There's nothing quite like a higher education campus. It's constantly in motion, open and vibrant, and filled with many rhythms and risks. This is precisely why the wave of digital transformation sweeping through higher education presents such immense opportunities and complex challenges.
As institutions navigate an increasingly interconnected world, many issues are coming to the forefront.
Some are new twists on long-standing priorities around resilience, such as security concerns and staying prepared for the unexpected. Others are the direct result of technological advances, including the challenge of wrangling operational efficiencies and cost rationalizations wherever possible.
However, one priority has remained unchanged since the advent of higher education: the need to deliver an exceptional student experience.
It’s not always easy to gauge and quantify an exceptional student experience in a dispersed digital-first world, let alone deliver it.
But now, Mitel CX provides a comprehensive communications solution that empowers educational institutions to address these multifaceted demands.
It provides secure, integrated, and intelligent communication capabilities that redefine campus operations and enhance resilience.
Doing More with Less: The Future-Ready Campus
In an era of escalating cyber threats, stringent legislative mandates, and the constant pressure to reduce costs, increase security, and streamline operations, a comprehensive communications solution is critical for higher education institutions. Mitel CX is engineered with these critical concerns at its core, offering a reliable and secure foundation for managing sensitive data and optimizing administrative processes, all while building a robust defense against unforeseen disruptions.
Mitel CX Offers:
Security & compliance-empowering infrastructure | Educational organizations handle vast amounts of sensitive student and faculty data, from academic records to health information. Mitel CX provides security measures to protect this information, empowering your institution to meet evolving privacy standards. Drawing parallels from financial services, where security and compliance are paramount (PCI DSS for tuition payments by credit card, GDPR for student and faculty information, etc.), Mitel CX offers hybrid cloud communications deployment options to reduce compliance and cost risk, incorporating features like voice biometrics to authenticate callers and reduce fraud, and AI insights to ensure contact center agents comply with industry regulations. |
Streamlined operations & IT relief | IT directors face unprecedented challenges managing a diverse technology landscape, from classroom devices to cloud software. Mitel CX integrates into existing Mitel infrastructure, providing a phased, measurable approach to modernization that avoids costly “rip and replace” strategies. This approach can significantly reduce downtime, optimize resource allocation, and enhance overall operational efficiency for administrative teams, allowing them to remain agile and effective during times of crisis. |
Mass notifications for any event | In a digital-first society, immediate and widespread communication is expected, especially during emergencies. By combining the power of Mitel CX with Mitel Revolution, you’ll be enabling your organization to issue crucial mass notifications from one central district location to any combination of groups – students, faculty, and staff – for urgent alerts, weather advisories, active threat warnings, schedule changes, or general reminders, all while being able to handle incoming questions. This capability is indispensable for quickly and effectively communicating during any unexpected event, ensuring the safety and awareness of the entire campus community. |
Elevating the Student Experience: Meeting Digital Native Demands
Today’s students are digital natives; they expect personalized interactions that mirror their daily digital lives. Mitel CX, as an all-in-one, AI-assisted contact center solution, is designed to orchestrate these personalized experiences, shaping a more engaging and responsive academic journey, regardless of the challenges that arise.
Enhanced accessibility & engagement | The Mitel ecosystem allows students to connect with administrative staff and academic advisors through their UC platform, and with support services, facilities, security, residence, and enrollment support staff using Mitel CX as contact center agents through channels including:
Integrations with education-specific applications ensure the communications solution facilitates students' learning and success, even when campus operations unexpectedly shift. |
Faster resolutions & personalized support | GenAI virtual agents automate repetitive tasks and provide immediate answers to common student inquiries, freeing up human agents for more complex issues, with 83% of administrators welcoming this support. This streamlines processes, reduces wait times, and significantly improves first-contact resolution rates. With AI-enhanced insights, institutions can gain a deeper understanding of student needs, leading to more tailored support and proactive engagement that mirrors the efficiency and personalization seen in leading customer service environments, providing a stable and reliable experience even amidst volatility. |
Techaisle Study: The Evolving Landscape of Business Communications
56% of organizations want to modernize their communications infrastructure to harness AI for efficiency and customer experience.
Key Metrics for Higher Education Administrators
Higher education institutions should implement a robust framework for tracking key performance indicators to gauge the impact and value of a modern communications solution like Mitel CX. These metrics offer tangible insights into operational efficiency, user satisfaction, and overall system effectiveness, providing IT and finance leaders with a clear ROI.
First Contact Resolution Rate (FCR) | This KPI measures the percentage of inquiries resolved during the initial interaction, without requiring follow-up. A high FCR rate indicates efficient processes and well-equipped agents (or virtual agents), directly impacting student and staff satisfaction and reducing operational costs. |
Average Handle Time (AHT) | AHT tracks the average duration of a complete interaction, from when an inquiry begins until all related work is finished. Reducing AHT signifies streamlined workflows, practical knowledge bases, and improved agent proficiency, leading to greater efficiency. |
Student/Staff Satisfaction Scores (e.g., NPS, CSAT) | These scores, whether through Net Promoter Score (NPS) or Customer Satisfaction (CSAT) surveys, reflect the user experience. High satisfaction scores indicate that the communications solution meets the needs of students, faculty, and staff, fostering a positive and productive campus environment. |
Channel Utilization & Effectiveness | Monitoring which communication channels (e.g., phone, chat, self-service portals) are most used and how effectively they resolve inquiries can inform strategic decisions. It helps institutions understand user preferences and optimize resource allocation across various touchpoints. |
System Uptime & Reliability | While often taken for granted, the consistent availability of communication systems is paramount, especially for emergency services. Tracking system uptime ensures that the solution is consistently accessible and performing optimally, guaranteeing reliability when it matters most. |
Final Thought: Building a Resilient, Connected Campus with Mitel CX
In the dynamic landscape of higher education, institutions prioritizing robust security, operational excellence, seamless collaboration, and an exceptional student experience – all while being prepared for the unexpected – will thrive. By investing in Mitel CX and integrating with other Mitel infrastructure, higher education institutions can empower their IT, CX, and Finance leadership to modernize how services are delivered across campuses, without compromising security, cost control, or community connection. It’s about creating a resilient, efficient, and deeply connected campus environment for everyone, ready to face any challenge that comes its way.
