Customer experience management in UK higher education

Critical Reactions and Academic Activism

The commercialisation of the university has sparked a reaction critical at different scales. Some scholars have referred to this process in which education has been reduced to accommodate financial need and consumer demand, as ‘Academic capitalism’. In the global institutional level, this market model of higher education would be against UNESCO's policy regarding the whole sector, which argues that higher educational provision to be levied as public goods and social and not a commodity. At European level, the European University Association, the Committee of European Students Union on Conversion University Consumer Goods, as well as group People and Planet pressure have led successful campaigns public against the marketing of higher education and have forced the Commission to refrain from including the higher education in the free trade negotiations GATS. (Patterson 2001 50)

Most popular scale, activists and academics have mobilised to resist the conversion of education in business, including higher education, through direct action as well localised pedagogical and political struggles. Given this, we would say that there are ways to re- consider the recent reform of higher education and increasing external pressures, for the benefit of experience teaching and learning. For example, one of the ways in which academics can engage critically with the promotion entrepreneurship in higher education is incorporated notions on a curriculum. To do this, it is necessary reject charged abstractions provided by responsible policymakers and think about the reinvention of the curriculum. As having decided on the precise nature of reinvention can be drawn in for support, to the intellectual traditions of our own critical pedagogues. Although the greatest threat to the theory and the reality of modern university is the separation between teachings and research it is clear that these two are not mutually exclusive goals, vision coming for some time highlighting the proponents of "Research-led teaching." However, we argue that may adopt a more radical rejuvenation of the curriculum higher education if the investigation turns to centre undergraduate experience. There has been an attempt to dissolve the sterile debate between teaching and research and in so doing, reinvent university teacher's role, defining in more creative what it means to be an academic. (Parasuraman 2008 12)

Teaching and research should be considered as part of the same intellectual enterprise and should be expanded to cover a strategy for effective participation in social problems outside the academy: what is called the ‘scholarship of engagement’. The more historical picture of critical pedagogy makes clear that progressive advances in teaching and learning are possible only as a result of radical transformation in the social sphere, and are not simply a matter of institutional reform. It is argued that education must be based on the real lives of students, who, in turn, must be active in the production of real knowledge and not remain as passive recipients of what teachers tell them. (Owlia 2008 501)

Along with exposing the dehumanizing effects and oppressive system ‘Banking’ education in which students are conceived as empty containers, within which knowledge is deposited. Such an educational experience holds the potential to stimulate and develop awareness in students critique and transform the alienated relationship teacher / student in a pedagogy whose base is the confidence of teachers in the creative power the student, along with a commitment to a reciprocal process dialogue and learning. Fully aware of the dangers surrounding the acceptance a closed bundle of critical pedagogy in theory and in practice take the work an urgent reminder of the transformative possibilities of education. At the same time, share their insistence on the centrality of combined action and reflection (praxis) through teaching and learning in activities as useful in the social and intellectual. Pedagogy practice putting in the foreground requires that students and teachers have a positive approach and employ risk methods of thinking and research in collaboration. Thus, the knowledge is not an object that is deposited and filed, but there still go through the invention and reinvention, through inquiry and restless, impatient, continuing and hopeful human beings pursue in the world, with world and each other. (O'Neill 2004 39)

 The suggestion, therefore, is to reject traditional notions enterprise and argue for reinventing the practice curriculum putting research at the centre of undergraduate education. No it is simply to strengthen the way in which research higher education teaching informs their teaching (as in version conventional term ‘research-led teaching’) but, rather, a much wider appreciation of the relationship between teaching and research. At the heart of this approach larger is the perception that undergraduate learning done with the active participation of students in their own research projects with other students and their teachers. (Naumann 2005 23)

Thus, the rejuvenation and reinvention of curriculum we raised the tendency to look at the teaching and research as discrete activities, as exemplified by the Book White UK Government, The Future of Higher Education, 2003, the Lambert report and, of course, the structure of accountability accounts that have the Research Assessment Exercise (RAE). (Narasimhan 2007 121)

Characteristics of Higher Education

In any society, higher education is accessible in a cultural minority and the university is a privilege for few. The university acts as a big agency, not only forming as selector leaders for the society. The study of development of universities in UK becomes an indispensable figure to establish bases and to have a critical view on the reality of higher education in UK today. The university is part and parcel of a model of political culture. Conditioned by the context in which it operates, its goals are necessarily related to the goals of society. (Muller 2003 29)

In these institutions, from the first until the current ones, a structural dependency that defines a rigid class structure gives rise to a political culture where the role has been engaged in general to strengthen the bonds of dependency, by maintaining of the dominant classes. The fundamental relationship with the state or the power structure is considered historic condition of the universities, naturally conflicting. In this sense, we understand why, at times, the universities can live strong tension between the need for autonomy and control exercised by the state apparatus or by different groups linked to the power structure. (McCollough 2009 118)

University autonomy is necessary to accomplish the cultural, scientific and technical that it is given. It is a natural consequence of their duties. The University develops and transforms its working methods and teaching programs in order to adjust to new knowledge and new social demand, making, therefore, greater need for autonomy and freedom of action. (Llusar 2000 899)

This university autonomy, of course, varies depending on the political regime and stage of development of society in which the university is located. The university now is called to assume a more or less explicit functions of teaching, research and extension education. (Elliott 2002 209)

At the graduate level, research should be characterised by the process of redesigning the knowledge and, in graduate school; research should be the very substance of the work that is characterised in advancing knowledge. The university cannot simply be the place of transmitting knowledge, but the critical place, an institution that critical knowledge, which addresses the culture and project the direction of national culture. One way to perform the functions of university teaching and research is through the formation of professional and highly qualified specialists in various fields of knowledge. (Cronin 2002 55)

The university should not only back up to enable talent. There should be a concern to train professionals to exert influence on conscious reality which will act in the interests of change. Vocational training is present in all UK universities and the university has always been dedicated to her. The training is focused on problems of the labour market without regard to the study of new types of social organisation, to search for the structures of life more streamlined, flexible and appropriate. Thus, higher education makes individuals are considered not for their personal worth, their ability and experience, but by degrees and diplomas they possess. (Bolton 2001b 375)

For the university to be consistent with its social function, helping those who participate in it to think critically, giving them an awareness of the broader context of a particular profession. The university extension activities should be organised to disseminate university knowledge, providing opportunities to a non-regular clientele, providing own university programs that transcend the conventional curricula and conducting research experiments directly in the communities. (Bolton 2001a 9)

In an institution like the university, people who participate should have common intentions, a central motivation, shared by its members. The idea will be dead, while there are units of service rooted in the life world, and is composed of argumentative forms of scientific communication that allow you to unit cohesion and learning processes in the various university functions that enabled modern societies to become aware of themselves. (Bitner 2000 69)

The university should be seen as part of the system of higher education in UK. The superior system is extremely diverse. Of all the institutions of higher education, universities are only 10.4% and 89.06% are non-university institutions. Despite the diversity of existing higher education institutions, universities and not comprised in universities, teacher-student relationship does not show marked differences. The heterogeneity of UK higher education is projected on the data for the post-graduate (specialisation). Today we have 936 programs and 411 masters, doctorate. However, there are concentrations of courses in certain regions such as southeast and shortages in others. These data reflect an inhomogeneous system of higher education where, on isolated faculties, if they meet the aspirations of the democratisation of education in traditional areas basically restricted to the transmission of knowledge and, in public universities, it seeks to develop the knowledge produced in research. (Berg 2005 1863)

Within universities, state policy encourages the development of research and graduate education. In public institutions concentrate research and in private, the transmission of knowledge in areas not necessarily associated with scientific and technological development of the country. In the historical development of UK higher education with the process of massification and the need for co-optation of the middle class, there was swelling of courses in services. Evolved over those of lower cost, especially the humanities are the technological areas reduced to public universities. (Athiyaman 2007 528)

Only 23% of enrolments are in courses in agricultural sciences, exact sciences and technology, and 77% are concentrated in the areas of management sciences, health, communication and others. The production of knowledge is linked to teacher training. In UK, only 13% of faculty have doctorates and 22% mastery. A framework which aggravates the shortage of human resources producers of knowledge is the long average training of a doctor and a teacher. (Aldridge 2008 200)

One of the problems of third world nations is a constant search for social and economic development through the creation of new technologies. But the higher education system functions dichotomised: the universities carry out, preferably, knowledge production and non-university knowledge transfer. The reality is that institutions of higher non-university have contributed to the popularisation of education, but do the job of democratizing access to the 3rd degree. (Ajzen 2000 12)

The modern idea of university needs care. In his pre-history, this idea was restricted to professional degree courses. Today, the university becomes a reality. The growth of this idea must be defended to the institutionalised occupy space science director of national culture. The reality is that the idea of university is still utopian to many institutions of higher education in UK. (Martin 2009 5)

The Private Higher Institution (HEI) in Study

It is identified that the Higher Education Institutions - HEI, acted in a passive way on issues of education, especially in relations with the market. This passivity has to be changed between the years 1995 to 2000, where he used tools aimed at the ‘Marketing’ Education and Strategic Planning. They took to be proactive in their strategic actions, particularly in identifying and meeting the expectations and necessary in a market increasingly selective and demanding. (Johnston 2009 15)

The expansion of private higher education was significant with the increases that result in data such as:

• 63% between 1995 and 2000 the total enrolment;
• 1 million and 800 thousand students;
• 120 000 students were graduated;
• They employed 110,000 more teachers;
• Provide approximately 6000 courses.

