Delivery of Customer Service Excellence within UK universities Essay

There has been unvarying ontogeny in the payoff of hatful pursuing higher(prenominal) grooming. This has been contri preciselyed to by the changing society that occupys one to unendingly update and keep up with the educational activity standards. As the demand of education increases, at that place is an increase in demand for higher education in the face of decreasing political sympathies funding (White, 2007, p.67). The decrease in giving medication funding in many countries has resulted to self-sponsorship among close of the students. With the students, beingness self-sponsored there is regard for a more than merchandise lugn stress on condense on the clients get and in this case, the students ar the nodes. As the be of students with the accusatory of going to universities increase so does the application of marketing in the field of higher education (Lomas, 2007, p.456).The marketing of university avails has necessitated the transplant in the relationshi p of the students and the university to discombobulate a node provider relation. The intercession of students as customers has been at an increase cod to the increase in number of universities. The increase in number of universities increases disputation-necessitating need for customer supporter among the universities to increase the number of students enrolment evaluate. To establish if the students ar customers one has to determine the returns provided by universities and the consumers of the products or servings provided.According to Martinez (2013, p.56), education provision can be separate as a attend, which can be separated into divine service preservation and service content. Whereby service, content cannot be negotiated with the students entirely service deliver is negotiable. artless the content covered in the classrooms is not determined by the students solely the way in which this content is delivered can be negotiable. The customers of the service provi ded by the universities ar students. The service delivered in this case refers to the standard way in which education is applied or impacted on the students. The flavor of service is determined by the standards applied in an institution, the equipments applied, technology, materials, instructor, and the timing in which this education takes place.The two types of service provided by the universities attract variant consumers. The service content attracts customers that atomic number 18 outdoor(a) to the institution who include private and universe employers and the society. The students are described as the service consumers since they are partners with the institutions and are the chief(prenominal) consumers of the function provided by universities.Universities can also be described as service providers since it cannot be classified as service provider since they do not manufacture any of their final products instead they offers good that are not physic all in ally visible. Having classified the service provided by universities it could be schematic that there are several types of consumers of the universities products. The main customers are however, the students who are make affected by the grapheme of go provided. Secondly, there are external consumers who are affected by the services provided in a junior-grade level.Having established students as consumers then universities should strive to of all time satisfy customers inescapably. In addition, universities should be improved by comparing them with the service provision industry, as an ever-increasing contention forces to do so. Trends in the universities also link up it closer to customer-oriented service industries. Students take to be involved in the decisiveness making process of the universities more than depending on the market forces, this qualifies the students to be the customers since the vocalism of their opinions increases or decreases the royalty and retentiveness rate of t he universities customers.In some countries kindred UK and Austral, universities senior focal point and government agencies insist on the need to calculate students as the customers. This is evident in Oxford University where the satisfaction of the students is a paramount objective for the institution. This is justified by the fact that the marketing department of the university has students suggestion cites where they percolate the needs and wants of the students. This opinion is however, not supported by the academic lag that states that recognition of students as customers decreases the quality of education since the needs of the students are not in all cases right like the expectation in wrinklees(Lomas, 2007, p.34).Governments all over the world and particularly the UK government call for been seen to put in place mechanisms for assessing the quality of the services provided by universities. This assessment is meant to allow the government to trace areas that need imp rovement. The government also puts in place measures that drive up the quality of education and provide enough information round the universities that will help students determine on what institution is proper or the trump among the many provided. Government makes reforms at universities to change the perception of universities into stage craft like administrations (Lomas, 2007, p.54).According to Pittman (p. 342), the relationship between the student and the universities are surplus unlike most of the service industries. The recognition of universities as service providers, in one way or an new(prenominal) the market forces lead into the treatment of the institutions as businesses. The treatment of universities as businesses has been evident in the running of Cambridge university and other leading universities in the UK that engage in marketing strategies aimed at engaging the students in the universities. This therefore includes the marketing strategies used by businesses. The business cerebrate is the satisfaction or butt againsting customer needs and similarly universities should focus