How Dartmouth College is leveraging real-time feedback
Dartmouth College introduced Touchwork’s TxtandTell Solution at the end of 2016, and they are already seeing favorable results within 6 months.
Dartmouth College in Hanover, New Hampshire was seeking a solution that would allow front line operations staff to engage at much higher levels with students. Keeping a pulse on what their students liked and disliked, as well as being able to respond to guest questions, comments, and concerns in real-time was at the forefront of the college’s priorities.
Touchwork’s TxtandTell Solution rose to the top of their list as a system that would enable them to successfully engage with students, build stronger relationships, implement a sustainable feedback culture and program, and gather revenue-impacting insights for their dining operations.
John Plodzik, Director of Dining Services, Campus Services at Dartmouth College recommended Touchwork’s TxtandTell Solution and is responsible for its successful implementation and adoption at the college’s dining halls and retail venues. “The tool is a no-brainer for any operator.” Plodzik states. “It does a lot from tracking student comments, addressing problems as they arise and it’s incredibly user-friendly.”
When asked what has made TxtandTell such a popular new feature at their college, Plodzik shared that the students like the ability to share their feedback, but like getting fast responses even more. “The tool is powerful and students are generous with their feedback. We are able to respond to questions and comments privately via text message and email, or we can respond publicly through our digital comment boards featured in our dining halls, which students get a real kick out of.”
Plodzik goes on to state, “Students like the convenience of using their mobile phones and the instant validation that their voice has been heard. As a college, we are able to provide much better customer service to our students by creating an engaging culture with open communication with them. It’s a win-win all around.”
In terms of what it took to launch Touchwork’s TxtandTell Solution on the Dartmouth Campus, it couldn’t have been easier according to Plodzik. Because Touchwork hosts the system on their server, Dartmouth required very little infrastructure to start using the system on campus. He participated in an online course to get oriented with the system and train some of his staff, but found the system so intuitive and user-friendly that it really only took twenty minutes to learn it. “The operational demand is very little and not labor or technology prohibitive at all,” Plodzik says.
Dartmouth College has found a sharp increase in student engagement since launching the system. Customer satisfaction is on the rise and that was the most important goal they wanted to achieve with TxtandTell. They will be monitoring and measuring the impact on their operations quarter over quarter to also quantify how these new real-time insights translates into revenue-generating decisions for their dining halls and retails venues.
