Colleges and universities are increasingly turning to live answering services for higher education in order to better communicate with students and run their campuses more efficiently. Here are five posts that best describe the many ways answering services partner with colleges and universities:

Quick Call Response

“Can you hold, please?” is already enough of a detested call answering response, but what if it meant you were put on hold for 45 minutes? This was precisely the problem a mid-size southeastern college was having. In fact, 45 minutes was the average hold time, which means some callers were holding even longer. Callers were frustrated and angry, and the administrative staff members were stressed and overworked. And this scenario isn’t out of the ordinary for higher education institutions either, especially during busy peak calling times. To read how the college reduced the hold time to just 11 seconds, click here.

Instant Communications

Millennials are all about mobile technology, and higher education institutions like colleges and universities are adapting to the most up-to-date ways of communicating for instant mass communications. Express messaging is an automated mass notification system that’s useful for sending students and staff everything from emergency alerts to non-urgent reminders about campus events or deadlines. To see how administrators can keep students safe, informed, and connected instantly through text, email, or automated calls, click here.

Bursar Assistance

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. To read how answering services help beyond just answering calls, click here.

Scheduling & More

Current and prospective students expect educational institutions to respond to their questions quickly and professionally, but it’s often just not possible for administrative staff to manage the heavy volume of calls. During the busiest times—like graduation or when admission acceptance notices go out—long hold times or the failure to respond to calls is especially aggravating. There are three major ways answering services help colleges and universities of all sizes improve communications, from call answering, scheduling, and emergency instant alerts. To read how answering services assist colleges, click here.

6 Key Questions To Ask

If you work in higher education and are considering partnering with an answering service, be aware that not all call centers are staffed to handle a surge in call volume. And not all call centers properly train their representatives to handle sensitive issues related to college students and staff. In order to find the best answering service for your school, be sure to ask six questions regarding staffing, FERPA training, communication methods, and other capabilities. To read the six questions, click here.

How your calls are handled is a measure of your student services and reflects on the reputation of your school. The professional agents at Voice Link of Columbus, Inc. have been rigorously trained on FERPA (Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act) regulations and can provide live answering services that will exceed your expectations. We offer month-to-month service agreements to meet the needs of any college or university regardless of size.

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.