I need them all to feel like a winner, but in an effort to discuss if I was to rank them, I guess I would say accuracy must come first in order to not have to go back and repeat the process which would delay the timeliness. The timeliness of showing results to the student would be good customer service and of course everything in life should be done with a smile and a positive attitude.
Linda, Excellent statement on the importance of accurately processing a student's aid. Both timeliness and customer service are important, however, without the accuracy neither will be accomplished. Best of luck in your online studies, David McGuffee
David McGuffee
To our school all three items are equally important, since this will make the student transaction easier and the student will feel that he/she is receiving the proper care.
Of these three items, the most important to me in my process is Accuracy. All of these items are important in my process, but without accuracy, timeliness and service will suffer.
I had had past situations where if accuracy is not in place when reviewing completion of documents, this will create a lack of service down the road and take longer for items to be completed.
Hi Debbie,
I agree that all three are vital. Without any one of these items, the Financial Aid process on our campuses will not function appropriately.
I like your comment on needing a check and balance system within our offices to ensure errors are caught. Human error is inevitable, but can be corrected by having another individual double checking that all paperwork is signed and initialed in the appropriate places.
Having such a system will (hopefully) prevent any findings in an audit.
Millie, I agree, all three items should work hand in hand. Although, if the information processed is not accurate you wind up having to process it all over again which inturn takes away the timeliness.
Regards,
David McGuffee
Carol, I aree with you totaly. Without the accuracy you can't have timeliness and customer service. Having policies in place to ensure the accuracy of the information submitted for the student will really serve you well in the long run.
Regards,
David McGuffee
Service is the most important for me. I feel that without great customer service we will not have students. I try to make them feel unique and special. You can correct mistakes in accuracy and you practice will make your work more timely, but you can never make another first impression, so I try to make it memorable for each student.
Tina, great comment. Accuracy and timeliness go hand in hand with good customer service. Students have enough to worry about with their studies so anything we can do in the financial aid office to make their experience as stress free as possible is always a good thing and leaves a good impression on the student. Good luck in your online studies.
Regards,
David McGuffee
I'm honestly back and forth between accuracy and service but I belive accuracy is the most important aspect of financial aid. While service is extremely important, if the award is incorrect the potential harm to the student outweighs anything else. A student could potentialy have to interrupt their studies if the aid information was incorrect resulting is less aid than anticipated. You can be polite while working harder at the accuracy of your work.
We really focus on all three. Timeliness is important because we work in cycles and when you get behind it is very had to catch up. Accuracy is crucial because we all know, there can't be mistakes in FA. Service is something that my school focuses on a great deal. we want our students to always have a positive opinon and be satisfied with their education
Susan, Good point. Actually, Accuracy goes hand in hand with customer service. Without the accuracy of the awarding package customer service has not been provided since the student will needlessly have to do it all again. The need to ensure that the documentation provided by the student the first time can rewording to both the student and the financial aid office. Good luck in your online studies.
Regards,
David McGuffee
Jason, I could not agree with you more. Timeliness, accuracy and good customer service go hand in hand. You haven't fulfilled one with out the other. good luck in your online studies.
Regards,
David McGuffee
At my school, I am the sole Financial Aid officer. For me, service seems to be number 1. Offering excellent customer service helps the timeliness and accuracy fall in to place. If they student feels like they received excellent service, they will be more likely to bring back all the required documentation you need in a timely manner.
Tabitha,
It is very difficult when you are a one-person FA Office to balance all aspects of the Financial Aid Department. I do agree that in your situation making sure the student feels as if he/she are receiving good service is important fof the overall relationship with you. If the student knows you are dedicated to accurately and timely processing of their financial aid, the student will try to timely meet the requirements. The more timely the student is in responding to your request will enable you to more accurately review and process their paperwork.
Best wishes in your continued online education experience in financial aid.
Chyrl Ayers
I would have to say that all three items play an important role in our process. Our institution has three starts a year. In order to keep a student intrigued and on board per start, timeliness in processing financial paperwork is essential. Processing all financial aid related paperwork is both beneficial to the student; because they are aware of their award package and are prepared financially; as well as to the institution because if a student is not complete with financial aid it can hold up their start. Accuracy is important in the process because there is nothing worse than providing inaccurate information to the student. If a student is awarded incorrectly or the verification was not done accurately, this can result in major loss for the student, which in turn can result in a loss of an enrollment. Finally, service is extremely important because just as the module stated, if your among institutions that offer the same programs, the only difference is going to be the service that is provided. A student will always remember how you made them feel, and that can be the deciding factor.
I was glad to see some one say that all three are important. If you only have focus on just one of the aspects you will not be delivering "excellent customer service". We need to remember that our studnets/families trust that we will handle all these aspects.
My thoughts are on the same page. I have run the FA office myself (1 person) as well as multiple staff members and offices. It is a the balance of all three that bring success to the office(s).
Although all three are very important, I believe service is first. You can only creat one first great impression. If you provide great customer first, practice and knowledge learned will give the timeliness and accuracy.
Wanda,
Your comments are accurate. All three characteristic are important to the overall experience of the student. Students need to know that their financial aid process is being handled in a timely and accurate manner. This should always be expressed in a confident and professional manner. Your comments really had some great points.
Chyrl Ayers
