Customer-Centered Excellence: From Relationships to Remarkable Experiences

6/3/2025

There’s something powerful about learning and leading together! The passion and purpose within our Savvy Leadership community keep us motivated and moving forward.

What if the most powerful force driving excellence in your school district isn’t a system or strategy, but rather the voice of a student, the trust of a parent, or the insight of a teacher?

At the heart of every successful educational organization are those we serve. In this blog post from our Unlocking Performance Excellence series, we take a deep dive into Customers, as part of category 3 in the Baldrige Performance Excellence Framework.

This post encourages us to go beyond simply collecting data and to ask deeper questions: Are we truly listening? Are we capturing what matters most? Are we recognizing unspoken needs, responding intentionally, and building relationships that earn trust and inspire loyalty?

Let’s explore together how we can elevate the voice of our customers--students, families, educators, administrators, staff, and community partners—and reshape the way we lead, build relationships, and deliver meaningful experiences in education.

Voice of the Customer (VoC)

As a Savvy EdTech Leader (and we are all savvy or we wouldn't be part of this highly-esteemed EdTech leadership community), the Voice of the Customer (VoC) is more than just feedback—it's a strategic commitment to understanding the needs, expectations, experiences, and aspirations of those we serve, especially students, teachers, families, and staff.

To place this in context of education and those we serve, the VoC means:

Listening intentionally: Gathering insights through surveys, focus groups, support tickets, customer feedback after tickets are closed, classroom observations, and even informal conversations.
Understanding deeply: Interpreting not just what is said, but what is meant—looking for patterns, pain points, and unmet needs across the educational journey.
Acting purposefully: Using that insight to inform technology decisions, improve support systems, refine training, and align solutions with real-world classroom and education challenges.
Building relationships: Treating every interaction as an opportunity to build trust, foster empathy, and co-create better learning experiences.

I think of the Voice of the Customer (VoC) as the compass that keeps innovation aligned—not just with technical excellence but with what truly matters: people and even "little people (students)." When we ground our work in the voices of those we serve, we ensure that our solutions are not only functional but human-centered, equitable, and genuinely impactful.

Honestly, I wish we had dedicated an entire chapter to this in The Savvy EdTech Leader because it's one of the most powerful yet underexplored drivers of transformation in education. In this blog post, we'll unpack five essential strategies for elevating the VoC—and using it to lead with insight, empathy, and purpose.

Listening Across the Lifecycle

In any school district or learning organization, if we want to serve our customers authentically, we have to start with something simple. Listening. Not just checking a box but making it a habit, a culture, and a shared responsibility.

Listen with intention—not just for data. Listening isn't about conducting surveys for the sake of survey data. It's about creating genuine opportunities for students, families, teachers, staff, and community members to be heard—and then taking action based on their input. Whether it's a kindergartner sharing their frustrations with network connectivity or a teacher complaining about wires running all over the place, every voice helps us improve.

There are all kinds of ways to gather feedback:

Direct communication like help desk requests, surveys, or quick "How's it going?" check-ins;
Indirect cues from social media posts, usage data, and participation trends;
In-the-moment observations, such as classroom visits, meetings, hallway conversations, or chats.

Each gives us a different piece of the bigger picture.

CURRENT CUSTOMERS: Listen to the customers we serve today. For students, teachers, and staff who are in the thick of it right now, keep the feedback loops open and honest. When students tell us something isn't working—whether it's Wi-Fi dead zones or confusing apps—be responsive and quick to improve. When teachers raise concerns or share wins, take that seriously, too. Their day-to-day experience is our most important signal.

POTENTIAL AND FORMER CUSTOMERS: Listen to those just arriving or moving on. Listen to families new to the district, employees onboarding, or students transitioning out; their feedback helps us shape a more welcoming, responsive culture.

MEET CUSTOMERS WHERE THEY ARE: One-size-fits-all doesn't work when it comes to listening. Some people enjoy speaking up in meetings. Others prefer texting, emailing, or a simple thumbs-up or thumbs-down. So, we try to meet people where they are—whether that's a 3rd grader in a classroom, a high school student learning from home, a custodian with a technology idea, or a parent who only has five minutes after work.

