| What
is the mission or primary purpose of your Call Center? |
To provide
one-stop phone-based services for students to register for classes, receive
basic information on courses and programs, and provide answers or access
to answers to all questions regarding registration, financial aid, etc.
|
| What
are the primary functions? |
Register
students, run enrollment reports, maintain and police class enrollment
limits, set up and manage wait lists, manage class cancellations/changes
(notify students), answer Teleservice (call center) e-mails, conduct student
surveys, assist students with "logon" problems by resetting
passwords, checking registration information, etc.
|
| Does
the call center serve: |
Distant/online
learners?  Yes
On-campus
students? Yes
|
| How
many FTE staff work in the Call Center? |
1.
We have four incoming lines; the Teleservice person is supplemented with
2 fulltime employees in Academic Logistics who serve as back-up staff for
8 hours each day, and 1 fulltime employee in Operations who serves as back-up
staff on a part-time basis. |
| How
do you deal with staffing for peak periods? |
Academic Logistics
employees devote a larger percentage of their time to answering the phone;
operations staff person logs in for a larger portion of the |
| How
many calls per day do you average? |
65 |
| Do
staff make outgoing calls for: |
Telemarketing?
No
Retention?
Yes
|
| What
information do you collect from callers? |
Depends on
why the person is calling. If it is to register, we need the students Social
Security #, DOB, address, phone number, course for which s/he is registering,
name of site at which student will be viewing the class. If the student
is requesting a course guide or other information, we ask for their mailing
address. |
| Are
call center staff located in a single location or distributed throughout
the institution? |
Single
location |
|
What
training do you provide for Call Center staff?
|
Mostly hands-on,
on-the-job training. We do have written training information to
which the staff person can refer. |
| How
is updated information gathered or provided? |
Primarily
by e-mail. Information meetings are held prior to the beginning of each
semester to update front-line staff at all locations (including Teleservice)
on any new policies regarding registration, financial aid, student accounts,
etc. |
| What
type of phone system or specialized equipment is used for the Call Center? |
AT&T Callmaster
II |
| What
databases or help desk software are used to provide information? |
No help desk
software is used. Inquires are maintained on an ACCESS database. Student
records for the University of Maine System are maintained on ISIS (soon
to be updated to PeopleSoft). |
| How
are call center services evaluated? |
Informally,
through feedback from staff at centers and sites. |
| Please
give examples of activities: |
Student survey
calls to ascertain if students are having problems with their courses
or sites. We also contact online students who have not logged into their
course to find out if the student is having a problem.
|
