Customer satisfaction survey brings praise and areas for development

The customer satisfaction survey carried out in spring 2025 gave us reason to smile, but it also highlighted areas for development. The survey results offer Helsingin aikuisopisto a valuable opportunity to stop and look at what works and where there is still work to be done. Around 1,300 of our customers of different ages and studying in different subject areas responded to the survey.

Praise for the variety of courses and ease of doing business with us

The survey results show the three most important reasons for studying at Helsingin aikuisopisto: the course selection, the desire to learn and the teacher or the quality of teaching.

The variety of our course selection receives praise, and the majority of respondents consider the courses good value for money.

The results show that the courses are easy to find online and that registration and payment work smoothly. Dealing with our office is considered straightforward.

The majority of respondents have noticed our communications and advertising on our website, in our brochure, on social media and in our newsletter. Our outdoor advertising on the sides of trams has also stuck in people’s minds. Our advertising encourages people to register, our newsletter is interesting and our brand is mostly seen as fresh.

Search engine results and recommendations from a friend or an influencer have influenced course choices. A large proportion of respondents would be willing to recommend us to their friends, as shown by our high NPS score of 64.

Through the survey, we received hundreds of course wishes, which we have passed on to our course planners for assessment.

Development suggestions and improvements related to services

Many respondents wished for targeted course offers based on their own course history. We have, for example, sent course communications aimed at seniors, and based on the positive feedback we have received, we are looking into extending this practice.

We asked about the ease of using our study guidance and found that the service has not been used much. We are considering making our communications on this more effective, although we also think it possible that people registering have a sufficient understanding of their own skill level and know that they can change the course level during the course if places are available.

According to the survey respondents, paying with benefits has caused some challenges. We tested new functions at the beginning of October, but payment did not yet work as we had hoped. We are developing the payment process together with our system supplier and will let you know as soon as we have a working solution.

The requirement to give a personal identity code when registering prompted some feedback. We will clarify our communications to explain that the requirement is statutory. Helsingin aikuisopisto operates as an educational institution under a licence granted by the Ministry of Education and Culture.

Development suggestions and improvements related to premises

Our classrooms mostly received good ratings for their suitability in the survey. However, the lack of space in certain classrooms came up, especially at the start of the term, when group sizes are at their largest. We have wanted to keep the maximum number of participants on courses so that as many people as possible can join a course and so that continuation courses can also go ahead the following term. We are considering stricter limits for the most popular courses.

Some respondents wished for larger changing rooms and lockers on the fifth floor of our building. As an extension is not possible because of the premises, we will improve our communications by highlighting more clearly the spacious changing rooms with showers on floor 0. In September, we installed lockers for course participants on the fifth floor of our building. We have tried to create more space in the cramped lobby of the Annankatu exercise premises by changing the furniture.

We received feedback on the ventilation in the classrooms and exercise rooms of our building. We carried out duct cleaning and other measures that have improved the ventilation. The lighting in the auditorium was considered inadequate, and as a result the lighting has been renewed.

We asked about the use of the coffee and snack machines and the student kitchen in our building. Based on the responses, people do not know enough about the existence or location of the machines and the kitchen, and we have made this a development area for our communications. We also decided to move one of the coffee and snack machines to a more visible place in the lower lobby of our building.

Conclusions

“The customer satisfaction survey gave us a good picture of what our customers value and what we could develop further in our activities,” says Anne Leinonen, Principal of Helsingin aikuisopisto, assessing the survey results. “Our customers are mostly very satisfied, and the responses show appreciation for our teachers.”

“Based on the responses, our customers have a strong desire to study, learn new things, meet people and spend their time on self-development. A pleasant environment and a sense of community both at Helsingin aikuisopisto and in lessons make attending courses an experience that increases wellbeing. Our staff are strongly committed to making sure that people are satisfied and are happy to come back.”

We went through the survey results carefully with our staff and agreed on areas for development. The survey supports our goals in that we want to continue to offer a varied course selection and invest in recruiting teachers and in customer service. We also want to increase dialogue with our customers. During the autumn, we set up a customer panel to gain a deeper understanding of the customer experience.

More information

Principal Anne Leinonen, anne.leinonen@helao.fi

Director of Services Kaisa Kainulainen, kaisa.kainulainen@helao.fi

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Author: Marketing Manager Kristiina Hentunen