Future of school communications: Prioritizing customer service

Customer service is a term usually associated with business, but as voucher, private, and charter schools increase competition in the K-12 education marketplace, the customer experience in schools is more important than ever.

School stakeholders, especially parents, have high expectations –– and they want Amazon-level customer care and 24/7 instant responses.   

In March, we hosted a webinar with school communications leaders who have put customer service at the forefront of their districts. During the conversation, they uncovered the steps they took to make customer service a priority and highlighted ways it strengthened their district’s brand and built community connections. 

“If competition hasn’t come to your state yet, it will be there soon,” said Krista Stockman, Public Information Officer for Fort Wayne Community Schools. “Customer service is how stakeholders form their opinions of your district, so providing superior experiences is very important.”

What does the future of school communications look like? 

Tools with AI capabilities, back-end conversation history, and predictive analytics represent the future of school communications: personalized, equitable, and always-on. There are several trends shaping the way schools communicate, and they all center the customer experience. 

“The first step in adopting a culture of superior customer service is to really invest time and energy into building a customer service strategy,” said Michael D. Wilburn, Jr., Administrative Manager to the Chief of Staff for Atlanta Public Schools. “Many of our families don’t have email addresses, so we needed a tool that allowed stakeholders to submit comments without one. Let’s Talk helps us communicate in different ways, including texting, which means we can talk to even our hardest-to-reach families.”  

How can districts uplevel their customer service? 

Successful districts have a customer service strategy that centers equitable communications access and transparency. They recognize that two-way communication between district leaders and their stakeholders is one of the best ways to develop relationships and build trust, leading to better enrollment and more stable funding.     

How can Let’s Talk help districts provide superior customer experience?  

Let’s Talk –– the only customer experience and intelligence platform purpose-built for education –– helps K-12 districts deliver superior customer experiences easier, faster, and more intentionally. 

The platform offers: 

• A unified inbox that streamlines internal and external communications
• Simplified data and predictive analytics
• Real-time stakeholder input and feedback
• A solution for customers with time, language, or technology barriers
• An optional always-on AI chatbot and Knowledge Base 

Ready to learn more about how Let’s Talk can help your district provide superior customer service? Request a demo today.