One-Stop Service for the One-Click Generation

Today’s college bound students are impatient. Most everything can be done with the click of a button or a mouse. They value their time and want to waste it on their own terms – not standing in line at the financial aid office or in a phone queue. More and more colleges are adapting to a one-stop service model for millennial students.

A one-stop service center typically offers students a centralized location in which a variety of critical services are offered. Students can access the offices of the Registrar, Financial Aid, Bursar (student accounts) and Admissions with relative ease. Counselors trained to assist students in all of these services are available to answer questions and facilitate transactions in a friendly environment designed to minimize wait time. A full service one-stop service center typically includes phone support, online assistance and in-person services, along with skilled personnel who can handle most inquiries and transactions that students need to have with the college/university.  

Student appointments are managed through software designed to alert students via smart phones or pagers so there is no need to wait in line. Students can study, visit the coffee shop or chat with friends – all of which are more pleasant than standing in a line. The goal is to make the students’ experience in managing admissions/enrollment, academic records, financial aid and payment as smooth, efficient and friendly as possible.
 
Typically, students are required to interact with multiple offices to complete the enrollment process. Each office may be managed differently so there is no consistent approach to customer service. The one-stop service center creates the opportunity redefine customer service and improve the level of support provided to students. The one-stop service center model provides students with a single point of contact and eliminates the perception of bureaucratic runaround.

The one-stop service center for students is the first place to go for general information and help with financial aid or enrollment issues. More complex issues are escalated to the appropriate professional experts in the offices supported by the one-stop service center. Ultimately, the one-stop service center becomes the face of the college/university where personal interaction and problem resolution begins. From the student perspective, the aggregation of information in one location makes the process easier to navigate and far less intimidating than traditional models. Quick answers and friendly faces means happier students. Great customer service makes all the difference.

by Richard Bayer, Higher Education Consultant