The AU Central office has been dealing with a higher-than-expected volume of student calls and e-mails since it opened its doors this July, according to Jonnel Clothier, director of AU Central.
The day after the office opened this summer, AU Central’s eight counseling staff members were bombarded with nearly 1,000 phone calls, according to their records for that day.
Phone call and e-mail volumes like this have had some students worried about the quality of services provided.
“When I first heard about AU Central I was a little skeptical,” said Jeff Leicy, a junior in the School of Communication. “I was worried that the single location for three offices would lead to mass confusion, as well as an overlap of responsibilities.”
The opening of the office suite marks the first time the AU community can access Financial Aid, the Office of the Registrar and Student Accounts all in one place.
Clothier referred to it as a “one-stop-shop” that keeps students from having to run from one office to the next to get answers to their questions.
Clothier was aware of students’ concerns about the office.
“Demand for service has been very high,” Clothier said. “Right now we are not operating as efficiently as we would like.”
AU Central has encountered some processing problems that have lengthened the wait time for callers and walk-ins, but Clothier attributes these problems to the time of year rather than office operational problems.
“Just before the semester began we were really busy, and wait times were far longer than we hoped for, but when I saw the huge lines over at UPS and McDonalds, I was reminded that it’s just that time of the semester,” Clothier said.
One in every 10 students at AU Central is asked to fill out a service survey to track general opinion about the office and discover areas for improvement. Clothier said that since the office opened in July, approximately 72 percent of callers and visitors reported a positive experience.
“This is a much better idea than what we had last year,” said Courtney Scantling, a junior in the School of Public Affairs, of her first visit to AU Central. “It’s really nice not to have to go all over the place and hunt down which office you need.”
The idea of the “one-stop-shop” remains popular despite the obstacles the office has had to overcome, Clothier said.
“For a brand new office, that’s pretty good,” Clothier said.
AU Central’s staff will continue to make improvements to the office and the services it provides to increase customer satisfaction.
AU Central will be looking to hire two to three student employees at the federal work-study fair next week, and the office is currently in the process of hiring more full-time counselors to handle the overflow of office traffic.
The online portal is set to launch sometime in the coming year and will provide information to students wishing to avoid the trip into the office.
“Our long-term goal is to enhance our virtual presence so that students can manage their transactions on their own time at their convenience,” Clothier said. “A lot of great information is out there, and more will be coming.”
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