Navigating success: Human resource management and customer service in Chinese K12 shadow education companies

K12 private tutoring (shadow education) supplementing mainstream education is popular in China. K12 shadow education companies aiming to succeed in both private business and public school competitions need to figure out what factors affect their success. Most studies about Chinese K12 shadow education focused on the development and status from the perspective of education and society. This paper uses quantitative and qualitative methods to collect and analyze data from questionnaires and in-depth interviews. The data from in-depth interviews support and supplement the data from questionnaires. From the management viewpoint, this paper provides a new model for K12 shadow education companies. It comes up with the idea that human resource management and customer service are the critical factors for 12 shadow education companies to succeed. This study provides meaningful references for the more rational development of K12 education companies in an ever-changing social environment.