The continuity of this growth depends, among other factors, the periodic re-accreditation, qualification of staff, enhancement of undergraduate education, low levels of evasion, credit education, distance education, the elimination of regional imbalances, the programs strengthening research and extension and the institutional assessment, factors related to the Quality of Teaching. (Lin 2003 34)

Background of Satisfaction and Customer Loyalty

Customer satisfaction is considered important to the smooth functioning of business, a matter of survival. In the literature of marketing and quality, there are several authors who address topics directly related to customer satisfaction (customer service, marketing and aftermarket). It is suggested that satisfaction is the feeling of pleasure or disappointment resulting from the comparison of expected product performance against expectations of a person. In turn, feel that if performance lives up to expectations, the buyer is satisfied, it is exceeding expectations is charmed. Since satisfaction is defined as a customer experience in the encounter with the product or service. (Taylor 2003 21)

Authors also imply that the first question to ask is - Who is the customer? What the customer profile? Customers should be identified each day, their needs must be addressed and answered every time, and they should be cultivated so that it considers its "preferred supplier". Also customers are the life of organisations. (Chase 2002 789)

The challenge is to evolve as an enterprise customer merely satisfied customers for absolutely faithful. When the service organisations and consumer goods pay attention to this discussion, is set to be a new approach is the relationship between satisfaction and loyalty. Many scholars over the organisations present models to achieve this dual role. Rodrigues (2002) says: “Ideally, customer loyalty is so strong that it becomes dependent on the organisation. The key is to understand that the globalised world of intense competition, uncertain and changing scenarios at high speed, the only way in which an organisation can build a solid foundation for the achievement of profit is their customer base.” (Taylor 2002 10)

According to Reichheld (1996), “Increase customer retention in the company can bring only 5% as a consequence, an increase of up to 100% of your income, depending on the type of company.” (Bolton 200513)

The crossing between satisfaction and loyalty is fully observable by the staff of the organisation, and even by the customer, but these inferences are not enough to validate such observations. To this end, the ISO 9000:2000 standards are essential as well as the requirements of national quality awards Malcolm Bald ridge, the United States, the European Quality Award in Europe and the National Quality Award of UK. (Cornesky 2001 7)

In recent years, the study has sought to establish mechanisms that attempt to relate the quality of the product or service, customer satisfaction, customer loyalty and profitability. The results of these surveys show that there is positive relationship between customer satisfaction, their loyalty to the company and profitability. (Ewell 2001 39)

This paper discusses these issues in Higher Education in UK, particularly in the private sector, where there is an environment closer to the customer's idea for students and families involved. (Marchese 2001 3)

Customer Satisfaction

Customer satisfaction is defined as an assessment made by him, from his extensive experience with a product or service so far. Therefore, satisfaction is expected as the result of a process in which consumers have certain expectations regarding the performance of the product / service. (Hart 2003 22)

There are at least two concepts on customer satisfaction: (1) satisfaction of a specific transaction - refers to the evaluation of a specific situation of purchase or consumption, (2) cumulative satisfaction - is the complete evaluation on a total shopping experience or consumption. (Gordon 2003 45)

For these authors, satisfaction is an overall assessment of the consumer in relation to their consumer experience to the present time, serving as a comparison factor between companies and economic sectors, since it directly affects the degree of consumer loyalty and, consequently, the profitability of the business. (Woods 2003 355)

In short, while the view of transaction-specific satisfaction provides valuable insight about the products and services in a short period of time, the cumulative satisfaction is a key indicator of market or company specific. (Pranter 2001 43)

So satisfaction is an ongoing assessment of company's ability to actually deliver the benefits that the customer is looking for. (Zeithaml 2000 12)

The most accepted concept of satisfaction can be described, encompasses three main aspects: (Humphrey 2003 29)

1. Satisfaction is an evaluation (trial), so has a psychological nature that includes affective and cognitive components
2. Made a posterior, because it comes from an experience of consumption
3. On a particular transaction, so it is specific, resulting in a comparative process between the consumer experience, performance-based product or service, and the reference originally proposed prior to purchase. Therefore, these three properties form the basis of the concept of satisfaction.

Customer satisfaction, today, is important for any company, including dedicated to teaching. Seeking to meet its target markets, the educational institution can not ignore its mission and distinctive competence to provide any educational programs that are hot now, especially not be influenced by globalisation, to lose sight of their identity and goals, On the contrary, the institution will look for consumers who are or might be interested in their offerings and thereby adjusting the offerings to make them more attractive as possible. (Greensted 2000 10)

The importance of measuring customer satisfaction is not new, has its origins from the emergence of Total Quality Control - TQC, with the contributions of quality gurus, which believes that quality should be approached as a systemic vision of the company.
(Green 2004 20)

The operationalisation of the measurement of customer satisfaction is achieved by direct and indirect measures. Indirect measures of satisfaction mean track and monitor sales records, profit and customer complaints, while direct measurements are obtained by conducting surveys, they are, direct interviews or questionnaires supervised. (Galloway 2008 20)

In a competitive marketplace, where organisations vie for customers, client satisfaction becomes an important differentiator of marketing strategy. Customer satisfaction largely depends on the degree to which a product supplied by an organisation meets or surpasses customer expectation. By measuring customer satisfaction, organisations are able to get an indication of how successful they actually are in providing products to the market. (Drucker 2009 47)

Customer satisfaction is an abstract and rather ambiguous concept. Manifestations of satisfaction vary from one person to another and from one product to another. The state of the so-called "satisfaction" depends on a number of psychological and physical variables, and correlates with certain behaviours. Among the psychological variables, personal beliefs, attitudes and evaluations may affect customer satisfaction. In the context of the present paper, attitudes towards the quality of higher education are believed to influence individual satisfaction. Customer satisfaction is relatively transient and is consumption-specific, whereas attitudes are relatively enduring. Along these lines, it is argued that satisfaction is an evaluation of the totality of the purchase situation relative to expectations, whereas an attitude is a liking for a product or service that lacks the element of comparison. Therefore, it appears from this perspective that the level of satisfaction may vary depending on the alternatives available to customers. (Cullen 2009 30)

For the purpose of the present research, student satisfaction is defined as an evaluative summary of direct educational experience, based on the discrepancy between prior expectation and the performance perceived after passing through the educational cycle. Because satisfaction is a psychological state, the efforts of measuring it are oftentimes ridden with caveats. Yet, despite this, a large number of satisfaction measurements have been proposed. (Brinn 2001 333)

Customer Loyalty

The concept of loyalty has different definitions in the fields of behavioural sciences and psychology. Before the 1970s, the concept of loyalty was understood only as a pattern of repeated purchases, portraying a purely behavioural approach. It is considered that the cycle of repeat purchase was stochastic, i.e. random shares contained, and thus could not be analysed. (Blunkett 2000 44)

A psychological approach was presented to introduce the concept of multi-brand loyalty. Their approach considered that within a limited group of brands, they could be replaced with each other, since they possessed some basic requirements for equivalent quality. Faithfulness to one brand only possible if there was availability of any other competitor. The psychological approach was strengthened and concluded that the act of fidelity associated with the repurchase (behavioural approach) for a specific product is not consistent because the consumer may be loyal to multiple brands that can be replaced with each other. (Browne 2008 14)

The propositions remained unchanged until a concept of loyalty was presented that ratified the psychological approach, emphasizing cognitive, affective and co-native, and introduced a discussion on attitude. (Borden 2005 73)

A single view of loyalty says that consumer loyalty is a deep commitment to repurchase a preferred product or service consistently in the future, despite situational influences and marketing efforts that seeks behaviour to switch provider in the consumer. Still has the loyalty in two ways: Loyalty and Situational Proactive. In Proactive, consumers often buy back the brand, not considering any alternatives. In Situational Loyalty, other alternatives are not considered, but the choice arises from a situation. A preferred soft drink, consumed regularly, is loyalty pro-active, but the same brand bought only to serve the guests at a party is considered situational. (Harvey 2004 77)

Another issue is that involves the fidelity is about the brand, since it reflects, roughly, the rate of customer retention. On average, companies lose half their customers in less than five years, not because of his loyalty mark. Those that pose high brand loyalty can retain 80% of its customers in the period. (Wiers-Jenssen 2002 183)

Loyalty is, first of all, sought to invest. You need to know if, indeed, the investment worthwhile, whether it is profitable to invest in whom, when, where and how it should be made that investment. Loyalty is a natural tendency of the market, because consumers do not want to be seen as yet another who bought a product or used any other service. He wants to be seen and respected for what really is. He likes to be called by name to enter a shop and feel satisfied by this. Perhaps, though, are far from being treated so by all companies, and therefore falls to us, marketing emerging embed this awareness of the practice of customer loyalty in companies where we are working, waking up to this trend increasingly important in the global market. (Westbrook 2001 94)

Model Design Jacoby and Chestnut

The model proposed by Jacoby and Chestnut (1978), has the novelty of the approach on the issue of psychological fidelity. In this model, one realises that the act does not always repurchase the particular brand loyalty. Another observation is that the pattern of repeat purchase of another brand does not mean the non-fidelity. Jacoby and Chestnut (1978) assert that the only way to achieve true fidelity to a single brand is examining the belief (an aspect of cognition), affect (this attitude) and intention (co-native aspect) showing the consumer the specific brand. Three conditions must exist to ensure the existence of a true loyalty to a particular brand: (Watty 2006 291)

1. The information that the consumer holds about a particular brand should put it in a position superior to its competitors;
2. Information about the brand must be aligned with the position and attitude of the individual consumer;
3. The consumer must have a high intent to buy a certain brand and oppose the alternative brands in the decision-making situations.

