StudentAffairs@NOVA
Welcome to the inaugural StudentAffairs@NOVA, part of the @NOVA series! We’re pleased to bring you the latest updates, insights and stories from Student Affairs. On the second Tuesday of each month, we’ll dive into the developments and achievements that make the Office of Student Affairs a model for student success. Whether you’re here to stay informed, get inspired or simply enjoy a good read, we hope you’ll find something of value in every issue. Thank you for engaging with us, and we look forward to growing together!
As we delve deeper into the work of the Office of Student Affairs, let’s take a closer look at the College Information Center (CIC) and its impact on our NOVA community.
Overview of the College Information Center and Fall 2024 Data
The College Information Center (CIC), formerly known as the College Call Center, was established in 2008 to provide an exceptional one-stop customer service experience for the NOVA community, including students, faculty, staff, prospective students and parents. The primary objective is to achieve a first-call resolution (FCR) for at least 75% of all inquiries, addressing the complaint of unanswered calls and inquiries that are bounced to other areas at the College.
The CIC is staffed with seven full-time and four part-time representatives, including an information center manager and coordinator. The team is trained to handle inquiries throughout the student academic journey—from pre-application to graduation/transfer—and address various student-account related concerns.
Inquiries are managed through three communication channels: phone, live chat and email. The highest volume of inquiries comes from phone calls, which are tracked and measured using the Cisco Unified Contact Center Express (UCCX) system. Call data (including total calls received, handled, transferred and missed) is captured and accessible for analysis.
Live chat and email inquiries are handled using the Smarter Track application. The live chat icon was moved to a secondary support page to prioritize the AI Chatbot for 24/7 virtual support. Data from chats and emails, such as total initial chats received and average speed of answer, is captured and stored for evaluative purposes.
The CIC staff also utilizes the Slack application for interdepartmental communication, ensuring quick responses to inquiries. Performance data for fall 2024, including the total number of inquiries handled and customer satisfaction survey ratings, is outlined in the table below.
FALL 2024 PERFORMANCE DATA |
|||||
Communication Channel |
August |
September |
October |
November |
Totals |
Phone |
17,268 |
9,224 |
8,572 |
6,648 |
41,712 |
Chats |
890 |
376 |
397 |
298 |
1,961 |
Emails |
2,490 |
1,610 |
1,567 |
1,212 |
6,879 |
Leads (emails from recruitment efforts) |
35 |
30 |
31 |
12 |
108 |
Total Inquiries |
20,683 |
11,240 |
10,567 |
8,170 |
50,660 |
AVERAGE CUSTOMER SATISFACTION SURVEY RESULTS: AUGUST 2024-NOVEMBER 2024 |
|||||
Communication Channel |
August |
September |
October |
November |
Average |
Average Live Chat & Email Survey Results |
89% |
85% |
89% |
86% |
87% |
If you have questions pertaining to the College Information Center’s operations, please reach out to Dr. Linda Barthelus, director of the college information center, at LBarthelus@nvcc.edu. For other questions, contact Dr. Deborah Wyne, associate vice president for enrollment success, at DWyne@nvcc.edu.
Student Affairs Leadership looks forward to continuing to share with the NOVA community what Student Affairs is accomplishing @NOVA every second Tuesday of the month.
Submitted by:
Dr. Joel Frater, VP of Student Affairs, JFrater@nvcc.edu