navigating the transition to learner as customer karen adams corporate marketing director university...

NAVIG

ATIN

G THE

TRANSIT

ION T

O ‘LEARNER

AS CUSTO

MER’

K A R E N A D A M S

C O R P O R A T E M A R K E T I N G D I R E C T O R

U N I V E R S I T Y O F W I S C O N S I N - P L A T T E V I L L E D I S T A N C E L E A R N I N G C E N T E R

Stu·dent noun, often attributive \ˈstü-dənt,ˈstyü-, chiefly southern -dənt\: a person who attends a school, college, or university: a person who studies something

Cus·tom·er noun \ˈkəs-tə-mər\: someone who buys goods or services from a business: a person who has a particular quality

SO HOW DO WE DECIDE?

Are they students?

Are they customers?

OR, are they both?

LET’S REWIND TO 1994

We weren’t Googling……..

We weren’t shopping on Amazon……..

And we certainly weren’t going to school online!

ACCORDING T

O THE

NATIO

NAL CENTE

R FOR

EDUCATIO

N

STATI

STICS…

……

of higher education

students fit under the

non-traditional

college student

umbrella

73%

ACCORDING T

O ALL

EN

& SEAMAN (2

013)

There were approximately21 million college students

in 2011, and about

6.7 millionof them were taking at least

one online course

WHAT DOES THAT MEAN FOR COLLEGES OFFERING ONLINE LEARNING OPPORTUNITIES?

An estimated 5 million non-

traditional college students are taking

online courses today.

WHAT DO THOSE STUDENTS LOOK LIKE?

• Females outnumber males 62% to 38%

• 23% are age 24 or younger• 44% are age 25-39• 32% are age 40+

Carol Aslanian and David Clinefelter, Online College Students: Comprehensive Data on Demands and

Preferences, June 2013


• Married/Partnered 62% to 38% single• 56% have children under the age of 18• 43% are first generation to attend

college• 56% are employed full-time




• 19% have a THI of less than $25,000

• 53% have a THI of $25,000-$99,999

• 23% have a THI of $100,000+




Most have substantial ‘skin in the game’

• 37% will use student loans/other financial aid only

• 23% will use personal funds only

• 20% will use personal funds AND student loans/other financial aid

• 8% will use personal funds and employer tuition assistance

• 5% will use personal funds, loans, and private scholarships

The lucky ones

• 6% will use employer tuition assistance only



IT’S OBVIOUS THEY HAVE MANY CONCERNS/CONSIDERATIONS IN CHOOSING AN ONLINE EDUCATION PROVIDER.• Flexibility is important• Family commitments must be considered• Many are new to the college-search

process• Career commitments must be

considered• Cost may be a deal-breaker

STUDENTS HAVE MORE CHOICES THAN EVER

They are not simply students anymore. They are customers.And they’re shopping longbefore you know it.

Because they have more choices than ever, learners have become very savvy shoppers.

STARTING THE ‘CUSTOMER’ CONVERSATIONIs the thought of a learner being a ‘customer’ taboo atyour institution?

“We offer an educational experience!”

“We do not sell our diplomas!”

CONVENIENCE HAS TAKEN ON A WHOLE NEW MEANING

“Of course we’re convenient,

we’re online!”

TRADITIONAL CONVENIENCE IS NOW ASSUMED

• Length of academic terms – shorter is preferred

• Scheduling flexibility

• Modes of coursework delivery

• Mobile accessibility

• Personal academic advisors

• Simplicity in the application process

IN FACT, THE MAJORITY OF THE TOP TEN FACTORS DEAL WITH CONVENIENCE



These are important elements that should be included in your marketing efforts.

RESPONSIVENESS IS MORE IMPORTANT THAN EVER

More than 2 years

12 to 18 months

7 to 9 months

Less than three months

0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60%

Length of Online College Enrollment Search



QUALITY AND PRICE WILL ALWAYS MATTER

In many ways, higher learning institutions are similar to retailers. How is that possible?

Consider this: we offer a product for a stated price, we have variety in our product lines, and potential ‘customers’ can be influenced by their perception of value and quality.

WHAT KIND OF ‘RETAILER’ ARE YOU?

• Bargain Basement•inexpensive, but lower quality• High-End•expensive but with name brand recognition• Somewhere in the middle•affordable with good quality


Are there potholes in your parking lot that need repair?

Do your shopping carts have squeaky wheels?


Do your shoppers receive a heartfelt greeting when they enter?

Are your clerks respectful and responsive?


Is your product line relevant to customers’ needs?


Do you offer great service after the sale?

I’m going to buy a big TV.

This store has the quality I want.

This store looks good,

neat, and clean.

That was nice to be greeted at the door!

The clerks

here are very

helpful!

Wow, this is exactly the kind of TV I want!

They even

loaded the TV into my car for me!

DO YOUR CUSTOMERS STAY FOR THE ENTIRE CYCLE?

COMPETITION IS TOUGHER THAN EVER…

The opportunity to reach potential students is also greater than ever.

You need to serve customers so well that they’ll never want to do business with anyone but you.

Karen AdamsCorporate Marketing Director

University of Wisconsin-Platteville Distance Learning Center

[email protected]

GoUWP.com

Thank you!

navigating the transition to learner as customer karen adams corporate marketing director university...

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