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Intelligence
Forget the “C‑Word.” Let’s Talk About the “E‑Word.”

Intelligence

Forget the “C‑Word.” Let’s Talk About the “E‑Word.”

Aug 05, 2014By mStoner Staff

There’s a minor firestorm brewing over referring to college students as “Customers.” It’s not a new argument, but it flared up again recently when Brian Wm. Miles from TargetX gave a presentation at the July ACT Conference. In it (with a tip of the hat to George Carlin), he listed “Customer” as one of the “dirty words” that admission officers should embrace. The “Customer” word causes a ruckus, primarily among faculty members (and others) who fear that the use of the word “customer” reduces the college experience to a transaction. The concern is that treating students like customers doesn’t recognize the partnership between students and faculty in the education process, and could result in a greater sense of entitlement among students.

Regardless of how you feel about the “c‑word,” the controversy isn’t going away any time soon. The word “customer” will continue to be a lightning rod in the debate about the purpose and value of education.

So what if we changed the conversation from being about what we call students to how we relate to them? What if we stopped talking about the “c” word and started talking about the “e” word? Empathy.

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Merriam-Webster defines empathy as: “the feeling that you understand and share another person’s experiences and emotions.”

In short, it means putting yourself in someone else’s shoes. Thinking about their perspective instead of theirs. Giving up trying to get them to see things your way and seeing things their way instead.

When you treat prospective (and current) students with empathy, you start thinking about how they view the college search process. And about how they pay their bills. And about how they navigate your website.

Treating them with empathy means understanding how they think and act, and changing your thoughts and actions based on that understanding. It means not using acronyms and terms in our communication that they don’t understand. It means getting beyond internal organizational structures and silos to help them solve their problems.

I’m not talking about solving all of their problems for them. Part of the college experience (the traditional-age college experience anyway) is figuring out how to solve your own problems.

But I am talking about taking away artificial barriers to getting things done. Which are usually barriers created by internal processes and organizational structures.

If brand positioning is more about what you do than what you say, you have to understand the things you’re doing that cause problems. Or keep them from solving problems.

How do you develop empathy? Talk to students. Ask what their pain points are. Ask about the barriers they’ve faced when trying to get things done at your institution. They’ll be more than happy to tell you.

 


Higher education branding doesn’t have to be difficult. By understanding the unique dynamics — and the potential pitfalls that can arise – you can create a process that ensures that you get buy-in for a compelling brand positioning that will capture the unique story of your institution.

Want to learn more? We recently published a white paper that explores the specific challenges of higher education branding and gives you strategies for clearing the most common hurdles.