“Barriers to learning”

As a part of the president’s initiative to remove “barriers to learning” at a regional Midwestern university, an analysis of student services operations was conducted. The analysis revealed that the barriers deemed most important by students were those that would delay or prevent them from registering for classes. These barriers fell into three areas:

1. Resolving issues relating to fines accrued over the previous terms (e.g., library, parking, late fees)
2. Completing forms accurately and meeting processing deadlines for financial aid in time to enroll in classes
3. Acquiring appropriate advice so that they enrolled in the right classes (avoiding the problems associated with drops and adds)
   As a result of this analysis, the university decided to create a new position called customer service specialist (CSS). The job description is presented here:
   Classification Specification Supersedes:
   New Classification Title: Student Service Specialist
   Grade: PT08
   General Summary
   Supervise, support, monitor, and assist with the continuous improvement of the work unit’s customer service functions and related operational activities. Ensure quality student service, both in person and over the telephone. These activities require a working knowledge of the work unit’s program policies, procedures, and regulations and an understanding of other departments and systems that interface with the work unit’s activities.
   Essential Duties
   Personally provide and ensure that student support staff provide positive student service practices throughout the work unit, including greeting departmental students in person or over the telephone, identifying their needs, obtaining necessary and appropriate information, and processing customer requests in a manner that will best meet the needs of the student.
   • Monitor staff and ensure that students perceive staff as treating them with courtesy, respect, tact, and a sincere desire to meet their needs.
   • Provide mediation and resolution to student complaints and requests within delegated authority limits and consistent with departmental policies.
   • Communicate to students the departmental policies and procedures related to their needs, and provide students with the appropriate forms and instructions.
   • Design and implement systems to ensure that forms turned in by students are the correct forms for their service request and that they are complete and as accurate as possible

Sample Solution