The word bursar comes from the Latin word bursarius, meaning “purse-bearer.” You could also say the bursar holds the purse strings at a college or university, which comes with a great deal of responsibility.

From managing the financial books, sending bills to students and their families, and receiving payments, bursars are tasked with making the process of paying for a college education as easy and hassle-free as possible. Mistakes in payment information can affect enrollment eligibility or class registration, which can then lead to an avalanche of time-consuming backtracking tasks. For this reason and many others, every college or university’s bursar’s office should be partnered with a live answering service.

A live answering service that’s been trained on FERPA (Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act) regulations can make sure that no call or email to the bursar’s office goes answered. Students and their families expect nothing less and are easily frustrated if their calls aren’t answered or they’re put on hold for too long. One college had an average hold time of 45 minutes, and, unfortunately, this isn’t rare during peak admissions times. (However, Voice Link of Columbus, Inc. reduced the call answering time to mere seconds. See how here.)

By answering calls with the name of the college or university, live answering service receptionists become an extension of the school’s bursar office or administrative staff, so callers aren’t usually even aware they’re not speaking to someone off-campus. With remote access to student records, the receptionists are able to inform a student or parent about matters such as what financial forms need to be completed or when payments are due.

All calls are recorded and available for review by the bursar’s office at any time. Any urgent calls are patched through to the appropriate administrative staff member immediately. Prospective and current students and their families are attended to promptly and professionally by a friendly agent, 24/7. This frees up the bursar’s staff’s time and attention to manage those purse strings and attend to walk-in visitors.

How calls are managed reflects on the reputation of any higher education institution. The professional agents at Voice Link of Columbus, Inc. have been rigorously trained on FERPA regulations and can provide live answering services that exceed your expectations. Our agents are available to answer your calls after office hours and on weekends and holidays, 24/7, 365 days a week if you choose. We can also answer overflow calls when your staff is busy attending to other calls or walk-in visitors.

To learn more about Voice Link’s month-to-month service agreements, expert staff, and state-of-the-art technology request information online or call us at (866) 957-4302 for a free consultation.