I wasn’t always a “Registrar”, in fact, the majority of my career so far has been in Senior Management Sales for Prestige Skincare. Managing up to 30 accounts, I realized after sometime that the successful accounts, with the highest sales and the majority of customer satisfaction compliments, were the shops where the team focused on the “service” and not the “sale”.

I made a decision to improve my work life balance and change my career to working in the “Registrar and Admissions Department” for private schools in Dubai. I thought this would mean making many sacrifices and learning a whole new industry, but I realize now that my two careers so far, are very similar.

To provide excellent service and get positive results and feedback from parents there are 5 essential skills that a Registrar needs:

• Empathy – I always empathize with parents, I make sure I step into their shoes, understand their needs and genuinely care about their children.
• Positivity – I use positive language when talking to parents, I avoid “unfortunately”, “as you know”, “I’m afraid that”, these phrases are always followed by a negative. Being positive and enthusiastic about this lovely school is easy, but I make sure every day I am in form with a smile on my face. After all, I know it is a huge decision each family is making and Dubai offers a vast array of choices.
• Patience – Patience is more than a virtue, it is a necessity when it comes to good customer service with parents. Spending the time to listen and understand parents needs for their children means I can talk to them about what they are interested in.
• Transparency – Being open to any challenge we have had in Arcadia; ensures I gain parents trust. Being honest about exactly what we offer means I never over promise and therefore, never under deliver.
• Continuous Improvement – I want to improve myself every day, be it my knowledge, the tours I conduct or the efficiency of the enrollment process. It might sound like an unachievable goal, but if I improve myself 1% every day and that is a huge shift in a year!

Of course, The Arcadia Preparatory School has given me the tools to offer excellent customer service. They have ensured I have a high quality product that delights and surprises parents. The culture of the school encourages creativity and they value diversity of thought and people, so we are constantly adding innovative and exciting projects and events to the academic year. The consistent “new news” I can share with parents generates a buzz and I know after every tour or meeting with parents, they have clarity on what a wonderful school Arcadia is and all their questions will be answered.

Using these 5 essential skills is a habit for me and introducing parents to such a wonderful product as “The Arcadia Preparatory School” means that you will always receive “Excellent Customer Service”.