Financial Aid Best Practices REVISED

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National Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators Presents… Customer Service in Financial Aid: Principles and Best Practices Tom Rebstock, TG Leonard Gude, University of South Florida Julia Benz, Rice University Rich Boruszewski, Thomas M. Cooley School of Law Carolyn Houston, MTI College of Business and Technology

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Is customer service important? The purpose of business is to create and keep a customer. — Peter Drucker Sixty-eight percent of lost customers go elsewhere because the people they deal with are indifferent to their needs. — Strategic Planning Institute Agenda Principles of Customer Service Tom Rebstock, TG Best Practices: Leonard Gude, University of South Florida Julia Benz, Rice University Rich Boruszewski, Thomas M. Cooley School of Law Carolyn Houston, MTI College of Business and Technology Questions and YOUR Best Practices Identify your customers Internal External • • • • • 2

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34 workshops / 1,200 FA staff, 2002–05 AASFAA (AL) University of Southern Colorado Augusta State University (GA) Palm Beach Atlantic University (FL) University of the Incarnate Word Indiana State University SASFAA Dallas County Community College NMASFAA Angelo State University Tougaloo College (MS) South Texas VoTech Wiley College Texas A&M Kingsville Computer-Ed Institute San Jacinto College Clayton State University (GA) Best practices in customer service University of South Florida Rice University Thomas M. Cooley School of Law MTI College of Business and Technology 3

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University of South Florida Tampa, Florida 42,590 enrollment 31,942 financial aid recipients $220,000,000 total aid 43 full-time staff, plus 40-50 student employees Personal greetings (be there) FA director, assistant directors, and other volunteers personally greet students in lobby during week before and first week of semester “Triage” students to appropriate area Counseling staff PC terminals Counter staff Free candy and lemonade Have fun and make their day! Spring Break Day Halloween “Student of the Day” award FAT Tuesdays Tuesday afternoon FA fair to encourage continuing students to file FAFSAs early Promoted through campus media/e-mails Check for complete data, help with updates, making sure everything in order 4

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Annual customer survey Web-based questionnaire Feedback on Publications Counter service Phone service Web services Appointments, etc. Feedback used to improve services! 5

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Counselor support teams Counselor assigned to each student Each counselor is part of a team: Team leader 2 counselors Graduate assistant Program assistant Customer service is overall team responsibility Organizational chart 6

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Rice University Houston, Texas 4,800 enrollment 3,840 financial aid recipients $73,000,000 total aid 10 full-time staff Reapplication initiatives Contests and prizes for those who complete before deadline Creative advertising Feature articles in student newspaper Sponsor a team during Beer Bike Staff training and development University resources TG resources Semi-annual retreats HR “beta” group for new ideas Professional development goals on annual performance plans Weekly file reviews 1.5 hour sessions with professional staff to review “tough” files Staff prepare cases as advocate for family Other staff provide counterpoint Provides ongoing consistency and professionalism in need analysis 7

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Thomas M. Cooley School of Law Lansing, Michigan 2,813 enrollment 2,450 FA recipients $55 million aid Six FA staff Town hall meetings President, dean, FA director Sponsored by student organization Address key points and answer all questions Cross training FA staff trained with other Enrollment Services staff Promotes streamlining of operations One-stop shop Enhanced Web site Better educate students: Scholarships Default management Job placement 8

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MTI College of Business and Technology Houston, Texas 2,322 students 1,802 financial aid recipients $9,798,200 Title IV aid 13 full-time FA staff E-mail communication Send reminders at tax time to keep copy of tax returns Bus passes Work with Houston Metro to obtain free bus passes for those in need Job placement support Training in resume preparation, interviewing skills Job board, free use of fax Hold two job fairs per year Allow employers to come on campus to conduct interviews On-site testing facility for A+, Net++, CAN, MCSE, and MOUSE Closet of professional attire for interviews (shoes, ties, jackets, etc.) 9

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Customer service in financial aid What are YOUR best practices? One thing that I will… Start doing to better serve my customers Stop doing to better serve my customers Keep doing to better serve my customers 10