When we listen with care and follow through with action, we don't just improve systems—we build trust. That's how we move from good intentions to real impact. And that's what customer-centered excellence is all about.

Segmentation with purpose

Standard solutions rarely meet diverse needs—especially in education. That's why segmentation with purpose is key to providing customer-centered excellence. It allows us to recognize and respond to the different journeys, challenges, and aspirations that exist across our district and community.

Understanding who we serve is also important. We don't just group customers for the sake of data. Performance excellence means segmenting with intention--to design better programs, deliver more innovative services, and make sure every voice is heard, and every need is met.
An example segmentation strategy is shaped by a mix of characteristics, such as:

Demographic insights like students with disabilities, multi-language learners, or gifted learners.
Behavioral patterns such as tech tool usage, help desk requests, or attendance trends.
Community data (including local growth, income shifts, or housing patterns).

Why wouldn't we seek these insights to help us understand not only who our customers are but also what they need, the challenges they face, and how we can meet their needs with empathy and effectiveness?

For instance, the graphic above highlights that 20% of our students rate their experience with our technology program as dissatisfied or very dissatisfied. How might we better support these learners? What steps can we take to move them toward satisfaction—or even delight? Should we ask them directly? Listen more intently to their unique needs? Perhaps spend time alongside them in the classroom to observe firsthand how they engage with technology? To create meaningful change, we must go beyond assumptions and build solutions grounded in their lived experiences.

designing meaningful programs

Segmentation is only the beginning. What truly matters is how we transform the results from our insights into programs and services that make a difference—especially for the students, families, and educators who depend on us most.

As EdTech leaders, we have many tools at our disposal for shaping technology offerings. The most powerful tool is the customer’s voice. We’re not building these systems for ourselves—we’re building them with and for our communities. So how do we do that? By grounding our design in what matters:

Authentic student and family feedback
Administrator priorities and instructional goals
Academic performance and engagement trends
Insights from focus groups across our stakeholder network

From this foundation, we can align every program and service with our commitment to inclusion, technology access goals, and long-term student success.

When we design through the lens of lived experiences, we don’t just meet expectations—we exceed them. We create offerings that feel relevant, responsive, and empowering.

LOOKING AHEAD: ANTICIPATING WHAT'S NEXT:
Meeting today’s needs is key—but visionary leadership also demands that we prepare for tomorrow. As technology and the K-12 education ecosystem change, so do the learners we serve. We must anticipate shifting needs and evolving expectations, such as:

Learners who benefit from personalized and flexible technology tools.
Homebound or medically fragile students who require virtual access and adaptive technology for continuous learning.
Youth in foster care or mobile populations who need portable, consistent digital learning experiences.
Career-focused students seeking early access to industry certifications, internships, and pathways in fields like cybersecurity, AI, or health technology.
Students interested in entrepreneurship, innovation, or creative media are supported through maker labs, digital storytelling, and real-world project platforms.
Learners impacted by trauma or social-emotional challenges need technology-enabled wellness, SEL, and support interventions.
Bilingual and emerging multilingual students seeking language development tools alongside academic content access.
Students with limited broadband access at home require robust offline capabilities or community-based tech hubs.

By recognizing these shifts, as Savvy EdTech leaders, we can position ourselves to pilot new models, explore innovative designs, and build personalized, future-ready programs that are more meaningful.

building trust through service

In education, trust is everything. It’s not built through processes or promises—it’s built through consistent care, meaningful connection, and thoughtful action. That’s why building trust with customers isn't an afterthought—it must be the foundation of everything we do.

Trust grows when people feel heard, respected, and supported. Every interaction is an opportunity to strengthen that trust—or risk losing it. Savvy EdTech Leaders strengthen it. Here's a couple of thoughts about building trust.