Model Design Dick and Basu

Dick & Basu (1994) proposed a model for fidelity that was based on the cognitive, affective and co-native presented by Jacoby & Chestnut (1978), however, introduced a discussion about the attitude on the issue of loyalty. The concept of relative attitude is understood as the degree to which the assessment of a consumer brand is dominant over the other. Even though comparative aspects brands position themselves next to each other, the domination of one brand over the other may lead the client to tolerate adversity to achieve a specific brand. (Shemwell 2008 155)

The relative positioning of one brand over another is what should be considered rather than the absolute rating. There may be situations where different brands can have great ratings individually, but with low attitudes. In an ideal situation where all brands were given a maximum rating, there would be action on and all are interchangeable. This situation would cause an allegiance to multiple brands. The fidelity to a single brand may also occur in a situation where the marks are low ratings, however, that a stand on the other generating an attitude on. (Ramsden 200150)

Dick & Basu (1994) correlate related attitude and repeat purchase in order to identify four distinct consumer behaviour: real fidelity, loyalty, latent loyalty and absence of spurious loyalty.

The Fidelity Real is one in which the consumer has a high relative attitude for a certain brand and high repurchase behaviour. The Latent Loyalty is defined as one where the consumer has a strong preference or attitude toward the brand, however, has low repeat purchase behaviour due to environmental or situational circumstances. The Spurious loyalty occurs when the consumer often buys the same brand, however, does not consider brand with significantly different attributes of others. The periodic repurchase may occur in situations where there is no alternative choice or the choice is made based on past habits. The Lack of Loyalty occurs when consumers do not differentiate between brands and provide low repurchase behaviour. (Parasuraman 2005 41)

The attitude is influenced directly by previous cognitive, affective and co-native. Social factors may also negatively influence the attitude relative to the extent that the choice of a mark may be going against a principle. Situational factors such as lack of preferred brand and promotional incentives for experimentation and consumption of other products also directly affect the attitude on. (Parasuraman 2008 40)

The Customer Satisfaction in Quality Systems

Currently, the search for quality is no longer an exclusive concern of businesses. In the services sector, the concern for quality management is increasing due to an increasingly competitive market. With this scenario, public organisations are forced to evaluate the productivity of your processes to the actions taken are adding value. (Oliver 2001 25)

This approach suggests a new pattern of management focused on quality, productivity and results. Significant changes must be processed in the organisational system in order to establish a new paradigm in the management process. Various approaches to total quality management were developed, and currently the model in the National Quality Awards considered state of the art of management. (Lewis 2003 107)

The National Quality Awards are a recent phenomenon. Among the prizes available, these can be highlighted: ISO 9000, Deming Prize, Malcolm Baldrige Award, European Quality Award, and National Quality Award UK. The models consist of awards of excellence, based on values and concepts continually evaluated and reviewed, resulting in improvements and upgrades, which are currently incorporated into the process. (Hayes 2007 87)

More important than the awards is the fact that many organisations, even without applying, using the criteria for self-evaluation and target their efforts for improvement. The awards of excellence thus play an important role in consolidating and promoting quality. (Gronroos 2008 588)

ISO 9000

ISO 9000 is a series of standards for the practice of a management system focused on quality. This set of standards contributes to the organisation to achieve three goals: (Ginsberg 2001 11)

1. Effectiveness: achieving and maintaining the quality of your product or service, so as to meet continually the needs of buyers or implied.
2. Internal quality assurance: providing confidence in own administration that the desired quality is being achieved and measured.
3. External quality assurance: providing confidence to your buyers that the desired quality of the product or service is or will be achieved.

Within the approach of quality management system ISO 9000:2000, have identified eight principles of quality: focus of customer, leadership or management, people involvement, process oriented approach, management systemic approach, continuous improvement and development, decision making approach on facts and relationship with supplier based on mutual benefit. (Firdaus 2006 71)

1. Customer Focus - The organisation should understand that the purpose of its existence is the client, making it necessary to understand their future needs and seeking to exceed their expectations.
2. Leadership - leaders must create an internal environment helpful for persons to effort like a team searching for the same goal.
3. Involvement with people - the essence of organisations is people, thus it becomes necessary to use the best possible way, their skills and qualities to benefit the company.
4. Process – when there is a process oriented approach then the desired result is achieved more effectively and efficiently.
5. Management systems approach - Identifies and manages all processes that are part of the organisation, regarding it as a system.
6. Continuous improvement - Continuous improvement in the organisation must be a permanent goal.
7. Decision-making – the decisions taken are based according to the analysis of data and information.
8. Supplier relationship - A company and its suppliers are inter-reliant and should establish a mutual relationship so that both can create value.

The beginning and end of the organisation's management system, element, whose needs and information requirements are input to the system, the same through effective management of the enterprises are in manufacturing products with which to achieve customer satisfaction. (Biddle 2002 73)

Malcolm Baldrige Award

The National Quality Award Malcolm Baldrige was created by the U.S. Government in 1987, aiming to recognise the organisations with an excellent performance and aimed at promoting the quality of their products and services and customer satisfaction. (Bawden 2000 160)

The Malcolm Baldrige Award provides well-defined criteria to evaluate and demonstrate the effectiveness of the organisation under the label of quality. The criteria of the Award, with a focus on results, are tools for assessing organisational performance through the combination of key indicators: financial, operational and customer satisfaction.

The basis for evaluating the prestigious Malcolm Baldrige criteria is based on excellence. These criteria are compressed into seven categories: leadership, strategic planning, customer focus and marketing, information and knowledge, people management, process management, and business results. (Ambrosini 2008 15)

In the category focus on the customer and the market, quality and performance of the organisation are considered to be the result of evaluation of the client. Thus, the organisation should take into account all the characteristics of products and services that add value to the customer. Such behaviour leads to acquire new customers, references to other customers, retention, loyalty and expanding business. (Allen 2006 239)

According to the Baldrige National Quality Program (2003), focus on customer success has components of current and future, to understand the desires of customers today and anticipate the desires and future customer and market potential. (Abell 2001 12)

The Baldrige Award is similar to the Deming Prize of Japan in relation to the promotion of achievements with the quality and importance given to the methods of improving quality. Though, Baldrige award reflects more on services and results, has a wider scope, value and innovative approaches to quality gives more importance to human resources and exchange information. (Ho 2006 178)

European Quality Award

As a response to the rapid success of the Malcolm Baldrige Award, it was established by 14 European companies, European Foundation for Quality Management, with a mission to promote excellence in quality management and company performance sustainably in Europe. (Harvey 2002 85)

As a result, in 1991, with the support of the European Organisation for Quality, and the European Commission, developed an EFQM Excellence Model provides a framework that ambitious and demanding as regards the definition, implementation and performance of organisations field of management excellence and total quality. This model currently serves as the basis for awarding the European Quality Award and feasible in almost 30 European Community countries. (Harrison 2004 44)

The criteria of the European Quality Award are: Leadership, Policy and Strategy, People, Partnerships and Resources, Processes, Customer Results, People Results, Results of the Society, and Performance Results. (Hackman 2005 309)

Although the model was initially designed to help business organisations to establish an appropriate management system is able to improve its functioning, its criteria also quickly became used by entities public sector as a diagnostic tool and self-assessment, there is a version of the model for these industry sectors and an award category that includes. (Gowan 2006 173)

National Quality Award

The National Quality Award National Quality Award, created by the Foundation for the National Quality Award, is recognition of excellence in the management of organisations based in UK. Criteria of the National Quality Award are: Leadership, Strategies and Plans; Customers, Society, Information and Knowledge, People, Processes, and Outcomes. (Doherty 2003 321)

The model, addresses how a company makes a self-assessment at different levels, namely: the High Performance Director, Strategies and Plans, and clients and society, involving the image of market knowledge, customer relations and interaction with society; Information and Knowledge, involving management of the organisation's information, as compared with benchmarks, and the development of intellectual capital, people management, involving systems of work, training, development and quality of life; Processes involving the management of your product and support processes, beyond those relating to suppliers and finance, and finally, results of the Organisation, those deployed for the customers and the market, financial objectives, people, suppliers and processes of the product and to society. (Dervisiotis 2005 563)

In concluding this study, we confirm the importance of quality. This is not a fad. She came to stay. And when it comes to service quality, is much more complex than in industry, since it can work a defective product. However, the services do not always have the opportunity to fix a bad call, since the customer often does not return. (Decosmo 2001 87)

