Carol BuchliConsultant, School & Student Servicescarol.buchli@usafunds.org866-329-7673 x 0202

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MASFAP Fall ConferenceSunday, November 7, 2010

Process Flowcharting to Improve Service Quality

• Quality Service.– Defining Quality Service in a college/university setting.

– Common Quality Service problems.

– What is a Moment of Truth?

• Flowcharting.– Background and use of flowcharting for business processes.

– Sample flowchart.

– Your process flowchart.

Session topics

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“That’s Not My Job”

This is a story about four people named Everybody, Somebody, Anybody and Nobody. There was an important job to be done and Everybody was sure that somebody would do it. Anybody could have done it, but Nobody did it. Somebody got angry about that, because it was Everybody’s job. Everybody thought Anybody could do it, but Nobody realized that Everybody wouldn’t do it. It ended up that Everybody blamed Somebody when Nobody did what Anybody could have.

- Author Unknown

Quality service is everyone’s job

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• Is higher education a service industry?

• Do colleges have “customers” like those of other businesses or organizations?

• Do students experience dissatisfaction with the quality of service provided?

• Can colleges and universities significantly improve the quality of service to students?

Key questions

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Student as Customer

vs.

Student as Learner

An important distinction

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• Colleges and universities are traditionally product-, not customer-,

oriented.

• They establish requirements, policies and procedures students are

expected to meet and follow. Students tend to (but not always)

acquiesce.

• Increased competition, changing demographics, attrition rates,

students’ complaints, and successful programs of quality service

have all begun to change the institution’s approach to student

service.

Customer services and higher education

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• Any individual or organization who exchanges tuition or fees for educational programs or services.

Definition of a customer in higher education

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…the most important person on the campus. Without students, there would be no need for the institution.

…not a cold enrollment statistic but a flesh-and-blood human being with feelings and emotions like our own.

…not someone to be tolerated so that we can do our thing. Students are our thing.

…not dependent on us. Rather, we are dependent on them.

…not an interruption of our work, but the purpose of it.

The student is…

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• We are not doing them a favor by serving them. They are doing us a favor by giving us the opportunity to do so.

The student is…

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• What are some common service problems encountered by students at your college or university?

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Common quality-service problems

• Technology behind the times.

• Little effort expended to “educate” the customer: students, parents and the public.

• Repeat the same mistakes term after term.

• Complicated fee-payment procedures.

Common quality-services problems

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• Poor communication between offices and divisions.

• The “run-around’ or “shuffle” from office to office.

• Staff hired and placed in positions with little regard for their personal strengths.

• Administrative policies and procedures designed for convenience of school instead of students.

Common quality-services problems

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• Financial-aid processes and policies.

• Telephone system.

• Parking.

• Class availability.

• Too much standing in lines.

Common quality-services problems

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• Pictorial representation describing a process.– Provides a common language or reference point as teams study or plan

projects.

• Several types of flowcharts.– We will focus on a “process” flowchart technique.

What is a flowchart?

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• Define the boundaries of your process clearly: What is the start? What is the finish?

• Use simple symbols.

• Make sure every loop has an escape.

• There usually is only one output arrow out of a process box; otherwise it requires a decision.

• Let participants in the process identify places where things can and sometimes do go wrong (“bombs”).

Best practices for process flowcharts

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Flowcharting symbols

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Start and EndProcess (X does this noun, verb)

Wait (Delay) Decision (Yes/No)

How do I submit a FAFSA?

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No

Yes

Yes

No

Submitting the FAFSA

Web?

PIN?

Talk to aid office at your

school

Complete the paper

form

Complete the Web

form

Mail the paper form

E-sign Web form and submit

Wait for PIN

Go to PIN site

Wait for

SAR

Wait for

SAR

• Choose a service problem involving a process.

• What is the student’s flow through the process?– What are the start and end points?

– What does the student have to do?

– What decisions are made along the way?

Your team flowchart

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• Use red stickers to indicate where things can, might, or usually go wrong!– People may have different opinions about where the problems are.

– Problems indicate areas for improvement.

– Team approach to removing problems should be taken.

Where are your problem areas?

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• What other processes in your office could benefit from flowcharting?

• Who should be involved in producing the flowchart?

Reflect on the process

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• Any instance when a student comes into contact with some aspect of the institution, and makes a judgment about the quality of service the institution provides.

What is a “moment of truth”?

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• 10-million customers per year.

• 5 staff contacts per customer.

• 50-million “Moments of Truth” per year.

• 142,000 per day.

SAS Airlines’ “Moments of Truth”

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One College/One Student/One Year – Moments of Truth

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Cafeteria ID Checkers/Food Servers 1,240

Faculty 500

Library Staff 320

Custodians 160

Receptionists/Clerks 100

Security 20

Grand Total 2,500

• It is very difficult for staff to deliver caring and helpful service without:– Student-friendly delivery systems.

– Adequate facilities and equipment.

– Adequate staffing and remuneration.

– Supportive management.

– Well-trained staff.

What is needed?

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• Busy/rushed/overworked.

• Poor listening skills.

• The “Law of Familiarity.”

• Reaction to student.

• Service-system problems (for example, policies).

Some reasons for the knowledge/performance gap

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• Failure to identify individual needs/situation.

• Lack empowerment.

• Personal distractions.

• Physical condition.

• What are some quality-service needs on your campus?

• What has this brought to light for your office/campus?

• What is the most-important quality-service-action item for your campus to improve student satisfaction?

• What are your next steps?

• Who should be involved?

• How can flowcharting the student’s experience help you in other areas of service delivery?

Next steps

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