Innovations

I Wake Up Chatting

Kyra Worrell

IM-ing. Instant messaging. Chatting online. It’s become a big part of our culture. For students who were banging on keyboards as soon as they were able to pull themselves up to a standing position, it is as natural as breathing. It’s a step beyond email – it’s talking – well, typing -- on the Internet, in real time, with another person. You type something on your computer -- and then someone – even someone halfway or all they way across the world – sees what you are typing and can answer on their computer. It’s a miracle of modern technology that has become commonplace for millions of Internet-savvy people. For Universities and other institutions of higher learning, it’s the logical next step for communication technology. It’s something our Internet savvy students almost expect. Therefore, it’s natural that Student Fiscal Services (SFS), as a national in providing the most up to date electronic services, would want to tap into this phenomenon for the benefit of our students and our staff.

It is a fact that SFS staff are inundated with phone calls and emails, especially during our busy times. We know that our students are busy people, often juggling school, work, family, life – they don’t have time to wait in a long queue to get a simple answer to a simple question. In the spirit of quality customer service and technological innovation, we started looking into the “Live Chat” option. After an initial two week trial period that went really well, SFS made the decision to sign up with the Live Chat system in January 2006. We initially contracted to have 10 advisors registered to answer questions in the live chat format and now all staff have Live Chat accounts.

Students, parents, departments and any other customers can access Live Chat though the link on a number of SFS tuition-related web pages. It is a free service. One click on the link leads the customer to a login screen. He or she then types in contact information and a question. SFS staff will hear a cheery ring on their computers and are able to see the customer’s name and question. Any number of staff can be on Live Chat at the same time – and all have a chance to assess the question and see whether or not they are the best person to answer it. There are also features in the service that allow the advisor to call or invite other advisors into their chat room, if a question comes up which requires another’s expertise.

The use of Live Chat has been steadily growing since it was first introduced. Everyone who used it loved it! SFS knew it was time to begin an official “roll out” of the Live Chat service in summer quarter 2006. There is a Live Chat headline on the student’s MyUW homepages. Emails have been sent out to people who worked closely with students, namely undergraduate and graduate academic advisers. The SFS Outreach unit added the information to all their new student orientations, reaching all incoming freshmen and many incoming graduate students. The response has been tremendous and uniformly positive!

Instant messaging is quick, easy and something most students are familiar with. It’s a great way for customers to contact SFS – they don’t have to wait on hold on the phone or wait up to 24 hours for an email response! Every single person I’ve talked to via Live Chat – and I’ve talked to a lot – has thanked me for the service. Others are more expressive: it’s “way cool” or “too cool”! One thing is for sure – it’s the way of the future!