| November 8, 2011
Customer Service in Student Financial Aid
Presenters
Sara Blackburn, Financial Aid Advisor
Terri LeGrand, Associate Director
Customer Service
How do you feel about your school’s financial aid office
customer service?
The second strongest factor in an attendance decision is, “Can I afford it?” If customer-oriented service in financial aid does not help answer that question while making the potential student feel good about how he or she was treated, your school has lost a new student.
Dr. Neal Raisman, The Power of Retention: More Customer Service in Higher Education
Definition
Customer Service is an organization’s ability to supply their customer’s wants and needs.
Excellent Customer Service is the ability of an organization to constantly and consistently exceed the customer’s expectations.
Sbinfocanada.about.com
Meeting Basic Needs
• Friendliness • Understanding and empathy • Fairness• Control• Options and alternatives • Information
www.corporatetrainingmaterials.com
6 Keys of Customer Service
1. Attitude 4. Information2. Listening 5. Follow Through3. Personalization 6. Extra Mile Efforts
Tools for Effective Listening
• Concentrate on what they are saying.
• Avoid multi-tasking while in conversation.
• Take notes.
• Listen without interrupting.
• Restate the issues.
Test FAFSA
Fafsademo.test.ed.gov
User name: eddemoPassword: fafsatest
Going the Extra Mile
• Offer additional help.• Check students’ records.• Learn other departments.• Be pro-active.• Provide community service.
Walk-ins
• Assist walk-ins before phone callers.• Acknowledge people ASAP.• Consider privacy.• Arrange furniture.• Be prepared.
Preparation for Walk-ins
• Appropriate forms (plenty of copies)• Pens, clipboards• Campus maps• Sign-in sheet for busy days• Business cards• Brochures and cards• Information slips
Email Etiquette: The Do’s and Don’ts of Email
Do• Use greetings and closings.• Check spelling and
grammar.• Place yourself in the
reader’s position.• Be patient for replies.• Make the subject line
specific.• Use please and thank you.
www.corporatetrainingmaterials.com
Don’t• DON’T include confidential information. • DON’T label a message urgent unless it really is. • DON’T use all capital letters. • DON’T send a message when you are angry. • DON’T forward a message unless necessary.• DON’T say anything negative about another person.
CONCLUSION
Questions
Comments
Discussion and tips
Contact Information
Student Financial Aid OfficeP.O. Box 7246
Winston-Salem, NC [email protected]
p 336-758-5154f 336-758-4924
Sara Blackburn Terri [email protected] [email protected]