Some Thoughts on Proposing a Customer Satisfaction Strategy in Education

Wang+Guoqiang　Wan+Jinqing　Wang+Wenjun

【Abstract】Reforms in todays education models require changing the concept of quality from “quality conformity” to “applicability，service mode” within the schools.The main components of education product are instruction，curriculum，and service.This paper uses schools as a case study to discuss issues of customer need and expectation，student satisfaction evaluation，and the ramifications of a customer satisfaction strategy in the education industry.

【Key words】Customer satisfaction strategy； Education product； Evaluation； Quality management

Customer satisfaction strategies that focused on the customer，aimed at total satisfaction of customer need and expectation，and which ultimately secured the market were tried successfully by companies，and expanded from the manufacturing to tertiary industries.Schools should consider drawing from the experience of successful quality management to strengthen education reform.

1.Customers in Education Industry

According to the ISO9000，product is defined as “result of a process.” This leads to the identification of four generic product categories：services，software，hardware，processed materials.Schools can reasonably consider knowledge as a form of software.For example，every school course and university majors can be viewed as a product.Let the transmission of knowledge become a service product.Let teaching in schools and the service of teachers satisfy student needs.

ISO 9000 defines customer as “organization or person that receives a product，a customer can be internal or external to the organization.” The customer who receives a product clearly includes its beneficiary，user，client，consumer，etc.From the beneficiarys point of view，students in every school are the direct receivers of the education product.Their knowledge，skills，character，state of mind and body are unilaterally enhanced through their school learning.From the consumption point of view，it is the paying students who are the direct procurers of the education product，becoming the buyers.From managements standpoint，students in all forms of education are perceived as the internal customers of their schools.The success of education depends on the active participation of students.Since students have the choice of purchase，consumption，investment，and benefit in their education，they are，therefore，the schools direct customers.

Furthermore，the education industrys customers include students families，government and investors，as well as other beneficiaries.Recognizing the need and expectation of other related sectors should also be on the agenda for todays schools.

Therefore，total understanding of the needs of school customers，starting with improving internal customer satisfaction，will ensure communication among school customer groups.Evaluating customer satisfaction level and taking action to improve will result in a convergence of school mission and focus with customers demand.Aiming for total customer satisfaction is the key to gaining the market and achieving quality for schools.

2.Satisfaction Evaluation

A structure of customer needs in regard to products comprised of function，form，extension，and cost can be applied to the education product.Taking the example of education service students receive from each course of study，function is analogous to the comprehensiveness of subject matter，timeliness，practicality，relationship and connection to other subjects.Form can be thought of as the course format，teaching facilities，excellence and appropriateness of teaching material.Extension is a focus of student need，manifested as a perception of service need，such as the teachers attitude and capability.The perception of psychological need includes rules that are democratic，compassionate，motivational，helpful，and conform to a healthy state of mind.The perception of cultural need involves the teachers eminence，charisma，role model，an inspiring personality，and even extends to the cultural environment in the school.Cost-quality need perception mainly applies to paying students who must consider costs when comparing quality of the education product with value.Surveys should be conducted to evaluate education quality perception and need among students.Information on student satisfaction in regard to education quality can be gathered through questionnaires and seminars.

Student satisfaction evaluations can be copied after customer need.Schools can regard students as internal customers.Depending on the demand for quality，schools further need to conduct external customer （parents，companies，etc.） satisfaction evaluations.Schools that have the capability，particularly colleges and universities，can utilize theories on customer satisfaction index models to conduct research and application.

3.Significance of Adopting a Customer Satisfaction Strategy in Schools

When schools support a customer satisfaction strategy，offer education product and service satisfactory to students，implement plans to satisfy students quest for knowledge，they will undoubtedly leave students with an unforgettable learning experience.Not only will schools win customers，they can compete for greater opportunities in life-long education service at this time of knowledge economy.

With the implementation of a customer satisfaction strategy，the most immediate benefit is changing the mental models of absolute reverence for teachers.Student satisfaction surveys can identify student needs，motivate student subjectivity，and allow instructors to use timely feedback on teaching outcomes to continuously improve education quality.Teacher-student subjectivity will be encouraged to make room for cooperation.

Through employer or public satisfaction evaluations，schools will know the worthiness of their graduates，their ability to fit into society.Responding to the nations different needs in industry，technology，and human resources，schools can institute timely reforms in the manner and types of professional training.

4.Conclusions

Initiating customer satisfaction strategies not only enriches the schools cultural environment，but also lends strong support to educating students through quality culture.Schools must take the initiative to popularize quality promotion and improving education.Education quality in the schools and the nurturing of quality culture are prerequisites for improving the quality of national products.

References：

[1]王國(guó)強(qiáng).萬金慶.淺談高校顧客滿意戰(zhàn)略[J].價(jià)值工程，2012（3）.