on meeting the students needs to survive in the market.Students attend universities with different objectives including, pursuit of their person interest, desire to construct qualifications, prepare for academic and query careers and preparation for the world of do work. These needs are sufficiently provided by most of the universities however, the students choose the universities that provide these services with a more customer centrical horticulture. The universities are now under pressure to make the students feel as the kings and at the same time not deteriorate their standards of their curriculums or standards. This calls for the universities to recount themselves and creating a customer oriented relation with the students to increase the registrations and retention rate. node Relationship Management TheoryCustomer relationship oversight is an primal a spect of any business. It is the process of obtaining, retaining an increase the market share, or customer base of a business. It includes the guidance of off-line and in-line relationships with consumers. Customer relationship management requires the running of business in a customer centric show up that considers the customers first.Universities deplete change magnitude in number necessitating the need of marketing activities that signalize each university and increase their competitive advantage. The ever-increasing competition levels have brought about changes in the dynamics of the education business particularly in the university level. The customers of universities have infinitely been enlightened and choose the best among the universities. This has increase the need and importance of a customer centric culture that strives to project the customers needs. Universities have understood the need to invest in new technologies to allow them to gain advantage in the competi tion by exploiting their brand value, customer base, and investments in infrastructure in come in to increase the number of enrollments, as their direct link to the customer satisfaction and profitability (Martinez, 2013, p.56).Customer relationship management allows the universities to analyze their consumers at different levels to allow the detection of their needs, preferences, potential areas that require improvement and after this, the universities are able to establish or utensil the necessary actions to achieve customer satisfaction. Universities engage in every family orientation for the students to display the facilities in the institutions. This is evident in Manchester University, Liverpool and Cambridge that allow the enkindle students to view the facilities and from their judgment choose a university that best suits their needs.Achievement of customer satisfaction is a core objective to many businesses as it increases the competitive advantage and thus increasing pr ofitability of the organization. The increase in number of universities increases the bargaining power of the consumers who in this case are the students. Today students want to enroll in universities with better services, lower fees, good infrastructure, skilled tutors, and admission price to various services within an institution. This pressures the universities to look for new ways that are going to satisfy these needs and ways to keep the students and the rest of the customers conform to before any other institution does (West, Ford, & Ibrahim, 2010, pg.89).According to Bay, Darlenen, Daniel, &Harold (p. 15), students are the purchasers of the service provides and therefore the customers of some of the campus services and the facilities, which are provided at a price. Students have to pay for the education provided at full price in order to benefit. The service provider determines the standards of the service though the services provided at aimed at satisfying the customers. T his is similar with the universities who are expected to determine the needs of the customers but at the same time ensure that they satisfy the customers needs.Students can also be seen as clients of the campus facilities such as libraries, administrative services, and computer laboratories. Students could use these services as free of charge but since they are charged this makes the students the clients of the universities. These universities have a responsibility to the studentsTotal feel ManagementAccording to total quality, management customers are the people to whom an organization sells its services or products. This makes the students and in some cases the parents, private and public institution, and the government the customers of the universities. TQM model identifies students as stakeholders in educational decisions. They are however, not the only stakeholders and at times, the needs of the students come second to those of the society. Under the TQM, frame work the studen ts create a market force under which the universities have to draw to survive in the market (White & Naomi, 2007, p. 600).The TQM model states that quality starts and ends with the customer, this is because of the increased competition in the market that has necessitated the focus on the customer to gain a competitive advantage. According to the concept, the satisfaction of internal customers leads to the satisfaction of the external customers and then every customer both the external and internal are satisfied.The scheme states that several factors including, customer expectation, company operations, and the employees responsible for delivering the services to the customer deal about customer satisfaction. The creation of a customer centric culture is of great importance to an organization. This creates satisfaction among the consumers and the customers increasing their royalty and increases the retention rate of customers. Focus on customers increases the advertisement of a pr oduct by the rallying cry of mouth of the satisfied clients reducing the operation cost and increasing the number of consumers. Concentration on consumers is the best tactic or weapon against competitors since the customers are the final determinants in