GENERAL DYNAMICS INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY PROPRIETARY Customer Service Interaction : The Financial Aid Office and Federal Student Aid Information Center

GENERAL DYNAMICS INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY PROPRIETARY

Customer Service Interaction: The Financial Aid Office and

Federal Student Aid Information Center

March 27, 2014

General Dynamics Information Technology Proprietary

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• Information about FSA programs

• FAFSA, PIN and SAR assistance

• Information on student loan history

• Publication requests• Contact information for related

entities (Default Resolution, Direct Loan Servicing, etc.)Sarah - AZ

FSAIC is tasked to provide timely and accurate information and services for inquiries such as:

Federal Student Aid Information Center (FSAIC) 1-800-4-FED-AID


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FSAIC 2013


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What are FSAIC’s operating hours?

• Monday-Friday• 8 AM – 11 PM • Eastern Standard

Time

• Extended Weekend Hours based on time of year and need


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How many do we serve?

• 2013-2014 (as of December 2013)• 19,751,673 FAFSAs • 12,023,291 Corrections to the FAFSA• Millions of customer Interactions by phone, chat and

email

Sponsor of theAmerican

Mind

SAM is our FSAIC Mascot:


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2013 FSAIC Initiatives

• New facilities to broaden coverage

• Enhanced Quality Team and Program

• Customer Relations Management System Upgrade

• Text Analytics deployed• Virtual Classroom

implementation• FSA Conference Support Peak Week Theme

March 2014


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Customer Service Representatives

• Greet callers and assess their needs• Request identifiers to comply with the• Privacy Agreement• Use resources to answer callers’

questions or refer them to the correct entity

• Provide scripted responses for specific situations / topics

• Code the call and leave historical logs• End the calls with the appropriate

closing

Kansas

Rachel and Anna, Iowa,


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Customer Service Attribute Examples

Phone and people skills• Tone• Grammar • Attitude

Adherence to required procedures

• Standard greeting• Privacy Act• Standard responses

Problem solving skills and knowledge

• Probing questions• Clear resolutions• Appropriate options

General call expectations• Verify school year• Verify address • Create phone log

CSR Call Expectations


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Virtual Classroom Training

• The virtual classroom supports -• Immediate feedback and direction from the trainer

• Leveraging trainer expertise for select assignments regardless of location

• Participant engagement through activities

• Seamless transition to the production floor

• Adobe training promotes consistency in content delivery among trainers and locations

• Each class has two trainers and two training assistants• Training support assistants are available in the training

area to assist the students with activities, technical support or individual questions


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Virtual Classroom Interface

Las Cruces Nesting


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Types of Training Provided

• New Hire Training – Full curriculum • FAFSA on the Web skip logic

• Customer Relations Management

• Soft skills on courtesy, tone, pace, etc.

• Mock calls and realistic scenarios to prepare for production floor

• Daily quizzes, activities and assessments

• Integration of resources

• Nesting period for practice and coaching

• Rehire Training • Refresher training after an absence


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Types of Training Provided

• UP Training • CSRs are selected to demonstrate best practices

with their peers• Illustrate successful styles and techniques in

working with difficult issues and individuals• Demonstrate navigational techniques• Share email management tactics.• Reinforce that call efficiency can lead to good

customer service.


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Comprehensive, Easily Accessible Resource


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FSAIC School Advisory Groups

• This is a forum of practicing financial aid administrators and high school counselors. The group has been helpful in:

• Promoting the sharing of ideas and information to inform the FSAIC of the secondary and postsecondary institutional perspective in helping students and families learn about, apply for and obtain financial aid.

• Providing a contextual understanding on student and family use of the FSAIC programs and services.


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FSAIC School Advisory Groups

• Identifying problems or issues which confront students and families in applying for and obtaining financial aid in which the FSAIC might effectively assist through development of new services or activities.

• Suggested scripting for specific school referrals and school related topics.

• Reviewing training content.• Assessing the impact of solutions for enhancements

and new FAFSA requirements.


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Composition

• All school types are represented: 2- and 4- year publics, 4-year privates, graduate, private-for-profit, college access and awareness organizations, secondary counselors

• Established in Iowa, Arizona, Kansas, New Mexico and Mississippi

• Face-to-face meetings 2 to 3 times each year• Began June 2009


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Las Cruces FSAIC School Advisory Group Members

• Annette Kaus and Marliss Monette, New Mexico Institute of Mining & Technology

• Michelle Lukesh and Lisa Maynez, Dona Ana Community College

• Onorina Franco, Western New Mexico University• Janie Merchant and Marlene Melendez, New Mexico

State University• Linda A. Gonzalez-Hensgen and Raul Lerma, El Paso

Community College• Ron Williams and Maria Carrizales, University of Texas,

El Paso


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Typical Financial Aid Office related questions

• When will I get my award? My disbursement? What do I qualify for?

• What is the EFC? • My school wants me to use the IRS DRT? How do I do

that?• Special circumstances - My parent lost his/her job. My

parents don’t support me. What should I do?• Verification. How do I obtain documents to verify my

income?• What is unmet need?• What is the DRN?• Professional Judgment – How can I be independent for

financial aid?• How can I add another school?


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When is a Script Appropriate?

• Complex topic or issue • Ensure consistent response for all agents and

sites• Examples:

• EFC• Professional Judgment• Verification• Privacy Agreement

• Reviewed by Office of Federal Student Aid


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Verification Process

“Your application has been randomly selected for verification, which is a process where your school confirms the data reported on your FAFSA. Your school has the authority to request documentation that supports income and other information that you reported”

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Professional Judgment, Dependency Override, Special Circumstance

Every time the subject of professional judgment, dependency override, or considering special circumstances comes up, we should say: "You'll need to speak to the aid administrator at your school about that.”

If pressed, say: "The information should be listed as asked for on the application. For your question, you'll need to speak to the aid administrator at your school about that.“

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What are your thoughts on how can we improve accuracy and responsiveness at the Federal Student Aid Information Center?


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Victor Janey, Operations Director, Education Services – General Dynamics Information Technology, Inc.

Carol Mowbray, Customer Experience Manager, Education Services – GDIT, Inc,

Documents

GENERAL DYNAMICS INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY PROPRIETARY Customer Service Interaction : The Financial Aid Office and Federal Student Aid Information Center