Challange 

A newly established unit within an academic organization faced significant challenges during the pandemic as it discovered the potential to enroll a broader range of learners from multiple types of customer groups. This presented unique challenges:

• Short Course Duration: With courses lasting only 10-12 weeks, learners had the opportunity to enroll in multiple courses, creating both opportunity and complexity.

• Diverse Customer Groups: The unit identified the potential to tap into organizational learners who could act as advocates within their respective organizations. This highlighted the need to understand various learner personas and prioritize initiatives for maximum impact on both learner experience and financial outcomes.

• Limited Insight into Needs: There was a lack of detailed information about customer needs, resulting in uncertainty in prioritizing initiatives effectively.

Approach

We collaborated with the organization to align their customer experience strategy with their business strategy, employing a multifaceted approach:

• Customer Experience Strategy: We began by developing a comprehensive customer experience strategy tailored to align with the unit’s goals and business strategy.

• Journey Mapping Workshops: We led journey mapping workshops to define “as-is” and “to-be” journeys for two key learner personas. This exercise identified over 80 potential opportunities, which were narrowed down to 23 based on feasibility during the workshops.

• Agile CX Implementation: Agile methodologies were introduced to reduce silos and improve cross-functional communication. This approach facilitated more effective execution of strategic initiatives.

• Mentoring for CX Leads: Mentoring sessions were conducted for CX leads to empower them to drive these initiatives forward and execute them efficiently.

• Stakeholder Consultation: Continuous consultations with key stakeholders enabled the identification of the top 10 opportunities to integrate into the unit’s annual planning cycle.

Result

• Adjusted Priorities: Initial priorities were revisited as data and feedback revealed new insights about customer needs. The team shifted focus towards resolving key student issues directly, which were being escalated to payers.

• Streamlined Payer Processes: Payer processes were simplified, eliminating the need for an expensive digital portal that did not add sufficient value.

• Enhanced Customer Understanding: More refined personas and additional journey maps were introduced to guide further improvements in learner experience and satisfaction.

• Effective Stakeholder Engagement: Stakeholder involvement from the outset ensured acceptance of imperfections and flexibility in changing priorities as new data emerged.

• Outcome-Focused Resource Allocation: Resources were allocated strategically, resulting in clear improvements aligned with customer needs.