Allan,
This is a very personal question for all participants in this course. I appreciate your well-thought out answer and respect your position on the importance of Accuracy - accurate information certainly drives the process to a smoother completion for the student, parent (if applicable) and the campus team. The handling of the FAFSA information will enable all to complete the process in an efficient and accurate manner.
Sincerely, Chyrl
Chyrl Ayers
Accuracy is most important to me in the FA process. Bad information in on the front side can cause ISIR corrections and unneeded verifications. Making sure the student uses the IRS retrieval tool, stops lots of problems that could occur. Having the student tell you who is being counted in the household and how they or the parents are actively supporting those people, helps a lot. Making sure married folks do not file head of household, cuts down on problems.The more accurate the student is on the initial filing of the FAFSA, the easier it is to get them packaged and get their funds disbursed. Having said all of that, admissions must be timely in addressing inquiries, FA must be timely in getting packages finished, and Customer service is behind everything else that keeps students in school.
Lisa,
The most important characteristic of Financial Aid is a very personal choice for all FA Professionals. I respect your comments and your approach to handling students - all three characteristics listed are important to the student's overall experience and will leave a lasting impression.
Best wishes in your continued online education process.
Sincerely, Chyrl
Chyrl Ayers
I believe accuracy is most important. Most of the time mistakes are ultimately what drives a student to see financial aid. Either the funding didn't come in or it's incorrect. If we are accurate then students may have less chance to have a negative experience in the first place. That being said of course timeliness and customer service is very important.
I selected accuracy because it's been my experience if I package the students correctly everything else follows. The student receives his/her funds on time, there is no balance to contend with and I have in essence provided good customer service.
Everyone makes mistakes, usually because we rush. If I find myself trying to hurry too much I will scale "my hurry it up attitude" back a bit and look over the package a second time just to make sure I didn't miss anything.
Frances,
The characteristics are all critical to the overall success of the student's experience with Financial Aid. Also, these characteristics really apply to all aspects of the process - all departments must be providing customer service while performing the task accurately and timely.
Sincerely, Chyrl
Chyrl Ayers
All three of these characteristics are important. Of course when processing financial aid, accuracy is key.
Nicole,
Many participants in this forum agree with you on Service being the most important. All three aspects are necessary for success and many feel that these all go hand-in-hand that you cannot have good service without taking timely and accurate action on behalf of your students. It is very important to have that solid foundation when meeting the overall needs of the students.
Sincerely Chyrl
Chyrl Ayers
I would have to say Service should always be #1 , because if you create a good experience for each student and are helping them to understand the process. Any other issues that may arise you have created a good foundation and trust between the student and school.
Great answer. Smile and positive attitude is very important
Nicholas,
The selection on which is the most important characteristic is a very personal decision and probably reflects on the approach your team has to students. It is difficult to have just one item since good service would be directly related to timely and accurate processing. Good service is all inclusive of meeting all of the needs of your students.
Sincerely, Chyrl
Chyrl Ayers
All three items are important but if I were to pick one, I would pick service. Timeliness and accuracy are both required parts to providing good service. In the chance that timeliness and accuracy don't work out, the service that was provided during that time is what is going to stand out in the student's memory of the situation.
Accuracy is the most important aspect of the above three items. As a financial aid professional, one needs to ensure that the student records are completely accurate. Records that are not kept in order can cause chaos for auditors and possibly the Department of Education if a representative visits the office.
Yusimi ,
I agree that it is important to provide students with accurate, clear, and timely responses. Are there any techniques you use to ensure this occurs when students have questions? Do you try to set appointments to address the students' concerns or do you implore a more open door policy? Your feedback could provide other participants with ideas for their Financial Aid Office.
Sincerely, Chyrl
Chyrl Ayers
it is essential that the student is satisfied with your explanation
Lazara,
Accuracy is very important and this forum was a very personal question posed to all that participated. As you can see many participants had varying thoughts on each characteristic and how all come together to form a perfect balance.
Sincerely, Chyrl
Chyrl Ayers
I believe that accuracy is one of the most important processes when dealing with Financial Aid. We are dealing with Federal Aid and are being audited on this information. It is all black and white and no grey areas.
Sincerely,
Lazara Tapia
Nathaly ,
I agree with your thoughts on the importance of great customer service skills as it relates to students and parents. Our focus at the campus level is about building relationships with our students to ensure their overall success from start to graduation. Also, when you are focused on servicing the student I believe accurate and timely processing financial aid will occur as part of the overall process.
Sincerely, Chyrl
Chyrl Ayers
Although all are very important when dealing with students in general, I believe customer service is the most beneficial to the students as well as myself. Great customer service creates a bond with you and the student which helps them trust you when dealing with school issues.
Jennifer,
Many of the participants in this forum made the same observation. If Customer Service is placed as the number one priority in the Financial Aid Office then accurate and timeliness of processing would follow. When you are striving to provide students with excellent customer service it is difficult to separate it from accurate and timely processing. It is important to build in report to verify that the exemplary customer service is creating accurate collection of FA information and timely awarding/disbursing and reporting.
Sincerely, Chyrl
Chyrl Ayers
I would rank customer service as the top priority because accuracy and timeliness are a part of good customer service.
