What You Should Expect from Your Solutions Provider

Imagine this critical situation: your institution is right in the middle of recruitment and admissions for the incoming fall class, and suddenly your student information system goes down. The typical course of action would be to urgently call your SIS provider/account manager, who would then open a trouble ticket and assign it to someone in hosting, for example, to resolve the issue. By this point, the account manager is thinking, “I did my job, I processed the paperwork, and now it’s time for the experts in hosting to fix the problem.” At the same time, you’re left thinking, “I’m down. Is anybody working on that ticket? Am I still a priority? Am I going to meet my recruiting goals?”

This is the old-school customer support model with which we are all familiar, and it still plays a role, whether it’s answering questions, offering guidance on best practices or troubleshooting problems. I often refer to this level of support as “below the line,” as it is more of an administrative or support function. Your account manager may even take you out to lunch occasionally to discuss your challenges and goals, but as you’re painfully aware, it is often under pressure to upsell you on new features or solutions, even as he or she picks up the tab for your chicken sandwich.

But in my many years leading customer engagement for higher education technology companies, I also recognize that the classic customer support model is a myopic and reactionary approach where departments often become roadblocks instead of bridges to success. While it may still do a reasonably good job in resolving many technical issues, the model itself is past its prime given today’s on-demand world of higher education.

Dave Megregian is the Vice President of Customer Enablement for Campus Management, where he leads a team comprised of experts whose experience is rooted in supporting professional services, account management, sales, managed services and cloud delivery. Mr. Megregian is an industry veteran, having worked with a diverse group of organizations over a 25-year career in roles designed for strengthening partnerships and establishing efficiencies and collaboration through improved business practices. His entire professional life has been dedicated to improving service, fostering engagement and helping to drive deeper collaboration with his valued customers.

Competition for students is at an all-time high, and technology has evolved beyond the back office to enable innovations, ranging from online learning to highly flexible academic models. The technology is now about enablement, so support must also be about enabling your institution and students to succeed, not just about resolving technical issues. Instead of waiting to hear back from an account manager, a Customer Enablement Manager (CEM) should take ownership of the relationship, knowing that not only is your system offline but that your recruiting objectives are also on the line. In fact, the entire Customer Enablement team should be aligned with your strategies and goals, as well as aware of your peak times and scaling needs. Most importantly, the team should already have a backup plan implemented as a result.

What is True Customer Enablement?

Customer Enablement is “above the line,” because the focus is at the strategic level. First and foremost, the Customer Enablement Manager (CEM) wants to engage your institution up to the most senior level to understand what’s most important to you and your constituents, and what the service provider can do to support your goals. So, the CEM prepares thoroughly, understands your institution’s needs and helps to determine the level of support that’s needed to support your mission.

If Customer Enablement Managers do these things well, then they are truly enabling the success of your institution and students. They become more than a troubleshooter. They become your trusted advisor. Successful CEMs will even advocate for your institution by being your voice in any future product development by the solutions provider, conveying your challenges and needs to the organization. While they may not personally do the hands-on work, they must take responsibility for coordination and, most importantly, the successful execution of any initiative under their purview.

Customer Enablement is easy to appreciate in theory but more difficult to execute than the old-school account management model. It requires a highly integrated approach across the solution provider’s organization. The service has to unite multiple departments and functions in a team effort, including client services, development, managed services, sales, professional services, product management and marketing. It also requires a commitment from the client.

Customer Enablement is a true partnership in which both parties:

Engage in a positive, proactive and solutions-oriented dialogue, and feel respected and heard
Share information in an open and collaborative way, which empowers both organizations
Meet regularly on campus to ensure alignment between technology and evolving strategies
Create an environment that generates the highest levels of success for your institution and truly helps to optimize your technology investment, which is the ultimate goal

The Customer Enablement Manager builds and maintains relationships with your institution so that when there is an incident, engagement between your institution and solutions provider is seamless. The stronger the relationship, the more successful both organizations are in enabling successful outcomes, whether it’s resolving the acute crisis or helping you to achieve your recruitment goals. And yes, the Customer Enablement Manager should still pick up the tab for the chicken sandwich.

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