We were recently asked by the folks at University Business to give them insight into the most common mistakes that we have been experiencing within the campus visit.  In this month issue of the magazine you can read the mistakes; then watch the video for more in-depth explanation of these mistakes.

Ray Ulmer wrote about the Alfred University Bike Tour in the Recruitment Minute, Jeff Kallay gave you the inside story.  Well, as you know Jeff and I ventured up for the official unveiling, here is our very own TargetX video from the day.

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Several fast food restaurants have created “secret” menus for their guests.  And though they shouldn’t, many campus visit programs have done the same.

To see the article referenced in this video blog, read it here.

Setting the expectation is important for any campus visit.  Here are some things to keep in mind about setting the expectation during the pre-arrival experience.

We have all walked into the door of a store and found the clerk on the phone and just ignoring us. As a customer, it doesn’t feel very good, but that would never happen in college admissions, or would it?

Join me as I talk about “The Not so Welcome…Welcome”

The TargetX team had fun playing along during “The TargetX Bowl”. If you haven’t seen all the entries they are posted on the wall of our Facebook Page.

Several of you suggested we have a competition for the worst bathroom in admissions.  If you think you would be a winner to that competition, then I would suggest making some changes on your campus…

We had several schools submit their “best bathrooms”.  A huge thank you for those that participated.

Instead of naming just one winner we selected a couple of “grand prize” winners and a few honorable mentions.

The “Grand Prize” winners will be receiving a “Flushed Away Movie Party Pack” to party with your staff. The winners are:

Best Small College-Birmingham Southern

Best Large University-The University of Delaware

The Honorable Mentions who will receive a TargetX Shirt are:

Most Unique Fixture-Oklahoma Christian University

Best Color/Graphics-Warner Pacific College

Best Decor-Hendrix College

All the Honorable Mentions and submissions can be seen on the our Facebook page.  While you are there, become a fan!

Congratulations to all the winners. Keep thinking about your visitors experience, even the places you might not think about (like your restroom).

Happy Flushing!!!

Upon arrival, one of the first questions prospects and their families ask once they reach the admissions office or welcome center is “Where is the restroom?” No matter if a family has just gotten out of the car from traveling or has just returned from a tour, every visitor needs a “bio break” at least once while on campus.

This spring, during my travels to campuses, I have begun to notice a common theme: These restrooms are giving a horrible first impression.  I have seen amazing admissions spaces where attention has been paid to every detail — except that of the loo.  Much like your public spaces, these spaces “behind close doors” need to have the look and feel of your institution — not of an interstate rest area.

I hate having to take my camera into the water-closet to snap photos, but as the Experience Evaluator, I often notice and take pictures of things one would prefer not to see.  Just about every visitor to campus steps foot in that room (often way too tiny) that contains the commode.  Here are a few of the “comfort stations” where more than a scrub brush and plunger are needed to create a better experience.

Are we in an admissions office? Or a truck-stop? If this is how the seat is taken care of in the admissions office, how is this school going to take care of the other spaces used by students?

Am I on a airplane or in a visitor center? The size of this room made me question whether or not I was in an airplane lavatory. In fact, on the trip home, I felt like I had gotten an upgrade when I stepped inside the lav.

If I were a woman, I’m not sure I would like the view in this powder room. Often, admissions offices use a unisex little boys’/little girls’ room for visitors.  Think about how the opposite gender will feel in this space and make the needed adjustments (a divider wall, for example) to create a better experience for all.

Here is some “bathroom etiquette” for all admissions offices to consider:

• Clean them often and frequently. If you have many visitors on a specific day, work with the appropriate campus staff to have the facilities cleaned mid-day.
• Sensory engagement is important — provide air-fresheners (either automatic or manual), adequate lighting and an exhaust fan.
• It doesn’t matter if it is over the top or underneath — make sure TP is provided (and extra just in case).
• Don’t forget the sink. Soap and paper towels need to be present at all times.
• How do I look? A mirror should be a requirement.  Your visitors are worried about their first impression, and you should be too!
• If your staff doesn’t want to use it, neither do your visitors. If your President used it, what would their reaction be? Ask your staff for suggestions and ideas to create a better latrine experience. By creating a better visitor experience, you will create a better staff and student experience as well.

Stop flushing your first impressions down the toilet!

I am blogging today from Delta flight 1006 en route from ATL to PHL on my way from the TargetX Atlanta office to the main office in Bristol, PA for a few days of meetings.

Wi-Fi hot spots are nothing new, they are on campuses, in coffee houses and can be found in tons of public places. For as much traveling as I have done in the past several years this is a first time I have had a “hot spot in the sky.”

I just couldn’t resist and had to share this “very cool” experience. Delta is in the midst of installing GoGo Wi-Fi on board its fleet of aircraft so passengers can check e-mail, surf the web, twitter, and fill out all those silly surveys on FaceBook.

As much as I have thought I would not want to be connected while flying, typically using my time airborne to sleep, read or watch a movie, it is super nice to be able to stay in touch and clean out the good old in-box.

So what does this experience have to do with higher ed or the campus visit?
Read on…

People often send us links with interesting reading about technology, authenticity, the campus visit, etc.  We welcome them and often enjoy reading them.

Last week I was caught off guard by a link I received. It directed me to the ever student popular, time-killing website, CollegeHumor.  It turns out there was an article posted by Comedian Steve Hofstetter on his “honest” view of the campus tour.  It is entertaining, maybe real to your campus and educational.

Here is his article edited for content and formatted to fit your screen:

Read on…

When I came to work for TargetX I had a long conversation with Jeff about my title.  As you know he is the Experience Evangelist. This is a perfect title for him being a graduate from Lee University and he really does preach The Experience Economy.  I even became one of his followers long before he had the official title.

My title as the Experience Evaluator is very much what I do.  Jeff mentioned in another blog entry that by definition, an evaluator is “an authority who is able to estimate worth or quality” and “an expert who appraises and assigns a worth to assets for which it is difficult to determine market value.” I spend time on campuses closely (and critically) examining the visit program.

Think about your student staff that gives tours.  Does their name really say who they are and what they do?

Do the “Presidential Hosts” really do work for the president? Do they host presidents when they visit? What about the ever popular “Ambassadors”? What does this name reveal about these students?

Sure a “tour guide” is saying what those students do, but often they do so much more than just give tours. However, is it unique and memorable?

I think names for these groups should be unique, clever and fun while revealing part of the soul of your campus.  It needs to be real. It needs to be memorable.  Give families something else to talk and remember about their visit to campus.

Leave a comment and share some of your “non-traditional” names for your student touring staff (I don’t want to use tour guide here).