EX is often discussed in the context of commercial companies where the link is made to customer experience (CX). The idea is that a good employee experience contributes to the success of the organization, similar to the way in which a positive CX strengthens customer loyalty. But is this theme also relevant within an academic context? In this article we examine the role of EX within a university.
The experience of employees, or employee experience (EX), has become an important topic for organizations in recent years. This concerns the extent to which employees feel supported and valued in their role, which influences motivation and performance.
How are EX and CX connected?
The link between EX and CX is clear: satisfied and motivated employees contribute to a better experience for their ‘customers’ – in this case the students. Think of a freshman just out of high school who gets lost on campus, but is guided to the right place by a helpful staff member. Or a student who gets stuck in a project and thanks to the time and attention of a committed teacher, regains the motivation to continue. An international student who can contact a sympathetic employee with questions about housing feels supported, which contributes to a feeling of connection with the university. And so on.
While in a commercial setting CX is often focused on customer loyalty and sales figures, in the academic world it is about building an inspiring learning environment and stimulating personal growth. In a context where universities are faced with cutbacks in higher education and pressure from the discussion about internationalization, a focused approach to EX can contribute to a better work experience for employees and to a stronger student experience.
Does CX also work for universities?
Although CX is often primarily applied to business, it is becoming increasingly clear that academic institutions can also benefit from it. The way students experience their time at university is influenced by their interactions with both lecturers and support staff. A teacher who has the time to prepare and is involved with the students can make the difference between an inspiring or a discouraging learning experience.
However, with the current pressure to save costs, the question arises whether there is still support within universities to invest in EX and CX. Yet we believe that investing in EX will improve the performance of both employees and students, which will benefit the university in the long term.
Employee journeys visualized
Our research focused on two target groups: teachers and service desk employees. These are the employees who have a lot of direct contact with students, which makes them ideally suited to measure the influence of EX on CX. We conducted experience interviews with both target groups and visualized the outcomes in the form of an employee journey. The employee journey provides insight into the different phases that the employee goes through and what emotions are experienced during this process.
An important choice here was the scope of the employee journey: where does it start and end? For service desk employees, we focused on a typical working day, mainly looking at the work experience, processes, systems, level of support and contact moments with students. For teachers, an entire quartile was examined – from the start of a module to the end.
This gave a good picture of the teacher experience during a period in which they work intensively with students. Using experience interviews, we have mapped out the employee journey and enriched it with the emotional experience at the various touch points.
Outcomes
Our findings provide interesting insights into the experience of both teachers and service desk employees and how this influences the student experience:
1. Student always comes first
Teachers indicated that they feel strongly connected to students. Even more than with the university they work for. Although this connection is positive for the direct student experience, there are opportunities to increase ambassadorship for the university (and thus brand awareness).
2. Teachers want to do more for students
Teachers also indicated that they do not always have the time during a module to give students the attention they need. Preparing lectures, marking exams and giving tutorials takes a lot of time. They would like to spend more time on the broad development and well-being of students. This feeling of inadequacy has a negative impact on the work experience of teachers. There is also an opportunity to improve the student experience thanks to highly motivated teachers.
3. Optimization of onboarding and systems for improved service desk services
Customer focus is in the DNA of the service desk, but the implementation differs. Students who work as employees require a different onboarding than regular employees. Better customization can improve preparation and student experience.
In addition, outdated, cumbersome systems, in which information is often not up to date, cause delays and lower customer satisfaction. Improving both onboarding and systems would make the service desk more effective.
Can, may & want
The intrinsic motivation in both target groups is high: teachers and service desk employees identify strongly with the student, find it a fun target group to work with and want to contribute to the unique phase of life in which students find themselves. However, the challenges mainly lie in the areas of systems, time and support. Facilitating employees according to the ‘Poeisz triangle’ – wanting, being able to and being allowed – offers a solution:
Be able to
By improving systems – for example by making them more user-friendly and improved user adoption – employees can respond faster and better to questions and complaints. The student feels better helped and the service desk employee also feels more facilitated in his work. This contributes to a better student experience, especially in combination with more targeted onboarding.
To be allowed to
By including student well-being more explicitly in the duties of lecturers, the university can better support them in promoting a positive student experience. This enables teachers to respond earlier to signals of stress or other problems, which benefits the well-being of students.
Want
Where there’s a will, there’s a way. That will is certainly there, and we must cherish it. Both teachers and service desk employees know who they are doing it for: the student. But the question is: do they know what students actually need? It would be valuable to investigate the students’ experiences and compare them with the experiences of the employees. See also the sequel.
Next: mirrored experience
To further investigate student experience in conjunction with employee experience, it would be valuable to also analyze the ‘mirrored’ experience of students. This helps to gain insight into how students experience contact with employees and what impact this has on their experience.
As budget cuts in higher education increase the pressure on facilities, teachers and service processes, insight into the student experience can help universities put the student at the center of the choices to be made. This prevents these factors from having a negative impact on how students experience their time at university. After all, students who have had a great time at university are the best ambassadors for attracting future students.
Take-aways
- Teachers need more time for student well-being. Despite their strong connection with students, teachers experience that time pressure prevents them from giving the personal attention that students need, which affects the work experience.
- Optimization of systems and onboarding strengthens service desk services. Improving systems and adapting onboarding processes for employees, especially students who work at the service desk, can improve services and contribute to a better student experience.
- The ‘mirrored’ experience of students offers valuable insights. Investigating the experience of students in relation to the experiences of employees can help to further improve the student experience.
Source: www.frankwatching.com