Models Indexes National Customer Satisfaction

The National Models Index Customer Satisfaction contribute to establish a more accurate picture of the results of an economy, industry, region or company, at the same time it can help establish approaches standardised measurement. (Daniel 2001 111)

The modelling of customer satisfaction has been developing in recent decades and the researchers themselves are often troubling to develop models that have the objective to study the relationships between satisfaction and its determinants and consequences. According to the authors, among these models can not fail to be mentioned the class of the national indices of satisfaction, which has an important advantage over the others, being an excellent platform for benchmarking between businesses, industries, economic sectors and countries. Such models are evolving and being adapted and improved over time. (Dahlgaard 2008 44)

Swedish Model

The first customer satisfaction index that integrates the quality of goods and services provided, calculated at company level, industry and the whole country appears in 1989 in Sweden and is known as the SCSB - Swedish Customer Satisfaction Barometer and taking Claes Fornell as its main driving force. (Coate 2003 303)

For Spencer, the barometer Swede was designed with the purpose of developing the following information: comparisons between industries, comparisons between companies, comparisons over time, predictions regarding the performance and responses to specific questions such as: the importance of various industries for consumer satisfaction, the effects of quality and price, the impact of consumer expectations, consumer complaints and the effects of word-of-mouth. (Cowles 2003 302)

The Swedish model of barometer considered as primary antecedents satisfaction, the performance perceived by the customer with the product or service and the expectation of performance. The resulting satisfactions are customer behaviour and loyalty that can be manifested by repurchase or customer retention. (Clayton 2005 593)

American Model

In 1991, the American Society for Quality Control (ASQC) commissioned the consultancy firm NERA (National Economic Research Associates) to review and recommend the best methodology to develop the U.S. index of customer satisfaction. The company NERA reviewed the methodologies used by businesses and industries in the United States, has calculated rates of customer satisfaction. After the examination, the NERA recommended methodology adapted to calculate rates in the SCSI, or in the case of businesses, and public services, whether for purposes of the national index. Was thus in 1994, the ACSI - American Customer Satisfaction, whose methodology is presented in Fornell et al. (1998). (Burkhalter 2006 153)

It was historically, included 200 companies from 35 U.S. industries of seven major economic sectors: industry nondurable goods, durable goods industries, transportation / communication / utilities, retail, finance / insurance, services, public administration / government. Recently, too, covers e-commerce companies. Research Index American Customer Satisfaction uses as an instrument of data collection a questionnaire containing 15 questions, with approximately 250 customers of each company, which used a scale 10 points and a dichotomous response scale only for the constructs prices and complaints. (Burkhalter 2006 153)

The model comprises six constructs: perceived quality, consumer expectations, perceived value, satisfaction, and loyalty and consumer complaint. The antecedents of satisfaction in the ACSI are perceived quality, perceived value and expectations and are consequent of satisfaction and loyalty of the consumer complaints. (British Council 2001 377)

European Model

The European Organisation for Quality (EOQ), European Foundation for Quality Management (EFMQ) and the network of European universities Oriented Quality Analysis laid down the foundations for the development of the European Index of Customer Satisfaction, European Customer Satisfaction Index (ECSI), whose membership of 12 participating European countries: Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France, Greece, Iceland, Italy, UK, Sweden, Switzerland and Portugal. In the story of ECSI (1998), published by the ECSI Technical Committee for the initial structural model were defined involving seven constructs, and an adaptation of the ACSI model. The ECSI is a structural model that employs a stochastic approach, and for data analysis, uses the technique of estimating equations. (Boynton 2004 17)

The structural model, the constructs, it includes customer expectations, perceived quality, perceived value, customer satisfaction, image and customer loyalty. The difference of approach toward the ACSI model is in the constructs perceived quality and image. (Baugher 2001 14)

The construct perceived quality is divided into perceived quality of product and service. Perceived quality of the product is the evaluation of recent experience in consumer products. Moreover, perceived quality of service is the experience of recent use of the service associated with the product. This distinction is a standard feature of the model. (Anthony 2006 5)

There is a positive correlation between corporate image and purchase intention of the client. The image in this model is more significant than the other models, for in its structure, is antecedent to three constructs: customer expectations, customer satisfaction and loyalty of it. (Kaplan 2002 71)

The most significant differences between the ACSI and ECSI model are: (Taylor 1911 87)

• The ECSI does not include the construct of customer complaint, however, in the ACSI model is presented as a result of customer dissatisfaction.
• In the ACSI model, construct the image is not included, while in ECSI, this construct influences the expectations, satisfaction and loyalty.
• The concept of perceived quality in the ECSI model is divided into two parts: first, the hardware component as the quality of the product as such, and second, the software lists the associated services such as product presentation, warranty service after the sale, etc.

Model proposed by Johnson et al. (2001)

Johnson et al. (2001) presented in 2001 a new model of customer satisfaction with the goal of being a new model Norwegian Customer Satisfaction as a result of their experience with other national models. (Steadman 2000 59)

The proposed model has variations with respect to other national models. We observe the eight constructs: Sorting Quality, Price Index, Complaints Management, Customer Satisfaction, Business Image, Affective Commitment, Commitment Calculated and Customer Loyalty. (Solomon 2003 10)

The first variation was built replacing the Customer's Expectation construct present in earlier models Imaging Company, as a consequence of satisfaction. Johnson et al (2001), states that the effect of satisfaction on the image of the company reflects the increased level of shopping experience and customer consumption and consistency in the customer experience over time. (Smith 2007 334)

The second change was to replace the construct by Customer Complaint Management Complaint. This change reflects the increased interest in the news provider to its customers, whereas the complaint and the resolution of the problem occurring before the assessment of satisfaction. Since the problem and its solution can also be significant in the decision to repurchase the Claims Management, it can have a direct effect on loyalty. The construct Complaints Management and their relationships are shown using dotted lines, meaning that they apply only to those customers who demand and value the matters referred to this construct. (Skinner 2002 7)

The third change was adopted to eliminate the duplication that exists between the constructs of Perceived Quality and Perceived Value. The quality is part of the value, and this criterion, this ratio is a bit confusing. The authors recommend changing the perceived value construct by pure price. The issues of field research, then, should focus on the evaluation of the price compared to competitors and in relation to the quality offered (Johnson et al, 2001). (Rossi 2009 105)

The fourth change was to include corporate image, commitment and affective commitment calculated as antecedents of loyalty. According to Johnson et al (2001), using two constructs of relationship commitment improves on the dimensions that maintain customer loyalty to product or company, even when the satisfaction and / or image may be low. The authors distinguish between affective commitments and calculated. The affective commitment is warmer, more focused on the emotional side, it captures the emotional strength of the relationship that customers have with the brand or the company and the level of involvement and confidence from that result. This affective commitment serves as a psychological barrier for the exit of customers. The compromise calculated is more cold and rational, often led to economic aspects. This includes the degree to which customers are locked into a particular service from a company. (Rinehart 2003 90)

The commitment construct is multidimensional, whose antecedent and consequent vary by size. The authors present three forms of organisational commitment: affective commitment, normative commitment and ongoing commitment, where they are related and, however, are distinguishable from each other. (Ramsden 2001 50)

Services

One of the main trends in the business world in recent years is the growth in services. Today, the provision of services in the U.S. accounts for 74% of gross domestic product (GDP). While the provision of services in the country represented 55% of total employment in 1970, in 1993, corresponded to 79%. It is expected that the service is responsible for all the net increase in jobs by the end of 2011. Services grow even faster in the world economy, accounting for one fourth of the value of all international trade. Service companies account for almost 30% of all U.S. exports, resulting in a substantial trade surplus in services "versus" a great lack of products. (Ramsden 2009 411)

The service includes not only people working in service businesses - education, airlines, banks, telecommunications and others - but it covers are also people who provide services within the industries, such as attorneys, staff trainers and medical sales. As a result of the growing influence of leisure time growing and growing complexity products which require servicing, the U.S. became the first world services economy - which resulted in an increasing interest by issues specific to the "marketing" services. (Quazi 2008 489)

The service sectors vary widely: The government sector provides services by noon courts, employment agencies, hospitals, lending agencies, military, police departments and fire brigades, post offices, schools and statutory bodies. The sectors of non-profit organisations are providing services by way of museums, charities, churches, colleges, foundations and hospitals. Much of the business sector provides services through airlines, banks, hotels, insurance companies, consulting firms, doctors, lawyers, entertainment companies, real estate companies, advertising agencies and research and retailers. (Perry 2001 91)

In addition to these traditional sectors of services, new types are appearing all the time, delivery companies, packaging, envelopment, trekking with animals, banking and more. (Patterson 2001 50)

Some service companies are enormous, with total sales and revenues in the trillions of dollars. But there are also tens of thousands of small service firms. Selling services presents some special problems that require special solutions "marketing." (Parasuraman 2008 12)

The Concept of Services

Two definitions are presented with the aim of capturing the essence of services: "services is an act or performance offered by one party to another" and "services are economic activities that create value and provide benefits to customers in specific places and time, as a result of a desired change in the service recipient." (Owlia 2008 501)

For the understanding of what service we seek to know the company offering the service. To reduce uncertainty over the real fulfilment of our needs, for every need is almost certain to be a provider of that service. (O'Neill 2004 39)

