Yes it is. Part of my opening statement is "Today,we are going to discuss your goals, it's going to be all about you...." making that statement makes them aware that I do care and that I am going to listen to him or her. If I was to answer the phone during the interview or allow any other thing to interrupt, it would be contrary to my opening statement.
Very true. And taking calls in the middle of the meeting would surely break rapport if you set a different expectation. My guess is you have great relationships with your students, Joe. Keep up the good work!
So it sounds as if you've found a good balance of securing enough information from the caller to reach them and then focus back on the student in front of you. I really like the fact that you give them a timeframe to expect a call back too. Nice touch!
Peter my office has the same set up with incoming calls. If I am with a student and the incoming call comes directly to my line I will either excuse myself from the converstation to answer the phone or I will let it go directly to voicemail. I apoligize to the student in my office for answering the call and I do inform the caller that I am assisting another student and obtain all their contact information. When I return the call I do apoligize to the student about having to call back and let them know I want to give them my full attention. I haven't had any issues yet.
That's great that this is working out for you and your students Katie. Thanks for sharing what you're office is doing so successfully!
I never pick up the phone. I think its rude to disrupt a meeting with a student/family. I want them to know that they have my full attention.
It's great that you realize the importance of giving your students your full attention, CeCe. I imagine they really appreciate your focus. Have you ever had a student question your decision to not pick up the phone and if so, what explanation did give?
Before starting an interview, I apologize in advance to the student in my office that I may be interupted a time or two due to inquiries calling in. There are two Admission Reps, including myself, at our campus. We developed a system, that if she is available to pick up the phone, she will do so within 2 rings. I know that after the third ring that she was not able to pick up so I excuse myself from the interview to take the call.
I agree. The prospective student can see that other indiviuals are interested also. Sometimes I have to take 3-4 calls during a meeting and it does create that sense of urgency. There are two Admission Reps at our campus. We developed a system that if she is available to take a call she will do it within the first two rings, after the third, that's when I will answer.
There are some prospective students that have called in and do not know what to say. So they may not leave a message. I have ran into this problem with being hung up on when they realized it was a real person on the other line verse a recording. On one call I *69 thhang up and found that the inquiry was so nervous she didn't know what to say, so hung up.
I get the sense that you and your colleague work well together and want to help put your students at ease, even if you have to divert your attention from them. I love your approach to handling a situation that could be detrimental to the rapport that you've built with the student in front of you. I'm curious to know how the system has been working for you?
What an interesting way to handle this with your student, Amanda. I'm curious to know, how did the student respond when you called back and what you did to help your student work through her nervousness when you called back?
I put my phone on cover and only talk to the student in front of me.
It sounds like you prefer to give the student in front of you your undivided attention. That's great! How do you ensure your students know that your not ignoring calls?
I will customize my voicemail message. I also respond very guickly to my voicemails.
I usually never pick up the phone. If I was the perepective student I would not like it done to me. The person sitting in front of you deserves your undivided attention. Furthermore, if someone has taken the time to call you once to get information, they usually will be available (i.e. they will pick up the phone) and appreciative with a retun call, where you can provide them with your undivided attention. If they do not leave a voice mail our system still records their phone number and I will then call them back.
I get the sense that it's important that you demonstrate to your prospective student that you respect their time, Elizabeth. That's a great way to build rapport with your student by offering your complete attention. It also sounds like you are lucky enought to have a system that allows you to retrieve pertinent information to follow up with an interested student and that's awesome! I'm curious, what approach do you use to re-engage the student who hasn't left a message when you call back?
If any of our admission officers is taking care of a student, they do not handle inbound calls. That call will be transfer to another admission officer. If there is no admission officer available our receptionist has been trained to provide and gather the necessary information. She will answer that call and later on an admission officer will call that potential student.
It sounds like you've got a solid system in place to make sure the student receives great service, Cecil. I get the sense that your admissions team places great emphasis on giving their students their undivided attention, which is great! How do you think the current system helps you demonstrate this?
When a potential student comes in I let them know that I may receive a call and I ask them if it is ok if I answer the pone should it ring. I explain that I want to always provide customer service to my students if needed and I'll do the same for them if they become a student here.
