Merilyn,
I think your approach is the best when servicing students. The FA staff is a critical to the successful enrollment and education process of each student. Ensuring the student is comfortable and providing accurate information is the "best level of service that can be offered.
Best wishes in your continued pursuit of online educationsl.
Sincerely, Chyrl
Service:
The moment a student walks into our financial aid offices, we -financial aid officers could either contribute that student's decision of enrolling and not enrolling. When a customer perceives that we make them feel important and valued, they are more likely to do business with us, provide accurate information which allows us to process timely.
Catherine,
I agree that all items are extremely important to running a successful FA Office and each FA Office must find their focus to be successful. It appears taht you and your team focus on the customer service aspect to insure that your students feel confident and satisfied. One of the most important aspects about service is taking care of the customer at all levels and based on your answer you understand this important aspect.
Best wishes in your continued success in FA and online education.
Sincerely, Chyrl
All three items are extremely necessary to run a successful and efficient Financial Aid department. But I'm a firm believer in first providing excellent customer service to the student. I do this by first greeting the student (and whomever they've brought with them) with a friendly smile and offering them some water or coffee. Then I get to know them a little by asking a few questions and REALLY listening to their answers. I like to convey humanity - not that they are just a number to us, because they're not. Letting them feel like they matter and that what they're about to embark upon is evidence of their self-worth. I want them to feel that we really do care about their success and that the entire staff is vested in that success. Processing Financial Aid packages is pretty routine, but making the effort to connect with each and every student is anything but routine, because no two people are alike.
Marlene,
I completely agree with your assessment on a clean ISIR and the ability to expedite the FA process; however, when you do not have a clean ISIR is is good to a solid foundation based on customer service. If your students and parents are comfortable and confident in your ability they will be more willing to assist in the process.
Best wishes in your continued online education in Financial Aid.
Sincerely, Chyrl
Service:
By providing great costumer service you will have a better and clear interview with a student. You will gain trust and more likely the information you obtain from the student will be more accurate.
There is nothing better than to have a clean ISIR and complete paperwork so you are able to process their FA timely.
Christina,
Service and that personal touch with students is invaluable in meeting their needs. It is great when your students and parents are comfortable coming to you and working out concerns. Based on your email it sounds as if your service level is extremely high. How do you feel that you and your team does in the otehr areas of FA Administration (i.e. compliance, timeliness, etc.)?
Best wishes in your continued online educational experience.
Sincerely, Chyrl
In my opinion the Service is a very important part of my process in the Fiancial Aid Office. We have a small school. I love being able to have a close relationship with the students and their parents. I know this helps in default.
Although all three are intrinsically important, the most important item in my process is the service. In my years of work, Timeliness and Accuracy will help you to get the job well done; however, a great service will make your job excel all levels of efficiency and will help to keep current students and these bring more by the great marketing tool of "the word of mouth".
Angela
Jacqueline,
I understand your position and agree that all items are necessary to insure overall success with students. It is very difficult to list one of these characteristics as more important and a great deal of the importance is based on the structure of your FA Office.
Best wishes in your continued online education.
Sincerely,
Chyrl
The most important characteristics of Financial Aid would equally be timliness, accuracy, and quality of service.
Alicia,
All three aspects are important and I agree it is difficult to be truly successful in meeting students' needs without all aspects. Your response is a very well thought out approach to this question. The more all strive to balance all three the greater the chances are that students will have a overall great experience.
Best wishes in your continued online education.
Sincerely, Chyrl
I believe that all three items are important to the financial aid process. It is difficult to say which one is more important than the other. However, if I were forced to take a stand on just one I would say Service would be first. People want to be appreciated and respected for who they are and what they are trying to accomplish. They other day someone said to me that when they entered our school they could feel the positive atmosphere everywhere. Everyone greeted them with respect and enthusiasm which made them feel good about their decision to attend our school. Second, I would say is accuracy. When an error is made in calculating a financial aid award, this could lead to distrust in the school as a whole. Timeliness, would come a close third. Sometimes you only have a small window to close a deal with a prospective student, because there are so many course/school options available to them.
Joan,
That is an excellent point - all three aspect share an equal level of importance in the process of TIV. Good customer service will insure that prospective and current students are comfortable providing documentation to the FA Office and expedite the process.
Best wishes in your online education experience.
Sincerely, Chyrl
The financial aid process encompesses each of these three items equally. Servicing your client includes timeliness and being accurate. If these are in place, your student will experience exceptional customer service.
Accuracy is the most important item in the Financial Aid process. The Financial Aid Office is regulated by federal requirements and we are to comply with those. Continuos mistakes in financial aid process will affect Intitution's reputation and that could affect future eligibility for federal aid programs.
The most important item in the process depends on the master you are serving. I grew up in financial aid when it was still considered a student service, and I still believe it is. To me, training my staff to give good service and treat every individual as an individual is important. By providing good service and good advice, we are helping the student make good choices and are helping them achieve their dreams.
However, as financial aid became more of a business function (large dollars that not only help an institution survive, but can be the reason the school exists), timeliness and accuracy have become the war cry of every administrator, to get the dollars in to cover student tuition.
A good Financial Aid Office can marry the competing demands and provide timely and accurate processing and also remain student/customer centered.
This is a difficult question to answer because they are all important.
Customer service is extremely important for me because students need to be aware of all options. There are many times that students complain to me because I tell them more than they really want to know. Being a former student myself, I was not afforded the opportunity to choose which options worked better for me. I was under the impression that since my credit was not good...I would not qualify for any financial assistance. When I got into the industry, I decided that no other student that came to my school would be confused. Therefore, I make sure my staff cover everything so the student is aware and can make the best decision for themselves.
Accuracy and Timeliness go hand in hand. Why do more work than necessary by making sure that you are accurate in what we are submitting for certification.
To me the most important is the atmosphere an applicant is entering into when coming to our school. The atmosphere I will call benevolent atmosphere. To achieve it one will utilize all three characteristics mentioned. So, I do not think we can separate or prioritize them.
Denise,
All three items are of equal importance and the lack of any could result in issues in the student's college experience. It is difficult to find all characteristic in all members of your team; however, most of the skills may be taught to the personnel (if they are willing).
Good luck in your continued education in online FA Administration.
Sincerely, Chyrl