Services are "an action performed by a company or an individual whose goal is not associated with the transfer of property. The service is an action, an effort, a performance." (Naumann 2005 23)

The paper highlights that the service is a concrete act performed by skilled professionals to meet a consumer, then action - effort - performance are the actions that generate customer satisfaction. Another definition of services seems very timely to integrate the work scope. According to Baker in educational services, this environment is extremely complex and highly mutated. The environment must be considered and studied the following categories: internal environment, market environment, public environment, competitive environment and macro environment. (Narasimhan 2007 121)

Analysing the above definition, the work finds that educational services depend on the interaction between consumers and offers, involving actions that target these people and expectations, and stand as a set of services, not just as a service, makes its evaluation is complex. (Muller 2003 29)

When the authors refer to the categories: internal environment, market environment, public environment, competitive environment and macro environment, we find some reasons for this. Students in regular upper-level courses develop a very striking relationship with the institutions of higher education in which conduct their studies, since it is in this environment they develop their training, while professional person. (McCollough 2009 118)

It can be said to have an experience of feeling part of these educational institutions, or by being involved in contractual relationships, or informal. The informal links elongate throughout life, through relationships built on a student. The same may occur with formal links by participating in alumni associations, continuing postgraduate studies, and even establishing employment relations. (Llusar 2000 899)

The Nature of Services

People use products to meet their needs of economic nature. The products, according to tangibility (physical characteristics such as size or power to be discernible by the senses) can be classified as goods or services. (Bruce 2001 106)

Usually, when people buy products, including assets, are seeking the service they can provide you. There is a significant quote from Kotler, when he says that the person does not buy a drill but a hole. Anyway, in practice, the products have added an increasing amount of services as a means of creating competitive advantages and market services, on the other hand, have, to varying degrees, incorporated in its provision of material goods. (Bruce 2009 33)

Services can be purchased by consumers for their personal use, such as convenience services (bus, taxi), the comparison shopping (dentists, lawyers), specialty (hairdresser, "designer" fashion, hospitality and education) and services not wanted (funeral).
(Booth 2002 123)

Characteristics of Services

The key service features that distinguish them from tangible products are intangibility, variability, inseparability and perish ability. (Boden 2005 27)

1. Inseparability

Inseparability expresses the notion that a service can not be separated from the same provider.

When you make a purchase, will the consumer aspect of the well and there is no meaning to even the appearance of the factory or the person who produced it. In the case of services is different: the production and consumption of it if they give the same moment. Thus, the physical appearance of facilities and professionals providing the service are paramount importance.

The physical evidence, or the elements of the 'marketing mix' that customers really can see or experience when they use a service, and contribute to the perceived quality of it, is a good example. The physical evidence of a College may be the condition of the facilities, care of the portfolios, with the uniforms worn by staff to support clients as well as the service itself. (Gilmore 2007 101)

2. Intangibility

Intangibility expresses the notion that a service has no physical substance. What remains of the hands of consumers is the result of the service: short hair, the cause gained (or lost), the commercial aired etc. (Freeman 2003 88)

3. Perish ability

Perish ability expresses the notion that a service can not be done in advance and stored. The service production and consumption occur at the same time.

4. Variability

Variability expresses the notion that a service can vary in standard or quality from one provider to another or from one occasion to another. It is also known as the concept of heterogeneity. Thus, the consumer develops basically two types of relationships with service providers, with the company (faculty) and practitioners in the case, teachers, technical staff, and employees. (Fleisher 2003 77)

Perceived Quality

The expectations that consumers may have about a particular product or service can vary for different groups depending on the focus given to their individual needs. Beyond the expectations are different, the perceptions that customers buy, when having contact with a service can vary even more, the characteristic of intangibility that these services have.

The variability in the provision of further destabilizing the subjectivity of these perceptions, there is nothing to guarantee the reproduction of a service that often is delivered in different settings. The moments in which services are provided, too, can vary for different levels of needs (more or less urgent). The client may have variations in their perceptions about the service, depending on their psychological factors. (De Wit 2005 22)

There are three possibilities in the relations between expectations and perceptions of clients:

• Expectations <perceptions - perceived quality is good;
• Expectations = perceptions - perceived quality is acceptable;
• Expectations> perceptions - perceived quality is poor.

The perceived quality of service is the result of the comparison of perceptions with customer expectations. (Allen 2006 239)

Thus, the capacity management of supply and demand in services should be concerned, for each share held, not to undermine the positive perceptions of quality, monitoring them with the outside public and, where possible, providing enhancements to them.

A major challenge for service managers is to try to meet the expectations of its customers, and then look for performance improvements that promote a positive perception. The evaluation between the expected and perceived service is a routine process done by the customer: It is true that there is a gap in the process. For this reason, the return of this information should be sought, never neglected by companies. (Cheuk 2000 177)

Parasuraman et al. (1985) developed a model of failure in service quality, grouped into five gaps,

1. Gap between customer expectations and perceptions of management: management does not realise what the real expectations of the consumer;
2. Gap between the perception of the company and the specifications of the service: the company fails to properly design the service to meet consumer expectations;
3. Gap between service specifications and service delivery: the performance of service still leaves much to be desired with regard to consumer expectations;
4. Gap between service delivery and external communications to consumers: the advertisement of a company and other forms of communication must match the service that the firm really afford to give;
5. Gap between perceived service and expected service: This gap is considered as a function of the other gaps and only occurs if any of the others fail.

Management of Perceived Service Quality

The term quality has become a top today. The demand for quality products and services by consumers forces companies to make investments in this area, not for being innovative or being in a select group of leading companies, but rather by the need to survive in a highly demanding, competitive and globalised. (Allen 2006 239)

Any management practice should take into account the particularities of the quality inherent in the company's operating area and take action, so as not to diminish the perception of quality offered to its consumers. (Dahlgaard 2008 44)

It creates, then, the need to address the quality, its peculiarities and influence on management of supply capacity and demand in services companies.

The approach based on the user tends to encompass other approaches. Quality is the consistent line with consumer expectations, i.e. those with perceptions regarding the quality delivered. It is necessary; therefore, an analysis of what is perceived quality. (Greensted 2000 10)

Higher Education as a Service

Higher education can be seen as a "pure" service and for, educational services "fall into the field of services marketing". The latter authors, however, also point out that educational services also differ from other professional services in several ways: Educational services play a central role in the students' lives and students require huge amounts of motivation and intellectual skills to attain their goals.

Further, educational services have several service characteristics: they are predominately intangible, perishable, heterogeneous, and the professor's teaching efforts are simultaneously "produced" and "consumed" with both professor and student being part of the teaching experience. Due to these unique characteristics of services, service quality cannot be measured objectively. (Kaplan 2002 71)

CEM in Higher Education

CEM is an expression that can be translated into Managing Customer Experiences. It clearly defines an entire class of instruments that facilitate customer contact, and serves as a liaison between the company and the customer experiences, essentially, is regarded as a change in attitude directed, which is intended to assist institutions to create and maintain a good relationship with their customers, facilitating and interrelating so insightful and development of information about their actions and interactions with the company. (Drucker 2009 47)

The Education sector is no exception, and it is a conduit for experiences and relations between the institutions and at the same time with their teacher and the student community.

Increasingly, there are ways through Web disclosure, Institutions of Higher Education, to attract customers (students) through targeted use of tools shown in the different existing courses.

Increasingly, the CEM is used as a way of connecting with the customer in most companies, especially in Higher Education. The processes and systems for managing relationships with customers, provide that if an accurate control of news and information about customers in an integrated manner, which can be consulted and participated in different parts of the company who need this information to track taken decisions. (Cullen 2009 30)

One of the activities involve customer contact, communication, and that the records do not depend on the communication channel that the client used (voice, fax, email, chat, SMS, MMS, etc.) and serve to have that information useful and catalogues on customers. Soon in Higher Education, through the records made by students in enrolment, you can have access to the university community, and disseminate through e.g. e-mail, what's new on existing courses, internships, career opportunities, etc., so to enhance not only new applicants, too, the leverage of new signups for students already enrolled. (Wiers-Jenssen 2002 183)

Postsecondary schools are progressively disputed to sustain student enrolment levels. Enrolment management programs to market the institution are increasing in number and their efforts are giving off. While the number of high school graduates turned down in the 1980s and 1990s, university and community college enrolment did not. Once students reach on campus, although, the dispute is to hold them there. Retention undertakings had concentrated traditionally on comprehensive orientation programs, in-depth student suggesting, and a kind of student-focused activities. Community colleges appreciated that an enterprise-wide information scheme, concentrated on the student as customer, could furthermore enhance enrolment and retention.

A total of 75 per hundred of incoming traditional-age freshman have important know-how with information technology. This know-how converts into higher student expectations considering the accessible expertise resources. Students anticipate expertise to be an integral part of their whole educational method and foresee a higher grade of get access to information. From the "student-as-customer" viewpoint, an educational CEM scheme would supply interaction with all the traditional student feel points - admissions, registration, economic help, etc. - through a lone scheme that would help an entire comprehending of each student's exclusive situation. (Parasuraman 2008 40)

The Community College in UK - A Brief History

Community colleges focus on the community and its needs and offer workforce training, open admissions and reduced tuition. Courses suggested may be directed to a vocational diploma or aide stage, or moved to a four-year college. Other techniques encompass non-credit, extending education techniques in literacy, rudimentary abilities and life enhancement areas. The open admission principle, reduced cost, proximity, and techniques suggested at the community college often add up to the only possibility for numerous students to get an education.

