Your RTO Success relies on you looking at the following: 

1. Maintain your Focus for the Long Term.

 Focusing on the students is a positive and much can be achieved by listening to what they want.

This information will provide you with a long term strategy – what courses they want, how they want them, and when. Yes we sure do need to buckle up and get ready for the ride, seize the moment and transform it into an opportunity — an opportunity to sharpen the focus of your RTOs vision and long-term goals. You might be pleasantly surprised what the students have to say.

2. Maintaining Your Focus on Service Quality.

Service quality continues with the student focus. Establish systems that provide service, and continue to provide what the client wants. Maybe it is time to change them up and amend those training and assessment strategies and internal processes to deliver the greatest value to your customers and clients. My best advice is to listen to your clients and they will tell you how you can improve. Consider ways to support them and their learning. 

Exceptional Customer Service is the Heart of a Successful RTO. From the moment a potential student reaches out, the customer service journey begins. A warm, sincere greeting sets the tone for the entire interaction. Whether it’s over the phone or in person, a cheerful and polite demeanour can make all the difference. Remember, a smile can be heard even through the phone!

To handle customer service challenges effectively, RTOs can adopt the LEAST approach:

• Listen: Actively listen and repeat the customer’s concern to show understanding.
• Empathise: Put yourself in the student’s shoes and show genuine concern.
• Apologise: A sincere “I’m sorry” can go a long way in diffusing tense situations.
• Solve: Work towards finding a solution, even if it’s not immediate.
• Thank: Express gratitude for the customer’s feedback and patronage

An RTO that excels in customer service empowers its employees to make decisions and solve problems. This means:

• Providing comprehensive training on customer service techniques
• Giving staff the autonomy to make good decisions
• Supporting employees, even when they make occasional mistakes
• Discussing areas for improvement privately and constructively

3. Keeping up with Innovation.
   One of the key aspects of the current environment is the innovation that is out there to support the students and the trainers. It seems there is an app or online tool for everything, and so many that can be used to provide a better student experience. Whether they are used to create and share lessons on your tablet, flipping classrooms, creating your own animated videos or allowing students to imagine, write, illustrate and share their own stories.

This innovative culture creates excellent customer service. This involves:

• Encouraging staff to think creatively about improving student experiences
• Celebrating successful innovations that enhance the RTO’s competitive edge
• Continuously seeking feedback and acting on it to refine services

Then of course there are the many social media platforms where students/ trainers can bring together content and share in various ways.

Perhaps now is the time to start researching those apps, and maybe implementing one or two into your training delivery model. The RTOs who can harness the power of digital data, and keep compliance will be the big winners. Don’t be afraid to make mistakes (remember your continuous improvement). Be bold, think big and learn along the way.