Partner support, often referred to as customer service, plays a critical role in the success of any outsourced service. Read on to learn three ways we go above and beyond to support our partners.
Many of us have sat through a training session and thought, “This all makes sense.” Only to head back to our office and realize that there’s something we forgot to ask. The team at APL nextED is not in the business of prescribing a solution and then circling back in a year to see how it’s going. We understand that our partner’s needs may grow and evolve throughout our relationship and we’re here to listen and to learn.
APL nextED’s partner support team is dedicated to cultivating genuine relationships with each of our clients and providing them with remarkable service and support. This team guides partners through the Integration and Implementation (I&I) process and provides ongoing support and resources for partners.
In addition to product updates, our team provides webinars on new features and check-in calls to gauge needs. Our partners often have the opportunity to preview new features before they are released to production.
We take partner feedback very seriously and often discuss this feedback with the full APL team. If there’s an existing workflow or function that can be customized to meet a specific request we’ll walk through adjustment, and in some cases, we add the item to our product roadmap. We’re currently working on some platform enhancements that are a direct result of faculty input. There’s no better barometer for how well our platform is working than the feedback we receive from our users.
The goals of our partner support team are to:
- Create genuine lasting relationships with our partners
- Anticipate partner needs, and provide timely support
- Provide clients with deep product knowledge and resources to help them support their organization
Relationship Building
One of APL nextED’s company values is creating genuine relationships. Our partner support team lives out this example, working closely with each institution’s partnership managers and creating relationships built on a shared desire to make APL’s product as beneficial as possible to the institution. It’s not uncommon for our team to work with an institution to perfect a report before a big accreditation visit, host after hour trainings to accommodate faculty schedules, or grab coffee and catch up. Everyone at APL knows the partnership managers by name. Our partnership managers feel like an extension of the APL team. Marie Moffit, VP of Partner Success, says, “I believe having a customer-first mentality is key to both our success and our partners success. Our partners are putting their trust in us and our product to create meaningful value at their institution. I always want to make them feel that not only are they receiving an incredible product, but also incredible partners who will support them throughout their journey with APL.”
“I believe having a customer-first mentality is key to both our success and our partners success. Our partners are putting their trust in us and our product to create meaningful value at their institution. I always want to make them feel that not only are they receiving an incredible product, but also incredible partners who will support them throughout their journey with APL.”
— Marie Moffit, VP of Partner Success
Anticipating Needs
Building deep relationships with our partners allows our partner success team to anticipate what partners may need or benefit from. Our partner success team directly interacts with APL’s product team to provide insights into partner feedback and suggestions. A partner recently shared: “APL nextED is a forward-thinking company that continuously enhances and improves its platform based on user suggestions.” Our partners’ time is always honored, and questions or issues are resolved in a timely manner. Our team always strives to go above and beyond. We offer quality support that exceeds expectations and provides true value.
Product Knowledge
When partners interact with APL’s partner support team, they can be assured each member of the team has a deep understanding of APL’s product, its uses, and best practices. Partners may leverage APL’s platform in different ways due to its flexible nature. Our partner support team is well versed in the ways in which each partner uses the system and can provide individualized feedback and suggestions. Our partner support team also curates written product documentation that can be shared with our partners’ faculty and administrative users.
Schedule a demo to learn how APL nextED can support your team’s academic operations long-term.