ApplyBoard is shining a spotlight on our core values all year long, including celebrating ApplyBoardians who are going above and beyond to embody them.
In the second installment of our Core Values in Action series, we decided to double our fun and celebrate two outstanding team members who personify Delivering an A+ Customer Experience: Kara Zhang, International Recruitment Manager, and Ian McRae, Partner Relations Manager. “While they’re on different teams within our Sales department, both work tirelessly to ensure an A+ Customer Experience,” says ApplyBoard Chief Revenue Officer Scott Harper.
Keep reading and watch the video below to learn what Delivering an A+ Customer Experience means at ApplyBoard and how Kara and Ian go above and beyond to ensure it for their customers!
Delivering an A+ Customer Experience at ApplyBoard
As ApplyBoardians, Delivering an A+ Customer Experience means that we’re customer-focused in everything we do. At the heart of our mission to Educate the World is, of course, our students. However, our customer base extends beyond students to include our global network of recruitment partners and partner institutions, as well as our internal team. We take pride in responding to each of our customers with the best resolution and ensuring their experience with us is “wow”-worthy.
Explore ApplyBoard’s other five core values: Helping Students Achieve Success, Caring About Each Other, Taking Ownership, Innovating and Improving, and Making Work Fun.
What A+ Customer Experience Means to Kara
As an International Recruitment Manager on ApplyBoard’s Onshore China Team, Kara’s days typically start and end with her recruitment partners. “She always thinks outside the box to provide her recruitment partners with a seamless application journey from beginning to end,” explains Scott. This includes proactively following up with her applications to ensure no missed information and that her recruitment partners are aware of any changes in their students’ applications.
To Kara, “Delivering an A+ Customer Experience means building a strong relationship with my customers.” She shares that “it means valuing my customers’ feedback, listening to their inquiries, taking pride in my work, and ensuring that every aspect of the application process is handled with professionalism and attention to detail.”
When promoting a recent summer program in Toronto, Kara spent extra time training and working with her recruitment partners. This dedication helped her recruitment partners better understand the application procedure and related requirements. But Kara didn’t stop there. She provided additional support through an on-site event where her recruitment partners could explore the campus, experience the environment, and ask questions.
Kara always keeps her recruitment partners at the forefront of everything she does, ensuring they have all the information they need to support students.
Discover how Elias lives and breathes our core value of Caring About Each Other.
What A+ Customer Experience Means to Ian
There’s never a dull moment for Ian as a Partner Relations Manager. He’s responsible for managing ApplyBoard’s partnerships with colleges in Ontario, creating a roadmap for what ApplyBoard and our partners seek to accomplish together. Ian works “closely with our partners to understand their goals for international recruitment to ensure what we’re doing at ApplyBoard supports their vision for the future.”
When asked what Delivering an A+ Customer Experience means to him, Ian shared that “it’s all about going above and beyond expectations.” “First, it’s about delivering a solution that actually works, in a way that’s comprehensive and professional.” When working through a problem, Ian begins by asking himself, “Why are we in this situation in the first place? Is there another way of approaching this problem that we haven’t considered yet?”
Ultimately, to Ian, “in the context of working with our school partners, Delivering A+ Customer Experience means solving problems, but also adding a strategic perspective in order to be better positioned for success in the future.”
Ian has brought this strategic perspective to his role by working with our academic partners to develop joint business plans. These plans have been extremely beneficial in establishing a long-term strategy for how academic institutions and ApplyBoard can work together to grow their brands across different parts of the world.
ApplyBoard is very fortunate to have people like Kara and Ian on our team. Team members who show up every day ready and willing to give their all, deliver great work, and inspire others around them to excel. And that’s precisely what these two ApplyBoardians do.
On behalf of ApplyBoard, thank you, Kara and Ian, for your dedication, ingenuity, and constant demonstration of our core value of Delivering an A+ Customer Experience!
Are you passionate about Delivering an A+ Customer Experience? Explore our open roles.
