Get Your Students Hired
What process(es) in the Business Office do you find to be cumbersome or antiquated? How would you change these to be more beneficial to the staff and students?
I would think that in our office, having options for a Title IV credit to be paid out in an electronic, rather than paper check would be helpful, but this may be some sort of regulatory issue.
Some Processes in my office that are outdated is paperwork. I've been trying to go paperless for about a year. My direct staff has no problem with the idea, but it's every other department that will not let go of the actual sheet of paper. Mind you my motivation is solely because I manage to lose paperwork frequently. Having a scanned or digital copy has saved me time and aggravation.
Nicole,
You situation certainly presents a dilemma for your students and the FA/Business Office. It is great to have online tools as long as these tools enhance the students' overall experiences. Also, it can be difficult resolving IT issues due to limited resources. It is possible that some of the other participants may have suggestions or recommendations to address your issue.
Sincerely, Chyrl
Chyrl Ayers
We have an online student portal available to our students where they can access their schedule, grades and their student account. However, the student account many times has issues and isn't completely accurate, which can confuse the students. We also don't do a great job telling the students about the portal or training them on how they can go about accessing this information. This means we get a lot of questions from students that they could essentially find on their own through the portal if they just knew how to access the information. I think that having training on how to access and read the information on the portal during student orientation would really help, but also to have reminders sent out to the students who may forget how to access the information after orientation. This would lessen the repetitive questions we are answering. I'm not sure how to get the student account to work properly. I know it's an IT issue.
Deb,
The information provided in this section will give you some overall insight into Business Office functions; however, I would recommend you review the Tools for Schools Section on the IFAP website (www.ifap.ed.gov). In the Tools for Schools Section select FSA Assessments and under the School Tab select A Guide to Creating a Policy and Procedure Manual and Fiscal Management. I think these areas will provide you with a deeper understanding of Business Office requirements and assist you in development of internal reporting.
Sincerely, Chyrl
Chyrl Ayers
We are a small school just in our 2nd yr of operation. Instead of "outdated", I would say that our business office procedures are undeveloped at this time. Much of the information in this discussion is food-for-thought for us and will no doubt prove valuable as we move forward.
When I started at my school we did not provide monthly invoices. Since I work a clock Hr school, tuition can increase if they exceeded their grace period of missed hours. We are working on giving students monthly invoices for students walking in the door with a balance but we have nothing to give students that are accruing overtime hours which Financial Aid usually doesn't cover. The students are often "surprised" when they learn they need to pay the additional tuition before they graduate. This would help improve our customer service too.
Talia,
I appreciate your comments on the material and value of it. When creating these modules I try to think about what did I need and wanted when I was working at a college and providing assistance to students. It is good to know the information was helpful to you.
Sincerely, Chyrl
Chyrl Ayers
Thank you for this information. Both the information laid out in this section of the course, plus directions on how to create a technology savvy office using available organizations gives me a plethora of information to keep on hand for future use.
Allan,
Your situation is a tough one; however, I am confident you and your team will find the balance and structure necessary. It is never easy making a change and adapting to that change through software, procedures and training. Working through these struggles should build a stronger more cohesive department and team.
Sincerely, Chyrl
Chyrl Ayers
The processes are not outdated but "in flux". We let go of our third party processor the first of the year. Now our internal financial aid processing team is doing that job. This has created a new learning curve as to what is acceptable. It's tougher. Student Accounts now feel like the auditors for admissions,the registrar,as well as financial aid. It feels cumbersome because we are scanning so much paperwork from so many different departments.
The business office uses automated processes and seems updated.(hopefully) I just wish there were not so many breakdowns between COD and Powerfaids. Student Accounts uses their own spread sheets as well as automated reports. The reports are being refined but IT can only do what you ask them. We are not outdated but we are not leading the pack either.
Frances,
This is a very valid suggestion. It is important for students to know and have the ability to access their information online. As time passes more and more students are inclined to want access to their information when they want access and it is critical to provide this type of real-time access.
Sincerely, Chyrl
Chyrl Ayers
The one thing that I think could be updated in the business office is a portal for the students. I believe the students would benefit from being able to log in and see their account and financial aid awards.
Nicholas,
It is great that you have a process that works and is successful in ensuring students' needs are met. Review and evaluation of your process to guarantee maximum efficiency and accuracy is key in successful handling of this area.
Best wishes.
Sincerely, Chyrl
Chyrl Ayers
I think we have a pretty efficient set up. We have a specific Exit Department to process RTIV calculations and to process refunds. The technology is in place to monitor student attendence, LDAs and withdraw dates. Once a student is withdrawn, the system triggers the Exits Department to process the RTIV and refund.
Nathaly,
It is critical that your processes in the Financial Aid and Business Office works for your team and the students. If you current process meets the needs of the office and students then you continue as is; however, it is important periodically to evaluate the process and ensure it is still the most beneficial. I would encourage you to do this at least annually to guarantee the best and most efficient processes and procedures are in place to care for your workflow and students.
Sincerely, Chyrl
Chyrl Ayers
In order to benefit the most from all programs used in our offices for our students and for ourselves I would rather just keep all programs up to date. I would also try taking requests from students and see how we can update things that they find outdated as well and take them into careful consideration.
Jennifer,
That is a difficult issue to resolve unless you establish timelines and communication protocols. It may be beneficial to establish standard operating procedures on level of priority with set timelines for responses and criteria if these fail. Example: a general questions might be a priority 3 level with an expected turnaround of 2 -4 hours handled through email; however, an upset student/parent might be a priority 1 level with an expected turnaround of 15 - 20 minutes handled through a phone call.
Sincerely, Chyrl
Chyrl Ayers
I feel we are working our way towards a better system at our campus, but centralizing of our processes to an off campus site have made it harder to get answers for students in a timely manner.