Student Contact Center: From Development to Delivery A Vision for Anytime, Anywhere Student Services
The Vision Single Source of Information Walk In Needs Met Here! Phone Email Agents empowered Departments supporting Immediate Service No transfers Organization Positioned for Future Mail Internet Flexible Tech-savvy High-touch
Building the Dream Call center (AskAC) New web portal (myac) Redesigned web services (CMS) Reengineered walk-in services
Many Needs, Single Solutions Walk In Phone Web Mail Colleague WebAdvisor CMS Colleague WebAdvisor CMS Digital Phone System Colleague WebAdvisor CMS WebCT Chat myac Portal Colleague
Supporting Technology Content Management System (College Website) Department information Ask a Counselor Payment plans Graduation application myac Portal Information Email Forum Phone system Messages on hold Callbacks Accurate call tracking Merged phone numbers New Technologies Chat feature Scheduling software for Testing Services Knowledgebase (proposed)
Online Payment Plans
Advisor Appointment Scheduling
AskAC: Chat Feature Available on five web pages Registration Distance Education Testing Financial Aid Canned messages
Distance Education Pre-Assessment: READI
Portal Ask a Counselor Form All prospective student requests for information go to a shared folder for processing by AskAC agents.
Phone System
Tutoring: Smarthinking
Test Appointment Scheduling
AskAC Services and Referrals Admission/Registration Distance Education Help Desk Financial Aid/Scholarship Information Business Services (payments, payment plans) Advising (registration clearance, appointments, referrals) Resolving Technical Problems and holds Assistance in accessing college information systems (WebCT, WebAdvisor, etc.) Tutoring (Smarthinking) Recruitment Support General Information and Other Services (campus operator)
Implementation Challenges Staffing Creating job descriptions, grade levels Part time, full time, students? Job duties Scheduling Extended hours & holidays Training Large amount of information New technologies Merging offices Location Setting up work stations Acceptance Expectations Immediate elimination of transferred calls Skepticism Expanded hours
Phone System On the clock, but not currently receiving calls
Phone System Statistics AskAC Incoming Calls 25,000 20,000 15,000 10,000 5,000 2007 2006 2005 0 Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec
When the phone is not ringing Meaningful work! Respond to emails Enter online applications Process admission letters Process requests for information Process recruiter prospect information Process CE registrations and payments Process web address changes
Reengineered Walk-in Services Assistance Centers Walk-in Combined Service Centers (3 campuses) Merged with AskAC Call Center Shared staffing & scheduling Shared responsibilities
Anytime, Anywhere Student Services Customer Service Excellence All college incoming calls answered by AskAC agents (every department main phone number) 1 st call resolution for questions/problems (empowered agents) Accurate and consistent information and service (training) Increased service availability (extended hours) Focus on service, not time to complete call Efficiency Off-Peak job duties Continuous cross training in all departments Use of electronic communication (email, message boards, chat) Merge schedules and job responsibilities with walk-in service Increase use of technology Knowledgebase, myac portal, CMS web pages Develop user-friendly web pages to encourage self-service
Outcomes Improvement of service to all students Services and Support for students at-a-distance Extended hours of service to students (including weekends and holidays) Feedback loop to ensure accuracy of information Central point of contact for campus information Reduction of calls to Student Services departments by 70% (estimated) Improvement of services provided by the Information Technology Services Division
Thank You for Attending this Session! Contact Information Robert Austin Associate Dean for Enrollment Management Amarillo College austin-rc@actx.edu 806 371 5024 Dale Longbine Director of Customer Services Amarillo College longbine-de@actx.edu 806 371 5977
Presentation Download http://www.actx.edu/semxvii/