In the early twentieth 100 years, British managers recognised that an accomplished workforce was required for proceeded financial power and thriving competition in an international economy. However, only 25 per hundred of high school graduates were extending their education due, in part, to a reluctance to depart dwelling for a distant college. From this require the soonest community colleges appeared, pledged to gathering localised desires through little categories, close student-faculty relations and a program that encompassed academics and extracurricular activities. (Shemwell 2008 155)

The primary aim in community college education was on liberal creative pursuit’s studies; although, throughout the Depression, community colleges started proposing job-training programs. After the Second World War, the conversion of infantry commerce to buyer items conceived new, accomplished jobs. In 1948, a mesh of public, community-based colleges was started to assist localised needs. (Elliott 2002 209)

Today, community colleges supply educational marketplaces where student alternatives and community desires leverage course offerings. Two-thirds of the roughly 20 million students registering in community college techniques take techniques for learned credit; remainder register in non-credit categories, normally in workforce teaching courses. (Firdaus 2006 71)

Students as Stakeholders

All institutions of higher education have a kind of stakeholders, and while each institution should work to persuade them, the stakeholder with the most leverage is the customer - the student. The usual college student makes some journeys to campus before categories start. These encompass one visit former to college selection, a registration visit and another visit to yield charges and buy textbooks. While phone and web-based registration schemes have alleviated some difficulties, students are still faced with many administrative jobs to be accomplished throughout their college careers. All too often, these jobs engage substantial time expended waiting (Ginsberg 2001 11)

For community college students, numerous of whom work full-time; these jobs can be a deterrent to accomplishing or even starting their education. A CEM and a CRM scheme can alleviate the complexities of accomplishing these administrative jobs by supplying a entails of anytime-anywhere registration, as well as fee, suggesting and obligations ascertaining that is individualised to rendezvous the student's needs. (Athiyaman 2007 528)

The CRM project for maintaining CEM

By 1997, the computing scheme utilised, was not ever adept to amply support the bigger community colleges, was incapable to rendezvous the state describing requirements. Designed to support only the administrative functions of the colleges, colleges were utilising it as a management information scheme to support decision making. In the universities, there are ways to retain workers in different databases and curriculum information. Facts and figures of students are divided in two databases - one for the expansion of the traditional education students and other students. Different facts and figures that an incorrect, superfluous facts and figures, to discourage students. Continuing education students, to demonstrate, and not identified as students at the university - students not in their database. In 1997, the University management personnel in the state's review found that almost one hundred percent of the answers to questions asked last up to 80 administrative computer systems, other options. (Berg 2005 1863)

Since the student scheme is only one part of the enterprise-wide CIS, it is essential to take a very broad outlook of the system's development before coming back aim to the CRM portion.

1997-1998

There was an assembly that was selected to manage and guide and was also to explain the requirement for an enlarged managerial scheme, setting-up a vision for the learners, students, economic and enterprise schemes. Also including structural design, setting-up a scope and the highlighting the main concerns and features of the tasks. There was a vision evolved from the three assembly meetings and guiding the assembly of management.

The incorporated completely, comprehensive scheme for management of the 21st hundred years will give support to student-centred exploration, decisions of the management, eternal constituent responsibilities and also operations of business for all the colleges of community. This would be through a supple, flawless electrical device’s mesh that is accessible to every one. (Lin 2003 34)

A task management group created of practical professionals commencing the fifty nine colleges of community was given task by evolving a schemes obligations article also suggesting a managerial scheme agreeable having that statement of the vision. Doing work with the practical sub-groups commencing localities for example academic programme, school, extending the education, registrar, also the economic help, the group formalised general obligations and guiding managing assembly handed out a request for information (RFI) in the early of 1998’s. Request for Information needed are:

• Present information on the finest mixture of construct, purchase and colleague resolutions.
• Give information on the possibility and approximated charges of promise construct, purchase and colleague solutions.
• Recognise promise vendors/partners for later Request for Bids.

There were totalled eight vendors that gave answer to these RFI. After evaluating the answers, it was suggested the buying, implementation and customisation of an information scheme that is incorporated encompass a student information scheme, economic information scheme and human assets system. In addition, the group proposed that the scheme incorporate and support focused third party schemes and suggested the development of a system-level operational database and a facts and numbers warehouse. (Taylor 2003 21)

1999-2000

In 1998, the state legislature has passed an account, you need to develop an information college and universities plan to support the previous process design. Design should be recognized and localized college fees and collection requirements in this respect the aspirations of advantages. In order to comply with the account, a design evolution and the State Bureau of Community Colleges accepted. This design requires a plan to support the administrative operations of the information and information management aspirations and community college undergraduate. The General Assembly set aside U.S. dollars, while the 1999-2000 fiscal year, 800 million and 1.5 billion in fiscal year 2000-2001.

The Request for Information (RFI) that outlines the obligations and desires to give an accurate plan involves the requirements of all suppliers. Their answers were evaluated and May 2000, was awarded an agreement, Affiliated Computer Services (ACS) to implement programs and activities of the Datatel colleagues have developed some unique applications. Although the agreement covers economic and human assets of the student, plan, only students in the system to solve this work. (Cornesky 2001 7)

System components, including the students learned notes, anecdotal accounts / cash incentives, school organization, curriculum management, revision of the stage, school information, financial aid, recruitment and registration of management income and family life. It measures to improve the lives of the composition of the Datatel courses, course design and acceptance, the program audit, and the design and layout of the professional component. In addition, third party property should be included with the students of the electrical system includes a network communications gateway to the world, both general, the library system, through the telephone registration, and some of the information research tool.

Each university's participation is absolutely necessary to an effective production plan belongs to all schools. To verify that all three programs will refer to all components of each program group, together with the power of the coordination group, to come together to provide you with a complete and accurate information business. The device includes a variety of university and living systems the size of all the requirements of the mechanical components. Together, these groups are called "team building." (Gordon 2003 45)

This task consists of two main stages. CIS benchmarks covering the first phase of eight different schools in the size of the development and deployment of configuration options is based on their location, a firm commitment and the ability of the assets of the task. In the second stage, wasting half of the schools will apply the balance, then in the second year of the program the first year of the mission.

2001-2002

Plan template for students held in August 2001, ready to jump fully implemented in 2002. The first phase includes the design and construction of group composition, improved by the development of the reference configuration, the group's task management, intelligence agencies and the seller's employees. Software installation, you need to be customized to meet the tender specifications. On the facts and figures for migration from the old system, coupled with the creation of temporary interfaces, machinery suppliers and customers to provide education, and also have a responsibility to double check the facts and reporting needs of digital accessibility referral. On this issue, all third-party applications enabled. In the first stage, the decision points and methods of application were observed and applied in the second phase implemented. (Fleisher 2003 77)

Following the first phase, the task group to assess management information system was completed, the seller make any necessary revision of the reference. Then these changes, from the first phase of the school were to verify. When the reference frame in all production stages of the school is my second phase will begin. In the second phase, the school will apply for the remaining two-year reference rate. The first phase of the University in July 2001 began to implement economic and June 2002, all systems and components in the operation of surf schools. (Bundy 2004 74)

2003-present

Implementation progress is being made, until he agreed to between the discovery of accounting programs and systems required for the exercise program cash Datatel colleague’s gap. This difference delay implementation of the plan, in which iron / chrome themes problem. For the second phase of the implementation of the agenda, to two to three years of the 14 university groups (A), 18 (2B) and 18 universities (2C) is amended to extend until June 30, 2007 designated day.

Out of the AR System / October 2004 the CR laws and documents experimental validation phase I schools after six months. 2A from the “on-line” students are placed in July 2005 to complete all implementation activities. 2B, in March 2005 of students began to design "on line" in July 2006 for students enrolled in the first half of 2006 dropped the main business of the system. 2C of the College will begin in March 2006 with the design "to live "in June 2007 organized a student program. (Ho 2006 178)

The Student System as a CRM System

To support the aim of student-centred discovering, the student information scheme characteristics a simplified application method that permits anytime, any location registration with a date-driven set-up to support traditional and circulated discovering offerings. Student services get access to be supplied, and students can get access to and revise their information without needing aid or service from an employee’s constituent except difficulties arise. In addition, comprehensive designated day following sustains all annals and rank alterations with student notes accessible by the web. All transactions are directly echoed in the database and in associated methods (such as a student lowering a course and directly having economic help recalculated). Information about students and workers is accessible to all functions (with befitting security). (British Council 2001 377)

With the elimination of multiple databases and producing replicate notes, the student outlook is no longer fragmented over the organisation. Instead, student facts and numbers are retained in one location on a lone system. This facts and numbers integration raises coordination amidst functional localities and synchronises methods, thereby advancing customer service. Information about all colleges can be collected and retained centrally in the facts and numbers warehouse. This centred repository accommodates information retrieval and describing for both analytical reasons for example facts and numbers excavation and for operational jobs for example arranging and registration. All schemes utilise electrical devices types and workflow rather than of paper types that should be conveyed or dispatched between offices. This increased effectiveness advances pace, customer service and satisfaction. (Dahlgaard 2008 44)

Dimensions of Quality in Higher Education

Nowadays, higher education is being driven towards commercial competition imposed by economic forces resulting from the development of global education markets and the reduction of governmental funds, forcing colleges and universities to seek other sources of financing. Higher education institutions have to be concerned with not only what society values in terms of the skills and abilities of their graduates, but also with how their students feel about their educational experience. These new perspectives call attention to the management processes within the institutions as an alternative to the traditional areas of academic standards, accreditation and performance indicators of teaching and research. There are a number of problems in developing performance indicators in higher (or tertiary) education. One such problem is that performance indicators tend to become measures of activity rather than true measures of the quality of the educational service offered to students. These performance indicators may have something to do with the provision of higher education, but they certainly fail to measure the quality of education provided in any comprehensive way. (Clayton 2005 593)

Many higher education institutions perform some evaluation of the quality of education provided to students, as well as an assessment of student satisfaction. Student satisfaction is an increasingly important indicator of the quality of teaching performance and can also be considered as an outcome measure of the education process.

