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# 191



As Head of Admissions at a private international school, I - along with members of our admissions team and those who worked closely with our team - regularly spent time reflecting on and discussing the practices and processes in place. Both subtle and substantial adjustments - some of which have been referenced in previous posts - were made as a result of these reflections and discussions.

With my daughter going to university in September, I have over the last year (and especially so over the last few weeks) had the privilege of observing - from the parent perspective - how admissions teams at universities serve prospective students from their initial inquiry to enrollment and beyond. It is interesting to compare and contrast these experiences on a personal and professional basis.

I am - with my daughter having now finalized her university decision - reflecting on the notion of customer service as highlighted in my Admissions: Customer Service blog post (15 July 2021).


Tony Hsieh’s quote, “Customer service shouldn’t just be a department; it should be the entire company” is exceptionally pertinent. With regard to the university she will attend, my daughter was able to communicate with a whole host of people (including one of the department’s senior professors) all of whom answered her questions (be it through email, on the phone, via a presentation and even face to face at a campus wide event) regarding placement, being classified as an international student, specifics of the course and offered additional information pertaining to day to day living, safety, career options beyond graduation and much more. It should be added that communication was timely and personalized and - extending beyond just the admissions department - reflected very well on the university as a whole.




Shep Hyken’s quote, “Customers want positive, consistent experiences. Consistency creates confidence, which can lead to retention and loyalty” is on point. Emails left unanswered and those that contradicted themselves did not instill confidence in the admissions process and/or the institution as a whole and were quickly - despite looking great on paper - no longer seen as viable options.













David Greer’s quote, “A customer talking about their experience with you is worth ten times that which you write or say about yourself” resonates. As a result of positive experiences in all respects, my daughter will be more than happy to share her experiences of the admissions process (and I my observations from the sidelines) of the University of Sheffield.





I invite you to not just reflect on current practice, but - with the view to improving customer service for prospective families - to compare and contrast with that which you would experience were you to find yourself on ‘the other side’​​


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