Now that parents and families are more involved than ever in their child’s education, K12 schools play an instrumental role in ensuring their voices are heard. However, that’s not always the case, a new analysis suggests.
K12 Insight, a school-based customer service supporter, released its latest “National Report on Customer Service in Schools,” which serves as a snapshot for leaders and educators to better understand families’ perceptions of their engagements with teachers and administrators regarding their child’s academic and behavioral performance.
“Superior customer service,” the report suggests, is one of the best ways to ensure families feel well-served by their local schools. However, it’s up to leaders to implement such services and utilize them effectively.
“School districts must put systems in place or proactive communications and give all families equal attention when communicating, as families receiving less communication may give their districts lower NPS (Net Promoter Score) ratings,” the report reads. Unfortunately, the data reveals several inequities that ultimately create what the researchers define as the “parent-district communications gap.”
The researchers categorize families into three primary sub-groups:
- The “Promoter” family: This is a family that is an overall brand advocate and promoter of their school district. They’re satisfied with their experience with their district and are more willing to recommend it to others in their community. They’re also less likely to leave.
- The “Passive” family: This is the “silent but satisfied majority.” They’re generally content with their experience but also have less communication with the district. However, they’re more likely to convert to “promoters” if their experience improves.
- The “Detractor” family: This family is more likely to consider leaving their school district to seek out alternative options and wouldn’t recommend their district to others. They’re more often dissatisfied with their child’s performance in the classroom. Additionally, they often report not receiving any helpful responses from their school or district when they reach out.
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There are several ways districts can target their passive and detractor families to ensure every family has a satisfactory customer experience with their local schools. However, several inequities must first be addressed. For instance, many families aren’t receiving sufficient responses from their administrators. According to the data, one-third of parents didn’t receive a response or didn’t receive a “helpful” response when they reached out to their child’s school administrator, counselor or special education department. In fact, detractor families are two times more likely to not receive helpful communication from their district.
“Families have high expectations for their child’s educations and the interactions they have with their school,” the report reads. “And when it comes to communication teachers, staff and administrators, the expectations rise even higher.”
If these statistics are eye-opening to you, the report offers several recommendations for leaders wanting to improve their school or district’s customer service tactics:
- Improve and monitor parents’ experiences.
- Focus on your “Passive” and “Detractor” families who probably aren’t receiving the support they need.
- Reevaluate district-wide customer service tactics.