Measuring student satisfaction is not an easy task to attempt. Therefore, the indicators that are used differ from one author to another. For example, global satisfaction within a university was driven by a student's assessment of course quality and other curriculum-related factors associated with a university. Found that student satisfaction is related to the match between student priorities and the campus environment. (Kaplan 2002 71)

The perceived quality of the activity within a tertiary educational institution can be described also in terms of satisfaction with a set of general university characteristics. A student satisfaction inventory developed by Noel-Levitz assesses levels of perceived importance and satisfaction along the following 11 dimensions:

1.        Academic advising effectiveness

2.        Campus climate

3.        Campus life

4.        Campus support services

5.        Concern for the individual

6.        Instructional effectiveness

7.        Recruitment and financial aid effectiveness

8.        Registration effectiveness

9.        Campus safety and security

10.        Service excellence

11.        Student centeredness

Measuring student satisfaction implies a set of indicators that covers the same main aspects of a student's life. Despite this variety of forms, the effort of grasping the nuances of student satisfaction can be divided into two loosely bound categories: assessing teaching and learning; and assessing total student experience. (Baugher 2001 14)

The focus of early work lay on the first category. More recently, there has been wider acknowledgement that the totality of student experience with the educational institution provides a more useful perspective for dealing with student satisfaction in marketing terms.

Attempts to define quality in higher education have resulted in a variety of labels being attached to the concept, yet similar explanations of the concept are evident. That is, quality in higher education is about efficiency, high standards, excellence, and value for money, fitness for purpose and/or customer focused. To a lesser extent, a notion of quality as transformation and/or value added is also discussed in the literature. This issue is a "meta-quality concept" (by reference to transformation), possibly operationalisation by other concepts: excellence/high standards, perfection, fitness for purpose, and value for money. However, while acknowledging this potential, it is asserted that this operationalisation is not ends in themselves, but simply part of a notion of quality as transformation. (Drucker 2009 47)

In order to identify important quality dimensions, two research methods are extensively used. The first method is the quality dimensions development approach, and calls for the provider to identify the quality dimensions of the product or service. The second method is the critical incident approach, and involves customers in determining quality dimensions.

The critical incident method is useful for both developing customer questionnaires and for business process analysis, in which organisations attempt to define and understand their customers' requirements. This method focuses on getting information from customers about the product or service they received. As is often the case, different customers have different requirements, but at a group level there are some dominant characteristics they expect to receive at a certain standard. (Harvey 2004 77)

The strength of this method relies on the utilisation of customers, who are in the best position to speak out about what is and what is not important with regard to a specific product or service. Relying solely on organisations' employees may reflect dimensions that are not important for clients, and could hide issues that are really important to clients.

A critical incident is a specific example of personal experience with the product that generated either satisfaction or dissatisfaction. A good critical incident for defining customer requirements has two characteristics: it is specific and it describes the provider in behavioural terms or describes the product with specific adjectives. A critical incident is specific if it describes a single behaviour or characteristic.

The procedure for generating critical incidents involves two steps. First, customers are interviewed to obtain specific information about their experience with the product. Second, information is categorised into groups, each group reflecting quality dimensions. Customer requirements obtained from interviews should comprehensively define the quality of the product or service. If any customer requirement is overlooked, the resulting questionnaire and measurement would be deficient. Subsequently, organisations might not be able to improve overall customer satisfaction because the reasons why customers are satisfied or dissatisfied are not known. (Westbrook 2001 94)

Assessing Service Quality

The quality issues, as perceived by customers, have been researched extensively. One of the pioneers was Gronroos who recognised the need and usefulness of developing valid and distinct measures of service quality. Lewis and Booms were also among the first to define service quality as a "measure of how well the service level delivered matches the customer's expectations." Thereafter, there seems to be a broad consensus that service quality is an attitude of overall judgment about service superiority, although the exact nature of this attitude is still hazy. Some suggest that it stems from a comparison of performance perceptions with expectations.

More recently, Shemwell developed a causal model that depicted how service quality and satisfaction levels are related. This model included such measures as: minimisation of complaints, emotional bonding (affective commitment) and an increased preference for continuing the relationship with the same provider. (Hayes 2007 87)

In the services area, quality can be distinguished from satisfaction since quality is a general attitude while satisfaction is linked with different experiences.

Service Quality and Satisfaction

        Service quality and student satisfaction surveys are quite widespread in the UK; universities are expected to supply students with environments to discover very well, teachers and support, and services in line with the support Most UK universities have not paid adequate monitoring for service quality and satisfaction concepts led to the creation of the university. New natural environment outlined above, though, oblige the UK universities to compete for good students and the revenue that develop in the medium term. UK universities have to monitor the quality of educational services offered by more closely to maintain the currency and appeal to new students. Moreover, due to the introduction of tuition fees and the new scheme of two levels of educational qualification, students in the UK is likely to be more selective and demanding. This expansion will make it especially important for universities to better understand how students see the services offered as universities are held each other to have and appeal to the better students. (Fleisher 2003 77)

Service publications, the aim is to see the quality that the results of the evaluation of the expectations of customer service with its views of actual performance. Quality in higher education is a complicated and multifaceted concept and a correct definition of quality alone is insufficient. As a result, the agreement on the best way to characterise and evaluate the quality of service is still alive. All stakeholders in higher education (e.g. students, government, expert bodies) have its own point of view of quality due to the specific needs. This article is concerned with a specific actor in higher education: students. As has been stated, due to the introduction of tuition fees and the new phase structure, students in the UK is likely to be considered more as customers of educational services in the not too distant future. Students obtain and use teaching suggested by the university, making them the main customers of the concern of educational activities. This perspective, though, does not mean that the perspectives of others can not be legitimate and meaningful. In this Annex, which is sharp students also may have a role in their capacity as buyers, manufacturers and products. Based on the results in the literature of service quality, service quality in higher education can be characterized as "the distinction between what a student expects to obtain their views and the actual delivery."

Several satisfaction evocations live in (and marketing services buyer) publications, satisfaction can be characterized as pleasant compliance, which means that buyers see that "consumption meets some, long for, the purpose, more or less forward and that such compliance is welcome. Thus, satisfaction is the senses of consumers who use the findings are presented against a benchmark of joy in front of disgust. “The notion of satisfaction has also recently expanded the context of higher education. Compensation still restricted from this study suggests that student satisfaction is a complicated concept, which includes the delimitation of some proportions of satisfaction; student satisfaction can be counted as "the favourability of a student's personal assessment of the various conclusions and the knowledge associated with education. Student satisfaction is constantly forming on the knowledge of the lives of the campus. “Result of the current study show that students who satisfied can appeal to new students to participate in affirmative word to mouth advertising connection contacts and associates, and can return to university to take other courses. Student satisfaction also has a positive effect on fundraising and student motivation. (Bundy 2004 74)

Service quality and customer satisfaction are fundamentally different concepts. While quality is a general account of adjustment, satisfaction is linked to specific transactions. There are, though, the conceptual issues in publications of services in relation to the sequential alignment of the two buildings. The perceived quality is an antecedent to satisfaction. However, it recommends further customer satisfaction as an antecedent of service quality. Most recent publications address the quality of service as an antecedent of customer satisfaction. Service quality and customer satisfaction are basically different notions, consider satisfaction as the broader concept of a quality of service as a component of satisfaction is taken as a frame. They assume that customer satisfaction is used not only ideas but also the quality of service for individual components and the location and price. Additional support may be discovered in the literature of higher education: the quality of students seen service is a history of student satisfaction. Therefore, this paper pursues the most recent documents in consideration of service quality as an antecedent to satisfaction. (Ho 2006 178)

The Student Perspective

Service providers will only be able to issue service is that satisfied customers if they understand what their customers want. If universities understand how their students see the proposed services can be an expert to acclimate their services to a particular phase, which should have a positive influence on the quality of service seen students and their degrees of satisfaction.