the existence of an organization (George & David, 2007, p.970).Universities are businesses that should re-orient the services rendered so to keep the customers satisfied. In the past universities were not treated as businesses since there were countable universities and the number of students were minimal and there were no competition. Currently the market is flooded with universities, which increases the need of the perception of the customer as the king and always right. With the increased number of universities the buyers of universities services are fewer and this increases the need for quality services which is dependent on the extent that an university is able to meet and authorize the customers requirements (King, 2001, p.19 0).Total quality, management recognizes the students perception of quality change as they progress from one stage to other. This allows the institutions to continuously update their services to meet the customers needs and expectations in every level, Needs of the customers in universities lie in of the minimum necessary human elements that must be rendered to retain the customers in this case the student. If the students needs are not met then they are possible to discontinue their education in one university and continue in another that meets its needs.Universities are defined to be successful if the student enrollment and retention rate is high compared to the rest in the market. Total quality, management programs are also seen to be successful if they facilitate customer retention and enrollment in universities. Needs and want satisfaction in universities is therefore coordinate towards the basics of performance, providing what the students want and what they are unable to su rvive without (White & Naomi, 2007, p. 600).Ways in Which Expectations Can Be Managed and Service Excellence AchievedUniversities can use different mechanisms to improve their service morality. The first strategy on improving service excellence is the determination of the superior services they offer. The service must signalize and target customers segments according to the type of services attributes that they must demand. Universities must identify group or students with similar expectations in terms of what aspects are associated with the excellence in service. The universities should continuously find the proper trade- off between lowly performance for one attribute with superior performance for another (Bay, Darlene, Daniel &Harold, 2001, p.16),The customers themselves best understand their needs. Expectations can be managed if the service providers are able to understand the needs of the customers. In universities, the students are the main consumers of the services offered . Universities should identify the students needs by encouraging feedback on the services provided. This allows the meeting of their needs and wherefore increasing the customer royalty and the enrollment rate.The second strategy is the employee management system that allows ensures that the employees treat the customers are content. Universities should ensure that their employees meet the needs of the customers and have a customer centric culture. In the case of universities the academic strength should ensure the students needs are met and also that the services rendered are of quality (Lomas & Laurie, 2007, p.35)The third element is benchmarking the service provided and the services provided by other universities. This allows the universities to identify the areas that need improving and the areas that are outstanding. This allows the universities to merge or close up the gap between them and their competitors. Benchmarking also gives new ideas of products or the services that t he competitors are offering. This increases the products offered and the quality of service (West, Ford, & Ibrahim, 2010, pg.89).The fourth element is continuous improvement of the services and products offered by institutions. The continuous improvement of services reduces the chances of products beseeming obsolete. University students needs keep changing with periods, change in equipment infrastructure, and the time. This necessitates the universities to update their services continuously so at to increase customer satisfaction and uphold customer royalty.The last step is being of conscious of bad service delivery. Looking at the past bad experiences allows and institutions to learn what are being done wrong. Continuous review of past mistakes allow the correction of the light standard services previously provided and introduction of new services that meet the customers need. The last is the implementation of technology to improve customer satisfaction and in meeting the custom er needs. The increased perception of students as customers has increased the enrollment in most universities. This is because of the students feeling that their needs are catered for. This has been evident with the increased enrollments in the oxford university.ConclusionThe focus on customers is a core objective for any business. Universities are classified as service delivery business with the students being the major customers. The identification of the customer needs is a relevant and important factor in the satisfaction of customer needs. In universities and higher education institutions students are classified as customers since they are the purchasers of the services provided by the institutions. Universities are obliged to provide quality services to the students. There has been increased number of universities with time, which has increased the competition among the universities to gain competitive advantage. The increased competition has necessitated the need for a custom er centric culture to gain more customers.ReferencesBay, D. & Daniel, H. 2001. The Student Is Not the Customer-An Alternative Perspective, Journal of Marketing for high Education Vol.11, No. 1, pp.1-19Biswas, S. 2011. Relationship marketing concepts, theories and cases. New Dehli, India, PHI Learning.George, D. 2007. 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