to engage students, will provide an unforgettable positive educational experience, and in turn, make institutions more competitive," said Cole Clark, global vice president of education and research industry for Oracle, in a prepared statement.

The complete report is available on the Oracle site. Oracle will also host a webcast on Wednesday, Sept. 19, to discuss the findings.