I would say service because it is the one thing that impacts the other two. Good service can help ensure timeliness and fix mistakes because the student is willing to help. All the timeliness and accuracy means nothing if you lose the student because of bad service. You never get a second chance to make a first impression.
Melissa,
There really is no right or wrong answer to this question since all elements are necessary to have a successful department and happy studnets. If a campus is delivering good customer service to their students, the students will be willing to provide information in a timely and accurate manner. Also, it will enable the campus to staff to interact with the students in a positive manner.
I apologize for my delayed response but I have been traveling the over the last few days. Best wishes to you on your continued education online.
Sincerely, Chyrl
I believe excellent customer service is comprised of timeliness, accuracy and service. All three are very important to the student. Keeping them interested and not risking delays that cause them to look elsewhere is key. Accuracy can keep the ball rolling and inaccuracy can cause delays. When the student feels you are truly interested in helping them further their education they are more likely to continue working with you and recommending your school to others.
Lisa,
I agree with your comments related to the value of all 3 aspects of a Financial Aid Office. It is important that students feel engaged in the process through timely and accurately processing.
Best wishes in your continued online educational process.
Sincerely,
Chyrl
I beleive all three are important and work simultaneously. Great service helps with moving the process along. Accuracy and timeliness helps to ensure that the correct and required information and documentation is being provided and obtained to be used appropriately as designed by the department.
Sharon,
I agree with your assessment. It is important to recognize the value of each element and balance these for the students. If you design your FA Office and processes around delivering all three elements you will have a winning service for your students.
Best wishes in your continued online education.
Sincerely,
Chyrl
Accuracy is only achieve by providing good customer services and timeliness just follow through.
Silvia,
The way you connect all three is a great way to look at your financial aid process. If you combine all three elements into the process the students should be satisfied in the results.
Best wishes in your continued financial aid education online.
Sincerely, Chyrl
In my opinion all three are very important in the Financial Aid process. The Accuracy is the most important of all. In Financial Aid Accuracy is key in order to achieve timeliness by aoivding corrections and not doing the work over. An accurate Financial Aid officer should also have good Customer skills in order to provide a good service as a whole.
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
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.
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.
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.
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 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.
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
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.
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
The most important characteristics of Financial Aid would equally be timliness, accuracy, and quality of service.
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
