Rushing causes mistakes
I have a hard time with my staff not taking their time and making careless mistakes when processing/submitting files. The volume seems to push them to want to rush, which causes more problems in the end.
Jennifer,
This issue is one that most FA Administrators deal with on a regular basis. We want to give good service by quickly moving the students through the process; however, the prompt service is often not worth the issues created by careless errors. I would encourage the staff to take the extra 5-10 minutes to check/re-check the documents and process to ensure accuracy. You probably understand that once a mistake is made it often takes twice as long to correct (and it is always the file chosen during your audit).
When I was at the campus level I had my FA Counselors work in pairs and check each others work. It was a difficult practice to implement but I found that staff did a better overall job -they never wanted a co-worker to find a mistake.
Sincerely, Chyrl
I have had to really slow down, I came from a background of retail where speed is of the essence. It took some time to slow down and not feel that I was wasting time by not moving fast when processing files. I have learned that slower can in reality be faster as it takes way more time to correct mistakes than to do it right the first time. Even such a small thing as making sure that all documents are signed correctly and dated correctly can save a lot of time in tracking down a student. I try to go over all documents while the student is in the office to make sure they are correct. There are still times when we find items to correct later but it is much less frequent.
Janet,
Excellent point. We often create more issues by rushing the student through a process instead of taking the extra time to complete the process and really think about our guidance. Going that extra mile to ensure accuracy will improve your process, documentation and the relationship you form with students.
I hope that your online education experience is a positive. Best wishes in your continued growth.
Sincerely, Chyrl
I have been working as Financial Aid Officer by 9 years and I have learned that we must take our time especially in the first interview or when completing the verification. This is very important to avoid mistakes and further problems or misunderstanding with the student. When we make mistakes the situation will be worst because it will take us more time to resolve it and the student will be irritated and unhappy...
Financial Aid is one department where the staff should take extra time to ensure accuracy. Most FA departments have more than one employee and if several are making mistakes, a lot of files will become problematic and it takes twice as long to fix a mistake than spending 5 or 10 minutes making sure everything is good.
Joan,
I am in complete agreement with your assessment. If you take the time necessary to do the process correctly it will save your time. It has been my experience that the file that contains errors will haunt you throughout the student's educational process.
Sincerely, Chyrl
Rushing is not a good way to cut down the volume of work. The more you rush ,the more careless mistake can occur. From my experience, taking things slow is better than rushing. It'll take more time to clean a mess. Working in a financial office just one error can cost time and money to the entire institution.
