help with discussion

Glorian- Website is built, more efficient virtual customer service, geared toward online students, make navigating easier on the university website. “already at a disadvantage because we’re online students”

Juan- “does not emphasize the difference in checklists for incoming students, virtual vs. in-person students, 1st year students vs. transfer students, etc.” for example, online students do not need to receive an email reminding them to send in a deposit for on-campus housing

Kirsten- Live chat option, on the main website of the university, automated response if no one is available, sends an email to the Red Hawk Office, someone replies next day

Heba-

Group consensus:

Customer service is the business process.

Students are the customers, they are paying money for a service (education) and products (e-textbooks and case studies)

Problem: Type topic in search bar, with the goal of getting a certain department, or a point of contact, person may be misled by getting a multitude of links that do not contain the desired/necessary information, for example, get 40+ links to different results

Solution: live chat, person sends you the correct info or sends the correct link to that information

Website is more user friendly for incoming/transfer students rather than current students

Process to be optimized: Online support for current students

User friendly interface geared toward in-person and online students, differentiation needed for what is required of incoming online students and in-person students

· Student checklist (should be one for online students and one for in-person students

· Appropriate emails about what is required should be sent to online students and in-person students in order to avoid confusion)

· Distinguish separation between going full-time in-person, online or hybrid

· Point of contacts more readily available/more easily accessible online, on university main webpage (live chat, automated mailbox/message forwarding, links for online students, in-person students and hybrid students posted on main webpage, clicking the appropriate link will take the student to the correct page or point of contact)

· Integration of two separate departments to assist online students and in-person students, compared to the general resources given to all students, and are biased towards in-person students: two separate email chains, two separate incoming student checklists, implementation of staffing and department directories for each group of students

How it currently works: (Current process steps)

Search bar, but might give you too many different links, too time consuming to read through each

Navigation is more biased toward in-person students

Tools might be difficult to navigate for online/hybrid students, have to figure out who to call, or email, don’t know when you’ll get a response, or how long it will take to get a response, etc.

Spam (housing deposit emails sent to online degree program students, in-person orientation registration email sent to online students, lack of distinguishment between online and hybrid)