University Business - February 2012 - (Page 40)

5 Things Administrators Must Know About E-commerce Now it until it’s a problem. Taking care of it right away creates a much better experience.” Finally, offer more than one front door, as Notre Dame does. Pola set up a marketplace landing page that acts as an umbrella for all 36 storefronts; each department website also has a link. Is It Worth It? Robyn Pola, the program manager of ND Marketplace at the University of Notre Dame, can’t give hard numbers on how her institution’s storefronts are doing financially compared to consumer retail sites—but that’s because those numbers really don’t matter. “For some departments, if they get two people to register for their journal, they consider it a success, because it’s two people they wouldn’t have reached,” she explains. Some count their blessings by hits, while still others want the traditional sales. It’s all good to Pola. “During set-up, we ask them their objective for going with an e-commerce platform. As long as they are meeting the goals they give me in that meeting— revenue generation, improving customer service, improving operational efficiency—it’s a success to our department.” Those are powerful incentives. Take Cornell University, for instance. Using Sallie Mae Campus Solutions’ refund disbursement service saved the school roughly 50 percent that first year over previous years when refunds were distributed via checks or its in-house optional direct deposit plan. The university says that 50 percent of its students now opt to receive their 1098Ts online, too, which has saved processing costs on the back end. That’s certainly the sweet spot for Trey Chiles in his role as director of IS for Georgia State University. When it comes to loading funds onto that campus’ student Panther cards, online traffic above 50 percent counts as a hit in his book. “It’s not that we’re trying to eliminate positions or trim office hours. It’s about customer service,” he notes. “As long as the ratio between online versus walk-up deposits continues to rise, we figure we’re successful.” 4. Keep the personal touch. Hiser is a realist. E-commerce has become a self-service world for students because that’s their preferred interaction. “They don’t want to know who we are,” he jokes. But their parents do. And that’s who typically calls the bursar’s office when advance deposits—those $600 payments that signal a student will be attending the University of Richmond next semester, so save her dorm space—are due. Before online payment came along, Kallighan’s office physically mailed instructions and deadlines for the checks, and the mood of callers who thought they’d missed something was “panicked.” Since contracting with Nelnet Business Solutions to put the information online, along with a convenient pay button, the call volume has dropped significantly. (On a related program, the student spending card, Kallighan says her office phones ring 75 percent less than they did as parents switch to their computers to load the cards instead.) Richmond still sends an email to families, of course, but stresses that online is only one of several routes to pay. When someone does pick up the phone, her office is less stressed and able to focus on a friendly, personal conversation. “I’m always happy to speak to a parent, and I encourage them to call me. I’m here to help,” Kallighan says. “But I’ll add, ‘Just in case you need this and we’re not here, you can make these payments online as well.’ ” Presenting it as a customer service perk rather than a “go away, don’t bug me” command builds customer loyalty. Notre Dame’s ND Marketplace sells everything from commencement videos to copies of your doctoral dissertation. line in 2007, detailing activities ranging from housing charges to tuition standings. Customer service begins with the school’s Sallie Mae Campus Solutions’ program generating an automated email to students to announce the latest posting. If an individual doesn’t click through the link to their statement within 10 days, the system emails a reminder. Once students find themselves staring at an invoice (which resembles a credit card bill), each line features pop-up tabs to explain different columns and categories. A navigation bar provides links to explore a charge in more detail—director of student financial services Ron Hiser says they’re ready to launch a third redesign of this feature, the better to make sure users find exactly what they’re looking for—and an FAQ addresses the common questions the department fields during office hours: What are your hours? When is the bill due? “We need to make sure they get what they need when they’re looking at 11 p.m. and there’s no one in the office to call or email,” he notes. “There are charges for different fees, fines, insurance. ... The newer the student, the more likely he won’t understand some of it. And it’s important to help them through that at the beginning, because if students don’t feel like they were able to get their answers, they tend to avoid 40 | February 2012 5. Include social media. College campuses have their own way of life, so it doesn’t surprise Friedman that Facebook was born in the heart of Harvard. The interaction this and other sites like LinkedIn, Twitter, Trip Advisor, and Pinterest have spawned, however, make a social media plan more critical to a campus enterprise than even a mass consumer one, he says. People tend to respond far better as buyers when you participate in their community and subtly promote your product as a side note. universitybusiness.com http://www.universitybusiness.com

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

University Business - February 2012
Contents
Editor's Note
College Index
Ad Index
Behind the News
Financial Aid
Campus CFO
Education Gateways
5 Things Administrators Must Know About E-commerce Now
There’s an App for That
Internet Technology
End Note

University Business - February 2012