Originally posted on November 1, 2011 by Brian Beatty
Recently I came across these principles of a “customer-centric” organization. They try to implement these principles in all they do, so they can better serve the needs of their customers (and sell more product, I assume). It spurred me to think about these principles in the HyFlex context, since much of the value returned by the HyFlex design approach is targeted at meeting students needs and desires. I believe that most academics would agree that students are one of our primary customers, even though there are many other customer segments in higher education.
Here they are:
1. Personalize – “Addresses My Unique Needs: Products and interactions with the company are tailored for me and my situation.”
2. Ease and Convenience – “What I Want, When and Where I Want It: I experience no hassles in my interactions; the company representative strives to meet me where I am at.”
3. Delight the Customer – “Anticipates My Needs: My interactions with the company are excellent; they are solution-focused versus product-centric.”
4. Relationship-Driven – “With Me, Along the Way: I have an ongoing relationship with the company; there is a clear focus on relationship-building versus transaction-processing, they manage for the long term value in our relationship.
Do these principles translate to HyFlex course design? I think they all do, at least in some important ways, though the specific translation and ultimate implementation of each principle varies by many context factors (instructor, student, content, etc.).
In the next several posts I’ll address each “customer-centric” principle and explain how I think a HyFlex course design can implement that principle and explain where I see advantages and disadvantages in doing so.