There is an inclination to the service quality perspective in higher education from an organizational perspective. They propose that organizations must improve the performance of monitoring what their students the desire and no assembly of facts and figures based on what the organization perceives its students find important. Similarly, it is proposed that the student skills and their improvement should be at the forefront of any monitoring of the quality of higher education.

Collecting Student Feedback

Collecting student feedback plays a major role in delivering quality in higher education institutions and, student feedback can be defined as the:

Expressed opinions of students about the service they receive as students. This may include perceptions about the learning and teaching, the learning support facilities (such as libraries, computing facilities), the learning environment (lecture rooms, laboratories, social space and university buildings), support facilities (refectories, student accommodation, health facilities, student services) and external aspects of being a student (such as finance, transport infrastructure).

Universities collect student feedback mainly for the following reasons:

• Internal information to guide improvement; and
• External information for potential students and other stakeholders, including accountability and compliance requirements.

Student feedback helps prospective students (and also parents) obtain information about the institution so that they can decide which programme or course unit to choose or where to study.

Collecting feedback from students using satisfaction questionnaires is a common practice in higher education, further it is distinguished between the following survey forms:

• Institution-level satisfaction with the total student experience or a specified subset;
• Faculty-level satisfaction with provision;
• Programme-level satisfaction with the learning and teaching;
• Module-level feedback on the operations of a specific module or unit of study; and
• Teacher appraisal by students.

CRM and CEM

How does CRM relate to an overall Customer Experience Management (CEM) strategy? There are three concepts within CEM best practices that are served by a CRM focus: increasing efficiency in operations, marketing the institution effectively, and providing excellent customer service. CRM fits within this framework by automating some aspects of communication while also targeting the institution's marketing efforts to specific segments of potential (and current) students-providing relevant, timely, and useful information to the right audiences.

A practical example of this principle is the development of a college Web site that enables students to find relevant information easily, request materials, schedule a visit, ask questions, and apply online. Given the propensity of students, particularly those of "traditional" age, to seek information and communicate electronically, it is important to provide services and information in a dynamic, engaging, and interactive format whenever possible. This enables them to obtain the information they want when they want or need it, rather than waiting for the college to send it out according to a schedule. (Dahlgaard 2008 44)

The level of self-service available during the recruitment phase should also continue after admission. Online enrolment deposits, financial aid awarding, and transcript or advising information will help reduce run-around and enable students to focus on more important issues when they meet with faculty and staff on campus.

CRM and CEM in ERP

The goals of CEM and CRM, as practiced at the corporate level, are to improve business processes and increase profit margins by creating lasting and meaningful relationships with the organisations most valuable customers or clients. CEM, CRM and ERP is to enhance the institution's ability to nurture relationships with various community members, it is important to maintain an information system or enterprise resource planning (ERP) system to document and track every contact with students, alumni, donors, and any other constituents.

Customer experience management (CEM) has gained a lot of traction in recent years among for-profit and sales-oriented organisations. CRM has begun to work its way into the consciousness of higher education institutions. The goals for CEM in higher education are very similar to those of the corporate world, even if the wording is somewhat different. Institutions of higher education seek ways to improve their business operations to increase productivity and satisfaction levels. They need to improve, and in some cases automate, communications with desired audiences while providing quality interactions. (Clayton 2005 593)

Recruitment and enrolment pressures on colleges and universities have helped fuel the interest in CEM. Institutions have come to understand that they cannot treat every prospective student exactly the same. Some prospective students are simply "browsing," whereas others are serious potential students. Institutions clearly do not have the resources and/ or time to give every prospect the same attention. They need to quickly assess the situation and determine which students would be a better fit. (Kaplan 2002 71)

A similar situation exists for alumni, prospective donors, and even for employees of the institution. With appropriate follow-through and contact, some of these individuals could move up significantly in their giving level or in their satisfaction with the institution. Others can't - or won't - do more or give more to the institution regardless of how much encouragement they receive. (Skinner 2002 7)

The key, whether dealing with prospective students or with any other constituent group, is to be able to distinguish between those who are willing, able, and appropriate to be cultivated and nurtured and those who are not, and then concentrate efforts accordingly. (Baugher 2001 14)

Furthermore, every contact with a student, employee, alumnus, or other constituent is an opportunity for success or failure. The institution can keep that individual involved, engaged, and satisfied - or drive the individual away. And with the vast number of competing higher education institutions and providers available in the United States alone, it's very likely that someone who is unhappy with his or her interactions with one college will find a more welcoming attitude elsewhere.

Therefore, to enhance the institution's ability to nurture relationships with various community members, it is important to maintain an information system or enterprise resource planning (ERP) system to document and track every contact with students, alumni, donors, and any other constituents. Without data, there is no possibility of establishing an effective CRM strategy on campus. Almost all institutions currently collect and store information on prospective and current students, faculty, staff, and alumni, but may not be using this information-or the ERP system used to collect it-in a way that enhances their CRM strategy. (Drucker 2009 47)

Ideally, the institution would use its ERP system to anticipate the information or services an individual will want or need before that person even realises it on his or her own. Community relationships will be enhanced by the institution's ability to personalise and target communication with individuals based on identified preferences and information needs, as determined by examining the results of individual contacts. In addition, the institution will be able to communicate proactively with constituents, rather than passively waiting for a prospective student or potential donor to pose a question. (Rinehart 2003 90)

Similar to tracking sales leads and the effectiveness of sales campaigns, admissions and advancement offices need to know which outreach efforts are working best and measure the effectiveness of admissions or alumni relations staff in managing their assigned territories. It is important that data regarding contacts and results be available as close to real time as possible. This will enable rapid evaluation of progress toward predetermined metrics and allow for quick tactical changes or reallocation of funds as needed. (Harvey 2004 77)

Although data is critical to the success of a CRM strategy, the collection of information alone is not sufficient. Collecting and tracking information about constituent contacts also enables the institution to identify potential service issues and resolve problems or concerns at the earliest possible point in the relationship. The data can help identify emerging markets-geographic and demographic-as well as demand for new services or academic programs in a timely manner. Decisions about future marketing and "product" (e.g., academic or extracurricular programming) initiatives can then be made based on results and data, rather than on anecdotes or intuition. (Westbrook 2001 94)

CEM and CRM - A Strategy

Although there are several vendors of CEM and CRM software, it is important to note that CEM is a strategy, not simply a technology or a tool for contacting mass numbers of students.

A successful CEM strategy will include a laser-like focus on the key ingredient - the experiences the institution creates and maintains with its constituents. The CEM strategy should also extend beyond prospective or current students and examine how to facilitate communication and relationship-building with all of the institution's desired audiences. (Hayes 2007 87)

Seeking Community Relationship Management

Institutions of higher education have always formed communities of one sort or another: communities of scholars, communities of learners, and the campus community. Relationship or community building is the basis of CRM and CEM. Because higher education rarely thinks in terms of customers, it may be more relevant for colleges and universities to refer CEM and CRM as community relationship and experience management. (Taylor 1911 87)

This would more accurately depict the ultimate goal of CEM and CRM for higher education institutions and make the concept and related initiatives more acceptable for faculty and some staff. The institution should be striving to establish "neighbourhoods" within its overall campus community to ensure that students feel welcomed and supported and to make sure that alumni, faculty, and staff remain connected to the institution. With the explosion in social networking and the related marketing and communication developments, it is only natural for colleges and universities to incorporate these tactics into a CEM strategy. (Ginsberg 2001 11)

CEM and Institution

In the rush to find the "next big thing" in student recruitment and retention, many institutions are scrambling to determine what CEM is and how they can implement it to achieve enrolment goals. (Hart 2003 22)

Although colleges may prefer to think and speak in terms of constituents or communities rather than customers, they are certainly interested in becoming more efficient and effective at communicating with the students, alumni, and members of the general public who will be of lasting value to the institution. When implemented to its full potential, CEM is complete strategies that will help institutions create a lasting partnership between the institution and the individuals with whom it interacts. (Cronin 2002 55)

The stronger the partnership or connection, the better the chance of the right prospective student enrolling, the alumni donating more, or the renowned faculty member accepting your offer. CEM is the business strategy that drives activities to develop and maintain these experience and relationships in the institution's communities. Each strategy for meeting an institution's goals and objectives is different, and it takes a delicate balance of personalisation, communication, software, and the right data to make it happen. These strategies are more than simply CRM and CEM software that tracks and sends e-mails to prospective students. (Ajzen 2000 12)

CRM and CEM is very essential for the institution because institutions of higher education are in the business of providing an outstanding learning environment to students, parents, alumni, staff, and faculty. A CRM strategy helps you build a better relationship with your constituents, making it easier to provide that outstanding experience and learning environment to each and every one of them. (Athiyaman 2007 528)

Summary

This study discovered customer experience management and customer relationship management in a higher education setting in UK. The development and implementation of a CRM and CEM task in a state community college was analysed as were the advantages recognised by applying CRM and CEM. These encompass a student-centric aim, advanced customer facts and numbers and method management, expanded student commitment, retention and satisfaction with the college's programs and services.

As colleges progressively adopt expanse discovering and e-business, CRM and CEM will become more powerful and more pervasive. Viewing students as customers presents a comparable benefit for higher education and enhances a college's proficiency to appeal, keep and assist its customers.

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