1 / 25

Customer Service Interaction: The Financial Aid Office and Federal Student Aid Information Center

Customer Service Interaction: The Financial Aid Office and Federal Student Aid Information Center March 27, 2014. GENERAL DYNAMICS INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY PROPRIETARY. Federal Student Aid Information Center (FSAIC) 1-800-4-FED-AID.

niesha
Download Presentation

Customer Service Interaction: The Financial Aid Office and Federal Student Aid Information Center

An Image/Link below is provided (as is) to download presentation Download Policy: Content on the Website is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use and may not be sold / licensed / shared on other websites without getting consent from its author. Content is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use only. Download presentation by click this link. While downloading, if for some reason you are not able to download a presentation, the publisher may have deleted the file from their server. During download, if you can't get a presentation, the file might be deleted by the publisher.

E N D

Presentation Transcript

  1. Customer Service Interaction: The Financial Aid Office and Federal Student Aid Information Center March 27, 2014 GENERAL DYNAMICS INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY PROPRIETARY

  2. Federal Student Aid Information Center (FSAIC) 1-800-4-FED-AID FSAIC is tasked to provide timely and accurate information and services for inquiries such as: • 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

  3. FSAIC 2013

  4. 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

  5. 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 How many do we serve?

  6. SAM is our FSAIC Mascot: Sponsor of the American Mind

  7. 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

  8. 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 Customer Service Representatives Kansas Rachel and Anna, Iowa,

  9. CSR Call Expectations

  10. 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

  11. Virtual Classroom Interface Las Cruces Nesting

  12. 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

  13. 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.

  14. Comprehensive, Easily Accessible Resource

  15. 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.

  16. 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.

  17. 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

  18. 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

  19. 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?

  20. 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

  21. 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”

  22. 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.“

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

  24. Victor Janey, Operations Director, Education Services – General Dynamics Information Technology, Inc. Carol Mowbray, Customer Experience Manager, Education Services – GDIT, Inc,

More Related