Provide support that meets customers where they are - Trust deepens when support is personal, accessible, and respectful. When we offer help in multiple languages and formats, with staff trained to understand and remove barriers—whether cultural, technological, or emotional, we increase trust. When we handle every issue with empathy and urgency, trust grows when people know you care.
When Things Go Wrong (and they will) Make it Right - Trust isn’t about being perfect. It’s about how we respond when things go wrong. Log, track, and analyze complaints and concerns—not to defend our systems, but to improve them. We can earn back trust through accountability and action.
Lead with Fairness and Kindness – Real trust is rooted in how we treat people. That means ensuring every process and practice is inclusive, consistently applied, and guided by both equity and empathy. When fairness is paired with kindness, we don’t just follow the rules—we create a culture where everyone feels respected, valued, and safe.

Trust is never a one-time achievement—it’s a continuous, intentional effort. It’s built in the quiet moments of listening, the urgency of follow-through, and the courage to make things right. As Savvy EdTech Leaders, we must ask:

Are we just solving problems—or building trust?
Are we collecting feedback—or truly acting on what we learn?
Are we offering services—or creating experiences that make people feel seen and valued?

When we lead with empathy and respond with integrity, we don’t just meet expectations—we build something stronger: lasting trust that empowers customers!

measuring satisfaction and acting on results

Research shows that in high-performing school systems, measuring satisfaction isn't the end goal — it's the starting point of a service-driven transformation. When we understand how our students, families, and staff experience our programs and services, we gain powerful insight into what's working, what's missing, and where we need to grow. Based on my personal experience serving as a K-12 Chief Technology Officer (CTO) for over 30 years, here are my top three key strategies to keep in mind.

Measure what matters - Regularly and consistently assess satisfaction, dissatisfaction, and engagement through surveys, quarterly pulse checks, and real-time feedback on service interactions. Here's the key. Don't stop at averages. Savvy EdTech Leaders must disaggregate the data to uncover hidden gaps between key groups—such as English learners, students with disabilities, or newly enrolled families—ensuring equity stays at the center of every insight.
- Here are some example measurements to help jump-start your Voice of the Customer journey.

Act on the results - Measurement with action is pointless. Good or bad, we must put the satisfaction results to work. Let the customer feedback lead to innovations such as redesigned professional development, more personalized onboarding for new students and families, and improved digital communication tools. Each change reflects a deeper commitment to the customers we serve—not just the processes we manage.
Learn from your colleagues - Go beyond your data by benchmarking against peer districts and educational consortia, using comparative insights to set meaningful goals and track progress. Comparisons fuel both celebration and continuous improvement.

At its core, Voice of the Customer (VoC) and satisfaction isn’t just a metric—it’s a strategy. It’s not about checking a box, but about building trust, creating value, and demonstrating that every voice matters. When we truly listen, we move forward—together—through meaningful relationships and remarkable experiences.

References:

OpenAI. (2025, May). ChatGPT (GPT-4o) [Large language model]. https://chatgpt.com
Note: ChatGPT was used solely to support the structural organization of this content while preserving the author’s original insights, experiences, and expertise.
Consortium for School Networking. (2021). Digital Leap Success Matrix. https://www.cosn.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/Digital-Leap-Success-Matrix.pdf
Consortium for School Networking. (2025). 2025 state of EdTech district leadership. https://www.cosn.org/tools-and-resources/resource/2025-state-of-edtech-district-leadership/
Institute of Education Sciences. (2022, December 6). The measurement of school improvement: Peril and promise. U.S. Department of Education. https://ies.ed.gov/learn/blog/measurement-school-improvement-peril-and-promise
Studer Education. (2023, February 13). From clarity to results: Four leadership habits that transform school systems. https://studereducation.com/from-clarity-to-results-four-leadership-habits-that-transform-school-systems/

Reflective Question?

How am I using Voice of the Customer feedback to transform everyday interactions into meaningful, relationship-driven experiences that reflect our commitment to educational excellence?

Unlock Performance Excellence Blog Series