{"id":6304,"date":"2018-09-27T10:32:24","date_gmt":"2018-09-27T15:32:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/nortonnorris.com\/?p=6304"},"modified":"2018-09-27T10:32:24","modified_gmt":"2018-09-27T15:32:24","slug":"dont-lose-sight-of-silver-lining","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/nortonnorris.com\/dont-lose-sight-of-silver-lining\/","title":{"rendered":"Don\u2019t Lose Sight of the Silver Lining"},"content":{"rendered":"
When using mystery shoppers to assess your staff\u2019s performance, don\u2019t focus solely on the negatives.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n Making sure your institution\u2019s admissions staff is performing to the best of its ability and consistently representing the school in a way that leaves a positive impression on prospective students is, obviously, a very important thing.<\/p>\n That\u2019s why more schools are utilizing \u201cmystery shoppers<\/a>\u201d to provide feedback immediately following their visit and\/or interactions with admissions counselors. At Norton Norris, we\u2019ve been a national leader in providing these assessment services for more than 20 years now and have seen firsthand the impact that these assessments can make.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n One of the key benefits of engaging in an assessment exercise is to see where improvements in your staff\u2019s performance can be made<\/strong>.<\/p>\n These are just a few examples of things that may often be areas of focus in terms of admissions staff performance. The feedback provided from mystery shoppers provides an invaluable insider\u2019s perspective and equips admissions offices with the necessary fodder to improve and enhance the experience delivered to visiting prospective students.<\/p>\n But assessments also provide another kind of information that, all too often, isn\u2019t given the attention it deserves. \u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n The positive<\/em> outcomes.<\/p>\n Of course, when a school devotes time and resources to take a deeper look at its admissions and campus visit operation<\/a>, it\u2019s going to focus on those actionable items\u2026 this could\u2019ve been done better, that person could\u2019ve been more informed, the tour should\u2019ve included this, and so on.<\/p>\n Let us help you get the results you are looking for.<\/a><\/p>\n Results that inform. Results that inspire. Results that impact your bottom line. Get in touch.<\/a><\/p>\n But what about all of the positive feedback that comes in? This rep made me feel like part of the family\u2026 they went out of their way to answer every question I had\u2026 the atmosphere just seemed so positive, and so on.<\/p>\n This is the kind of feedback that needs to be a point of focus as well. It can be used to reward those staff members going above and beyond, raise the office\u2019s collective morale, and as a way to provide examples of excellent service to newer team members and those who could stand to improve in their position.<\/p>\n So just for fun, here are some examples of real-life positive feedback our mystery shoppers have provided (we\u2019ve changed the names).<\/p>\n I arrived early, around 3:30 p.m. for my 4:00 p.m. appointment, and Samantha provided a warm welcome and handshake at 3:35 p.m. She told me not to apologize for coming early and had a sincere and positive demeanor that was infectious. I felt like I was speaking to a knowledgeable friend. At the end of the visit, Samantha wished me a lovely weekend and gave me a hug, after first asking permission. It was a very positive experience.<\/em><\/p>\n Amanda was personable and made me feel welcome. She began with some small talk in order to better get to know me and included comments about herself in the conversation to make me feel conformable.<\/em> Amanda gave me an extensive tour of the school and was very detailed in her explanation of each area. She gave the impression that she was very proud of every aspect of the school and introduced me to staff and faculty. This was a great experience; if I knew someone who was interested in attending school, I would refer them to Amanda.<\/em><\/p>\n I had a very pleasant experience and based on my experience, I would have wanted to attend this campus.<\/em><\/p>\n I had many opportunities to ask questions throughout my interview and Bryan told me so much about the program that it made me want to start culinary school there.<\/em><\/p>\n Alex was very pleasant and enthusiastic as she made the college and the program sound great. She was encouraging about the job field, and she showed me a degree program that could be added onto the medical billing and coding for just an additional nine months.<\/em><\/p>\n During the tour, Nick showed me the student classrooms, the bookstore, Career Services, and several hands-on demonstrations. Nick’s tour was incredibly comprehensive since he showed me every nook and cranny of the school, and we spent just over 40 minutes together.<\/em><\/p>\n Jennifer invited me on a tour of the school. We visited all of the areas of the campus, including a small hangar. In the hangar were small planes and a helicopter. She explained that this was where I would spend a lot of time doing “hands-on” learning during the program. We continued the tour and walked outside and into another hangar. This hangar was lined with turbines and plane engines. Jennifer explained that I would also be spending a lot of time here when I was working on the power plant portion of the program.<\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n There you have it. Objective, positive insights like these provide exceptional opportunities to reward your staff and even develop new training initiatives with the assistance of the stars you have on staff, of whom you may not even have been aware.<\/p>\n So remember, use all of the information that comes your way from assessments like these. And don\u2019t lose sight of the silver lining when it comes to the performance of your admissions<\/a> office.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" When using mystery shoppers to assess your staff\u2019s performance, don\u2019t focus solely on the negatives. \u00a0 Making sure your institution\u2019s admissions staff is performing to the best of its ability and consistently representing the school in a way that leaves a positive impression on prospective students is, obviously, a very important thing. That\u2019s why more schools are utilizing \u201cmystery shoppers\u201d<\/p>\n\n
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