Responding to Student Inquiries: Tools and Techniques

1. Session 21 Responding to Student Inquiries: Tools and Techniques Michele Brown Victor Janey Elizabeth Meekin Estrella Ricci

2. Federal Student Aid Information Center: Mission and Services Provides timely, accurate information and services: • Federal Student Aid - general and individual information • Assistance with: • Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) • Personal Identification Number (PIN) • Student Aid Report (SAR) • Student loan history • Publication requests • Contact information for: National Student Loan Data System web site, Direct Loan centers, guaranty and state agencies, etc.

3. Federal Student Aid Information Center Locations and Customer Service Hours • Monday – Friday 8 am – 12 midnight • Saturday 9 am – 6 pm • Extended Weekend Hours Based on need and time of year Coralville, IA Phoenix, AZ Lawrence, KS

4. How We Serve Students’ Needs • Interactive Voice Response Unit 24/7 IVRU services • Agent Assisted Services - Phone calls to 1-800-4-FED-AID Responded to 5,394,706 customer calls through 8/2006 - E-mail for FAFSA on the WEB Responded to 441,678 e-mails through 08/2006 - Online Live Help for FAFSA on the WEB and PIN sites Completed over 89,765 CHAT interactions through 08/2006 - Respond to 8 MILLION inquiries yearly 450 Customer Service Representatives English and Spanish Services

5. When Customers Call . . . Our Customer Service Representatives (CSR): • Greet callers and assess their needs • Request identifiers to comply with the Privacy Act • Use resources to answer callers’ questions • May refer callers to the correct entity • Enter type of call and leave customer service record • End the calls with the appropriate closing

6. Training Overview Broad range of people to train - build skills and confidence: • Experience with Federal Student Aid • Some prior exposure, e.g. students, parents • Novice level, no prior exposure • Computer skills and experience levels vary • Customer service skills and people orientation vary • Referencing and sourcing skills may be new • Broad Federal Student Aid content a challenge Case Study: Lawrence site • November 2005 – August 2006: 10 classes • How many people trained: 296

7. Purpose of Training • Links actual calls to the training curriculum, with assessment and ongoing feedback at regular intervals • Training design to prepare staff for actual call experiences beyond the classroom “incubator” • Integrates actual call experiences with navigating the reference tools, databases, web sites, etc. • Generates confidence in new skills and abilities

8. Training the Trainers • Use of Core Trainers • Classroom Team: Two trainers for each class • Diversity of skill areas • Cross-trained in skills to support the team • Must be able to multi-task • Knowledgeable of how people learn

9. Training Methods Our Customer Service Representatives Receive: • Initial employee skills assessment • Initial employee training • Refresher training • Annual update training • Annual in-service training • Supervisor training • Ongoing call monitoring and coaching • Twenty annual Federal Student Aid Handbook weekly refresher quizzes • Ad Hoc training for new programs (e.g. HERA ACG)

10. Training Preparation • People preparation • Skills identification • Recruitment • Content preparation • Training materials based on current Federal Student Aid information • Listen to: • Customers • Financial Aid Community • Our employees • Annual training refresh

11. Behavioral Goals

12. Training Program: Overview • Pre-training Assessment • Part I: Content Building • Part II: Technical Skill Building • Part III: Enrichment: Training Never Ends Note: Part I and Part II: In-classroom training

13. Pre-Training Assessment • Completed by all trainees on first day of training • Assesses individual strengths and learning opportunities • Provides trainers an assessment of the level of experience for the whole training class • Serves as a guidepost for trainers to identify which critical training topics to focus on

14. Part I: Content Building • Orientation to content: referencing Department of Education content resources • Presented chronologically to match the Federal Student Aid process • Modular units for comprehension and flexibility • Daily quizzes with follow-up next morning • Monitoring/coaching with CSR on live calls • Escalated skill tasking

15. Training Tools Specific tools in the FSAIC Training • Reference materials • Help text • Knowledge system • Recorded calls • Standard responses

16. Content Building Applicant FAFSA form Day 5: Award Package State Aid Campus-Based Aid Verification Institutional Eligibility Title IV Foreign Schools Day 1-3: Paper FAFSA Renewal FAFSA FOTW COTW ROTW PIN EDE Applicant CPS School Dynamic Triangle: Day 4: Eligibility Gen Eligibility EFC SAR-ISIR Pell ACG SMART School FAA CPS

17. Part II: Technical Skill Building • Orientation to systems: screens, phones, websites, databases, FAFSA on the Web • Navigation • Troubleshooting • Diagnosing • Daily quizzes with follow-up next morning • Extended monitoring/coaching time

18. Part III: Training never ends • Bridging the “Grand Canyon” of forgetfulness with ongoing reviews • “Super-Queue” immediate on-call support from a more experienced agent • Knowledge base updates • Group meetings: current or “hot” topics • Emails with updated information • Weekly call monitoring and calibration feedback • Cyclical in nature: new information annually

19. Assessments • Pre-testing: Federal Student Aid and computer experience • Post-testing: content (general, screens), technical • Daily quiz with next-day follow-up • Error analysis • Daily live and recorded calls, coaching feedback • Supervisor monitoring • Live and recorded (automated call recording system) • Sit-by and remote • Peer monitoring • Target groups: specialized training needs

20. Commitment to Quality: Call Monitoring • Peer monitoring (regular on-going) • Weekly joint monitoring sessions with staff, management, Federal Student Aid • One percent on inbound FSAIC calls each month • Supervisor monitoring calibration monthly between contact centers ensures consistency

21. Supervisor Calibration • Facilitated evaluation of calls among supervisors • Results tracked for all supervisors and reviewed in the team calibration • Benefits: • Supervisors share knowledge and techniques • Consistent evaluation criteria throughout the enterprise • Calibration categories: • Did the CSR follow required procedures and call expectations? • Did the CSR use desired customer service skills and problem solving skills?

22. FAFSA: Paper and Online (FOTW):Mini Module [Recorded Call Tied to Module] • Review both paper and online FAFSA • File a FAFSA for practical experience • Review differences in question order between paper and online versions • Encourage online submission (to improve accuracy due to skip-logic, logic checking, security and speed of turn-around response)

23. Expected Family Contribution Mini Module [Recorded Call Tied to Module] • Explain the Expected Family Contribution • Each CSR does a practice calculation to understand the process • Clarity of eligibility • Process of applying and being notified • Explain the role of the school: • Award amount • Award distribution • Decisions concerning individual situations • Standard response

24. Academic Competitiveness Grant Mini Module [Recorded Call Tied to Module] • Module construction allows for seamless integration of new Higher Education Reconciliation Act content into each training session • ACG “Script” for consistency of response

25. Professional Judgment Mini Module [Recorded Call Tied to Module] • Expressions of referral: “That’s something you may wish to speak with your FAA about.” • Role clarity: “We do not make decisions concerning eligibility.” “We’re here to help you fill out the FAFSA, make corrections on your SAR, etc.”

26. Thanks for the Opportunity to Share We appreciate your feedback and comments. We can be reached at: Michele Brown • Michele.Brown@ed.gov Victor Janey • Victor.Janey@pearson.com