Crm a Vision for Higher Study
Chapter 3
Customer Relationship Management: A Vision for Higher Education
Gary B. Grant and Greg Anderson
Web Portals and Higher Education
Technologies to Make IT Personal
Richard N. Katz and Associates
A Publication of EDUCAUSE and NACUBO
Copyright 2002 Jossey-Bass Inc. Published by Jossey-Bass, A Wiley Company. Reprinted by permission of John Wiley & Sons, Inc. For personal use only. Not for distribution.
3
Customer Relationship Management
A Vision for Higher Education
Gary B. Grant and Greg Anderson
E
ducational institutions worldwide are undergoing fundamental shifts in how they operate and interact with their “customers”: students, alumni, donors, faculty members, and staff members. Kotler and Fox (1995) state that “the best organization in the world will be ineffective if the focus on ‘customers’ is lost. First and foremost is the treatment of individual students, alumni, parents, friends, and each other (internal customers). Every contact counts!” During the mid-1980s and the late 1990s, many colleges and universities began restructuring and reengineering their operating processes to cut costs and become more efficient while responding to increased competition. Yet these organizations also realized that building the in-house technology necessary to achieve these goals was expensive, difficult, and time-consuming. As a result, many turned to enterprise resource planning (ERP) applications. These applications helped them automate and optimize their internal business processes—in areas such as finance, grants management, student information, enrollment, inventory management, and human resources—and freed them from some of the minutia found in dayto-day operations. The focus is currently shifting from improving internal operations to concentrating more on customers. Higher education customers are demanding more attention and immediate service—that is, “Internet time.” Proactive institutions are now adjusting their
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WEB PORTALS
Customer Relationship Management: A Vision for Higher Education
Gary B. Grant and Greg Anderson
Web Portals and Higher Education
Technologies to Make IT Personal
Richard N. Katz and Associates
A Publication of EDUCAUSE and NACUBO
Copyright 2002 Jossey-Bass Inc. Published by Jossey-Bass, A Wiley Company. Reprinted by permission of John Wiley & Sons, Inc. For personal use only. Not for distribution.
3
Customer Relationship Management
A Vision for Higher Education
Gary B. Grant and Greg Anderson
E
ducational institutions worldwide are undergoing fundamental shifts in how they operate and interact with their “customers”: students, alumni, donors, faculty members, and staff members. Kotler and Fox (1995) state that “the best organization in the world will be ineffective if the focus on ‘customers’ is lost. First and foremost is the treatment of individual students, alumni, parents, friends, and each other (internal customers). Every contact counts!” During the mid-1980s and the late 1990s, many colleges and universities began restructuring and reengineering their operating processes to cut costs and become more efficient while responding to increased competition. Yet these organizations also realized that building the in-house technology necessary to achieve these goals was expensive, difficult, and time-consuming. As a result, many turned to enterprise resource planning (ERP) applications. These applications helped them automate and optimize their internal business processes—in areas such as finance, grants management, student information, enrollment, inventory management, and human resources—and freed them from some of the minutia found in dayto-day operations. The focus is currently shifting from improving internal operations to concentrating more on customers. Higher education customers are demanding more attention and immediate service—that is, “Internet time.” Proactive institutions are now adjusting their
23
24
WEB PORTALS