Customer Service Interaction: The
Financial Aid Office and Federal
Student Aid Information Center
March 27, 2014
GENERAL DYNAMICS INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY PROPRIETARY
Federal Student Aid Information Center (FSAIC)
1-800-4-FED-AID
FSAIC is tasked to provide timely and accurate
information and services for inquiries such as:
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Sarah - AZ
Information about FSA
programs
FAFSA, PIN and SAR
assistance
Information on student loan
history
Publication requests
Contact information for related
entities (Default Resolution,
Direct Loan Servicing, etc.)
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FSAIC 2013
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What are FSAIC’s operating hours?
• Monday-Friday
• 8 AM – 11 PM
• Eastern Standard
Time
• Extended Weekend
Hours based on time of
year and need
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How many do we serve?
• 2013-2014 (as of December 2013)
• 19,751,673 FAFSAs
• 12,023,291 Corrections to the FAFSA
• Millions of customer Interactions by
phone, chat and email
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SAM is our FSAIC
Mascot:
Sponsor of the
American
Mind
2013 FSAIC Initiatives
• New facilities to broaden
coverage
• Enhanced Quality Team and
Program
• Customer Relations
Management System
Upgrade
• Text Analytics deployed
• Virtual Classroom
implementation
• FSA Conference Support
Peak Week Theme
March 2014
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Customer Service Representatives
• Greet callers and assess their needs
• Request identifiers to comply with the
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Privacy Agreement
• Use resources to answer callers’
questions or refer them to the correct
entity
• Provide scripted responses for specific
situations / topics
• Code the call and leave historical logs
• End the calls with the appropriate
closing
Kansas
Rachel and Anna, Iowa,
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CSR Call Expectations
Customer Service Attribute
Examples
Phone and people skills
• Tone
• Grammar
• Attitude
Adherence to required
procedures
• Standard greeting
• Privacy Act
• Standard responses
Problem solving skills and
knowledge
• Probing questions
• Clear resolutions
• Appropriate options
General call expectations
• Verify school year
• Verify address
• Create phone log
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Virtual Classroom Training
• The virtual classroom supports • Immediate feedback and direction from the trainer
• Leveraging trainer expertise for select assignments
regardless of location
• Participant engagement through activities
• Seamless transition to the production floor
• Adobe training promotes consistency in content
delivery among trainers and locations
• Each class has two trainers and two training assistants
• Training support assistants are available in the training
area to assist the students with activities, technical
support or individual questions
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Virtual Classroom Interface
Las Cruces
Nesting
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Types of Training Provided
• New Hire Training – Full curriculum
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FAFSA on the Web skip logic
Customer Relations Management
Soft skills on courtesy, tone, pace, etc.
Mock calls and realistic scenarios to prepare for
production floor
• Daily quizzes, activities and assessments
• Integration of resources
• Nesting period for practice and coaching
• Rehire Training
• Refresher training after an absence
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Types of Training Provided
• UP Training
• CSRs are selected to demonstrate best practices
with their peers
• Illustrate successful styles and techniques in
working with difficult issues and individuals
• Demonstrate navigational techniques
• Share email management tactics.
• Reinforce that call efficiency can lead to good
customer service.
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Comprehensive, Easily Accessible Resource
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FSAIC School Advisory Groups
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This is a forum of practicing financial aid
administrators and high school counselors. The
group has been helpful in:
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Promoting the sharing of ideas and information to
inform the FSAIC of the secondary and
postsecondary institutional perspective in helping
students and families learn about, apply for and
obtain financial aid.
Providing a contextual understanding on student
and family use of the FSAIC programs and services.
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FSAIC School Advisory Groups
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Identifying problems or issues which confront
students and families in applying for and obtaining
financial aid in which the FSAIC might effectively
assist through development of new services or
activities.
Suggested scripting for specific school referrals and
school related topics.
Reviewing training content.
Assessing the impact of solutions for enhancements
and new FAFSA requirements.
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Composition
• All school types are represented: 2- and 4- year
publics, 4-year privates, graduate, private-forprofit, college access and awareness
organizations, secondary counselors
• Established in Iowa, Arizona, Kansas, New
Mexico and Mississippi
• Face-to-face meetings 2 to 3 times each year
• Began June 2009
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Las Cruces FSAIC School Advisory Group
Members
• Annette Kaus and Marliss Monette, New Mexico
Institute of Mining & Technology
• Michelle Lukesh and Lisa Maynez, Dona Ana
Community College
• Onorina Franco, Western New Mexico University
• Janie Merchant and Marlene Melendez, New Mexico
State University
• Linda A. Gonzalez-Hensgen and Raul Lerma, El Paso
Community College
• Ron Williams and Maria Carrizales, University of
Texas, El Paso
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Typical Financial Aid Office related
questions
• When will I get my award? My disbursement? What do I
qualify for?
• What is the EFC?
• My school wants me to use the IRS DRT? How do I do
that?
• Special circumstances - My parent lost his/her job. My
parents don’t support me. What should I do?
• Verification. How do I obtain documents to verify my
income?
• What is unmet need?
• What is the DRN?
• Professional Judgment – How can I be independent for
financial aid?
• How can I add another school?
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When is a Script Appropriate?
• Complex topic or issue
• Ensure consistent response for all agents and
sites
• Examples:
• EFC
• Professional Judgment
• Verification
• Privacy Agreement
• Reviewed by Office of Federal Student Aid
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Verification Process
“Your application has been randomly selected for
verification, which is a process where your school
confirms the data reported on your FAFSA. Your
school has the authority to request
documentation that supports income and other
information that you reported”
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Professional Judgment, Dependency
Override, Special Circumstance
 Every time the subject of professional
judgment, dependency override, or considering
special circumstances comes up, we should
say: "You'll need to speak to the aid
administrator at your school about that.”
 If pressed, say: "The information should be
listed as asked for on the application. For your
question, you'll need to speak to the aid
administrator at your school about that.“
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What are your thoughts on how can
we improve accuracy and
responsiveness at the Federal
Student Aid Information Center?
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Victor Janey, Operations Director,
Education Services – General Dynamics
Information Technology, Inc.
Carol Mowbray, Customer Experience
Manager, Education Services – GDIT, Inc,
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