I accompanied my daughter recently on her quest to purchase a replacement car. She and her mother had visited a Chrysler dealership the day before and had picked out a 2010 Jeep Compass as a possible contender. Upon our return, and after several hours of discussion and haggling, the dealership offered her the car at a competitive price, and she accepted. That should have been the happy ending to the story, but unfortunately, it was not.

After all the paperwork had been signed, the salesman handed her just one ignition key to the car. When I asked about a second key, his response was: “We were only given one key to the car, so we only have one to give you.” He added that she could purchase a second key for $200.

When she proceeded to leave the lot, she discovered there was barely enough gas in the tank to make it home. The car lacked floor mats, even the paper kind they give you at the auto repair shop. And she soon discovered that the car’s oil needed to be replaced as well as the air filter and cabin air filter. So much for the “meticulous inspection” the car was supposedly given before it was ever placed on the lot.

Instead of leaving the dealership feeling she had been given a fair deal, which she had, our daughter instead left feeling she had been taken for a ride, and not in a good way. What turned out to be a negative experience could have been avoided for just a little money and much more of a focus on customer service. Seeing the whole buying experience through the eyes of the customer would have provided an entirely different outcome.

Years ago, when I worked at the University of Florida, I asked the director of facilities how they determined where to place sidewalks. Quite simple, he responded. They just waited until students wore a path and then they covered it with concrete.

Your institution may be doing all the right things to help your students succeed. But are you evaluating the quality of those services through their eyes? And how do they perceive the experience?

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