University Business - January 2012 - (Page 19)

At many institutions, campus cards can be used for purchases at nearby businesses that have partnered with the school. mitigate the cost of more campus card functionality right away. “Examples of problem areas could be those processes that involve multiple resources, are heavily paper-reliant, or are inherently expensive to maintain,” says Last. “You can then require vendors to incorporate any of these functionalities into a card system and quantifiable efficiencies should result.” Payroll, in particular, can benefit from being tied to a campus card program, since payment through the card system can reduce administrative processes, she adds. 3. Create a long-term relationship with your card program vendor. “Choose a partner that allows you to grow together,” says Last. “That is, they allow you, without pressure, to start where you feel comfortable and grow into a fuller feature set, and they’ll be prepared to be scalable to your needs as your institution grows.” According to Last, vendors should know all the functionalities that are required in terms of IT, and if some type of technology consolidation can be achieved, the vendor rep should be prepared to chime in on that strategy. director of student accounts at Wittenberg and founder of CheapScholar.org, a site focused on paying for college. “But since we use every medium available, our message gets across.” Another key part of the communication plan involves parents, who are offered a session about card use during orientation. Schantz notes that many parents want to know what their children will be using at school, and creating communication materials just for them works well to reduce questions later. “We have a number of parents who are very involved in their child’s education, and want to know everything about how the cards work. By providing tutorials, we give them a level of comfort with the program.” ‘Grow the off-campus program at a realistic rate, and once that gets off the ground, you’ll have merchants coming to you instead of the other way around.’ —Fred Emery, Heartland Campus Solutions 4. Develop a multifaceted communication plan. At Wittenberg University (Ohio), students and faculty learn about campus card benefits through email blasts, social media updates, posters, table tents in the cafeteria, and postcards in student mailboxes. The messages communicate different benefits of the program—such as quick access to student refund money— and are sent through so many methods because the school has found that variety works. “Students have very hectic schedules, so they might not respond to just a postcard or seeing a poster,” says Doug Schantz, 5. Give card users a voice in the program expansion. Many times, off-campus partnerships are sparked by suggestions from students or faculty who ask the card office to consider including certain restaurants or retailers in the program. But the involvement of card users doesn’t have to be limited to occasional feedback; developing a collaborative environment can be beneficial when considering where the program will expand next. “We want everybody on the same page so we can make sure we’re meeting their needs,” Schantz says. At Wittenberg, multiple departments are involved, including the development universitybusiness.com January 2012 | 19  http://www.CheapScholar.org http://www.universitybusiness.com

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of University Business - January 2012

University Business - January 2012
Contents
Editor's Note
College Index
Ad Index
Behind the News
Human Resources
Campus CFo
Getting Carded
Choosing telepresence
boosting the bottom line
Printer Purchase Pointers
Money Matters
Viewpoint
End Note

University Business - January 2012

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