Delivering Joy...

Schools grow in enrolment numbers by word of mouth, and happy and satisfied parents are the best marketers of any school. Firstly, a satisfied parent will keep their children in your school, and will also tell other parents about the experience they are having or have had at your school. Conversely, a dissatisfied and unhappy parent is a walking billboard that de-markets your school. Every negative experience or words spoken about your school to another parent goes a long way in denting your school’s image in the minds of potential customers.

???????Every school owner must do all they can to meet and exceed the expectations of the parents that enroll their child at your school. One way to exceed customer expectation is through excellence in service delivery. Excellence has been defined as the possession of good and desirable qualities at an unusual high degree, while quality is simply that your product does what your have said it will do for the customer, or the product or service meets or surpasses your customer needs and expectations.

???????It is important to know what parents are thinking about your school. Even Jesus sought the opinion of his disciples on what the public was thinking about Him, He asked them,”… who do men say that I am…?” . You cannot be nonchalant or be dismissive of parents concerns and criticisms, and expect them to be pleased with your school, even when these opinions are offered in a hostile and unfriendly manner. If you can take out the manner or voice tone used in expressing their criticisms, you will be able to get to the fact of what needs to be done to correct or improve the situation.

??????Some schools do all they can to keep parents at a distance to prevent them from?voicing their dissatisfaction, this is not wise as persons who are prevented from expressing their frustrations or grievances to the appropriate person in the school, may become deeply frustrated, disillusioned and even bitter towards the school. The fact is that such feelings will somehow be expressed one way or the other, and most times it will be to other parents who are their friends.

????????It has been found in marketing, that a happy customer will likely tell 5 other persons who are capable of patronizing you, about your service. On the other hand, a dissatisfied and an unhappy customer is likely to tell 20 or more people about their bad experience at your school. This informal communication expressed by your customers goes a long way to form people’s perception about your school. Just been a little patient, understanding, and apologizing where needed can go a long way in protecting your school from these kind of situations.

???????In the current age of social media, a parent rage can be amplified through various online channels and platforms that can damage a school reputation in ways that you find it difficult to repair. We have seen cases of schools been dragged for days and even weeks for some perceived wrong that may have taking place at their school. It may be impossible prevent things from sometimes going wrong at your school, but every school must be seen to, as well as, communicate all that it is doing to remedy such situation. Being open and consistently communicating with all parties and stakeholders as often as is deemed necessary till all issues are amicably resolved.

?????Schools should endeavor to identify all the thing that keep parents happy with their school and make effort to ensure this is being done at their school. In a study tagged "What do parents want", it was established that parents want the following,

-??????A school environment where their child is happy

-??????A school where their child is accepted and their unique qualities are identified, celebrated and harnessed

-??????A school where there child is safe from all forms of bullying

-??????A school where their child is protected from potential harm or threats whether internal or external

-??????A school where their child’s academic ability is nurtured and developed

-??????A school where their child’s unique talents and gifts are identified and given opportunities for expression

-??????A school that responds speedily to parents concerns and criticisms

????Parents want the best for the children and are willing to partner with schools to achieve this mutually shared aim. A satisfied parent can be your greatest ally in growing your school, while a dissatisfied parent can be your greatest detractor, antagonist, and even do all that the can to bring your organization down.

??????In a bid to please parents, school management should however ensure they do not pander unnecessarily to every demand made by parents, particularly on issues that run contrary to the school’s founding ethos, philosophy, principles, and culture. It is important to listen patiently and respectfully to such demands, but however restate what your school stands for and let such parents know that their demands goes against the laid down principles and culture of your school. It is important for the school to communicate with parents on their founding philosophy at the point they are enrolling their child at your school. Where they feel their personal beliefs and philosophy are contrary to that of your school, it is safer for them to move to a school whose philosophy aligns with theirs, else you should be prepared for frictions and clashes in the future.

???????There have been cases where parents prefer their child’s primary education to terminate at Grade 5, while the school believes all enrolled students should complete 6 years of primary education, as stated in Nigeria’s education policy, this needs to be communicated and parents educated on why the school maintains and aligns with this policy.

??????It is a fact that you cannot please all of your parents all the time, as sometimes their needs and expectations conflict with those of other parents and that of the school. It thus important to identify and cater to parents who share your school’s beliefs and philosophy. Where possible, parents who do not share similar values with your school may either be managed or encouraged to take their children to schools that share their values.

?????There have been instances where some parents may prove to be just all round negative and toxic in their dealing with the school, where such parents are identified it may just be best to manage them and do all within your power to manage the relationship with them, doing all you can to avoid unnecessarily confrontation with them. Where such parents behavior affects the wellbeing of other enrolled learners at your school, it may just be in place to advise them to withdraw their child and proceed to amicably part ways.

Jonathan Aigbe

Magdiel Education, Lagos