This webcast has been designed for financial aid professionals who would like to improve their customer service skills, both in the everyday context and when delivering difficult news to students and families.

This webcast is also suitable for Directors of Financial Aid and Enrollment Managers who wish to implement or improve customer service training among their financial aid staff.

Financial aid teams, consisting of Enrollment Managers, Directors, and groups of financial aid staff, are encouraged to attend this webcast together and use it as a starting point to discuss and workshop their own customer service practices in the financial aid office.

• Approaching Financial Aid Through a Customer Service Lens
  • Group discussion: what does providing good customer service in financial aid mean?
  • Do’s and Don’ts
  • Group discussion: ethical considerations
  • Streamlining policies and procedures
  • Internal branding: positioning your office as a resource
  • Institutional examples
• Techniques for Difficult Conversations and Delivering Bad News 
  • Group discussion: your experiences with delivering bad news in financial aid counseling
  • Navigating difficult conversations via phone
  • Delivering bad news in an in-person counseling setting
  • FERPA considerations
  • Hands-on practice: Scenarios

Because this webcast is intended to be a skill-building opportunity, you will be asked to participate in a handful of group discussions and scenarios throughout the program. Please come to the webcast with your thoughts and ideas and be prepared to engage, share, and participate!