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Successful Student-Centered Services
by Elliott Haugen, 1999

Student Services Requirements for the Next Century
Colleges and universities usually proclaim the importance of student life outside the classroom. Some have actually created noteworthy student services organizations. However, most are not fully addressing the constantly changing environment. Student expectations, access and operational pressures, service demands and technology costs are impacting higher education institutions as never before. Future strategies and solutions must address the following challenges:

Institutions must refocus, redesign and optimize their student and instructional support environment with services and processes that are:

Revitalized Student Services can:

1. Improve customer services by providing flexible, focused processes for students who value time, want anytime support and expect "one-stop" and "no-stop" (interactive network) services.
   
   
2. Build community by enhancing each person's ability to be more self-reliant within a framework of collaborative structures (faculty-student, student-staff, parent-institution).
   
   
3. Enhance recruitment opportunities by demonstrating a commitment to the student beyond the classroom. Prospective students and their parents often view efficient, customer-focused services as a proxy for the general quality of student life.
   
   
4. Support retention efforts by creating greater service satisfaction among the student body.
   
   
5. Assist faculty by improving communication links to students, by cutting operational red tape, by reducing paperwork, and by saving time.
   
   
6. Extend access for current and prospective students by exploiting telecommunications and information technologies. Today's students are computer literate, even savvy; they expect Web-based information services, interactive systems, Internet access and e-mail communications.
   
   
7. Promote a positive public image by demonstrating cost-effective processes, pragmatic technology uses, and time efficiencies.
   
   
8. Support the academic mission by minimizing administrative support costs, thus protecting educational funding.
   
   
9. Produce cost-efficiencies by reducing paper use, extending service availability without extra office hours, and matching appropriate tools with effective solutions.

Successful student services requires an integrated solution with three important components:

1. Strategies that are based on executive vision, commitment, planning and performance. This may require reallocation of resources, reorganization, reshaping institutional culture, and a serious rethinking of the way the institution works.
   
   
2. Processes that are redesigned to focus on the student and parent as customer, and the staff as enabled service providers. While students play varying roles in the teaching/learning experience, the "student as central focus" must be the service model. Although the developing strategy is to copy "best practices", it is also important that the services fit an institution's culture, resources, and technology investments.
   
   
3. Tools that are effectively applied. The capabilities of modern technology must be exploited in a manner consistent with the strategies above and implemented in a coordinated, targeted, practical and cost-effective manner. Frequently the "build it and they will come" approach has driven technological deployment. However, tomorrow's solutions must focus on innovative service applications. No longer will a specific technology address every requirement, likewise not all technologies are needed by every institution. The following are examples of technology to support new services and redesigned processes.

Web-enabled services Kiosks SmartCard

New or upgraded information systems Interactive Voice Response ResNet

E-mail/groupware Document imaging Internet

Kaludis Consulting Group (KCG) Professional Services:

For over twenty years KCG has worked with higher education institutions to develop quality, innovative and pragmatic solutions for a rapidly changing world. KCG is an executive management and information technology services firm and our comprehensive service portfolio can assist with:

Strategic Thinking
KCG has extensive experience in higher education strategic positioning and planning. KCG associates can help to advance organizational transformation, information and learning technology initiatives, institutional strategic planning, enrollment management, financial strength, accreditation preparations, multi-institutional collaboration, constituent relationships, and client service improvements.

Fast Track Systems Implementations
KCG is known for its rapid, cost-effective and successful systems implementations. KCG has developed a methodology for fast-track systems implementations that assures high quality and consistent results. It features priority-focused planning, phased implementation, development of institutional expertise, extensive communications, innovative technology deployment, and outcomes designed to maximize future benefits while controlling costs.

Rapid Business Process Redesign™
KCG assists its clients to redesign and achieve more efficient work processes, with or without the implementation of new administrative software systems. Our rapid business process redesign (RBPR™) methodology enables an institution to quickly redesign core work processes, migrate to new strategies and improve resource utilization. KCG associates can provide consulting services to help implement one-stop and no-stop service, advising and degree audit, financial aid process improvement, technology installation, and SmartCard application integration.

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