The mission of the Call Center is to provide accurate, efficient handling of all incoming telephone calls. The Call Center is committed to providing excellent customer service and representing Butte College in a positive, professional manner.
The Call Center resides under the Student Programs and Services branch of the college overseen by the Vice President of Student Services and Dean of Student Services. Our unit takes direction from the Director of Admissions and Records. The Call Center was established to provide personalized assistance to students and to enhance the customer service experience by increasing first call resolution at the college. By answering a number of commonly asked questions we provide assistance and free up resources at the department level.
The Call Center provides information to new students about the steps to enroll, navigation to the six steps to financial aid, important dates and deadlines, ID retrieval, MyBC login assistance, student email assistance, general navigation, busing information, fee information, cashiering and registration services, and assistance with contacting college departments and personnel.
The Call Center is comprised of:
• One (1) full-time Call Center Representative
• One (1) full-time bilingual Call Center Representative
• Five (5) Call Center Representatives who are
permanent part-time 24 hour employees
• One (1) part-time grant funded Spanish speaking
Center Representative through Student Equity
• One (1) full-time Call Center Supervisor
During peak periods our call volume can exceed more than 1000 calls per day. Call monitoring software would allow the Call Center to more effectively manage resources, align staffing with peak student demand, and minimize caller wait times.
Equipment - Headsets and Basic Supplies
With nearly a 1000 calls a day our headsets are very well used. History has shown that each operator uses a new headset each year. Headsets are about $380.00/ea. We were able to supply each operator with a new set, our 195 peak help with sets and have some extras for training. We expect the ongoing costs for headsets to be at least $3000 a year.
Furniture - 8 Corner Adjustable Desks
Operators at our Call Center sit and answer phones for 8 hours a day. The standing desks have lessoned fatigue and has helped to reduce stiffness of workers to improve their overall general health.
Furniture - 5 ergonomic chairs
We now have ergonomic chairs that have replaced the variety of chairs that were not condusive to the amount of sitting these Call Center Representatives do.
The Call Center is brand new this year to doing an SLO. Our department will be providing Student learning to ensure each student who contacts our department who is New or Returning is provided with information about the Steps to Enroll.
The Call Center supports students in nearly all areas of a the student Achievement Standards. We assist with preparing students for the Basic Skill Assessment test and encourage the practice test and different ways to establish or challenge levels. We assist students in setting an Academic Program and encourage students to meet with a counselor to do an Ed Plan if they are not sure the classes to take in the best order. We describe the Graduation application process. We direct students to Transfer Counseling when they indicate they are interested in transferring. We encourage basic skills students to assistance centers like CAS when struggling. We share low cost computer solutions to our students and online learners who are struggling with access to technology to help them succeed. We share career tools for new students. We register and help prepare students for our Vocational Programs. Everything we do supports students in achieving their academic goals (degrees and certificates, transfer) and to achieve success in their courses.
The Call Center supports the college in meeting its Strategic Direction and Priorities by:
Assisting K-12 students with the Steps to Enroll and the Reg-to-Go process (1.a).
Referring students who are struggling to decide on an Academic Program to Career Center tools and Counseling Services (1.b).
We share helpful tools, CAS and Counseling Services, to help underprepared students to be successful (1.b).
We recommend students with high units to meet with a counselor to evaluate how close they are to completing a degree (1.d).
The Call Center shares student need for classes when we see demand exceeds offerings (1.e.4).
The Call Center will be part of the Program Review process for the first time this year.
Provide accurate information to students in the most efficient manner to best meet their needs for completion.
Strategy 1 - Quality Information and Access to Students
The Call Center is often the first point of contact for students. It is our goal to get students timely answers in the most efficient manner possible.
When phones lines are busy, students turn to self serve. To assist students online we wish to create a Student Services FAQ webpage where students can fiind answers to the top questions of the period. This page could also include links to top services (e.g. Steps to Enroll, Transcript Ordering, General Education Sheets, Financial Aid Distribution Dates, Steps to Financial Aid, password retreival and How to videos, etc.) We hope to also provide a mechanism for students to email additional questions or search and post additional questions in our online knowledgebase, currently provided by "Get Satisfaction". Hits and selections and emails from this page could provide important analytics about the important needs of our students as well.
Strategy 2 - Customer Service and Sustainability
To provide the best service to students in a sustainable manner, I wish to mantain the most knowledgeable Call Center staffing level possible.
This requires us to stay knowledgeable of all areas of the college in order to accurately share the Steps to Enroll, our Programs and services as well as all the resources that students and staff can use to select and complete their goals.
The Call Center has experienced a significant amount of staff turnover in the last year and a half. Well trained staff are critical for answering student questions thoroughly, accurately, and efficiently. This is particularly true during peak call times. Vacant staff positions can significantly increase caller wait times.
Strategy 3 - Utilizing Technology for Information Access
Continued improvement of online services and navigation for students to self-serve. Main areas that students continue to have difficulty finding and understanding are:
Continually adding new functionality and services online through ongoing utilizing of newer technologies impowers students, reduces frustration, improves academic success and reduces phone calls.
Strategy 4 - Additional support to Spanish Speakers
We currently have (1) full-time Spanish speaker to assist with our Latino population. This year the Call Center applied for an additional full-time Spanish speaker through Student Equity funds and we were granted (1) Half-time worker.
This support has allowed us to request a queuing system to hopefully allow students to be assisted with a live operator to callers during periods when both Spanish speakers are working. Once we bring this on board and can show the additional Spanish speakers we are able to assist we are hoping to request an additional half-time spanish speaker to provide assistance during all open hours of the Call Center.
Having Spanish speaking staff for set hours would allow us to advertise a live operator to be available for students to get personalized assistance. We have found this population is hesitant to leave messages or ask questions without an actual operator to assist them. Having (2) full-time equivilant operators allows full time live coverage for this population.
With additional staff we would also be able to reach out to current Latino students and assist them with online services. Getting these students online where most of our services are we hope will assist with their success.
To help with call volume and to improve online services, we would like to ask for ongoing supoort of a Student Services FAQ page. This page would be designed to provide answers to the top 5-10 questions students are asking the given period. We would like to keep these answers relevent throughout the year and also provide important Student Services links and how to videos to provide additional online support to students. We also wish to provide email help and a link to our online knowledgebase system to look for more answers or post additional questions. This online help would be accessed through the "ASK ME" online help icon from the main webpage and MyBC.
The Call Center has used SSSP and Student Equity funds on an as-needed basis and will continue to do so are needs arise.
| Original Priority | Program, Unit, Area | Resource Type | Account Number | Object Code | One Time Augment | Ongoing Augment |
| Description | Supporting Rationale | Potential Alternative Funding Sources | Prioritization Criteria | |||
| 1 | SSSP, Student Services, Call Center | Personnel | 11-000-700-1-649005 | 52195 | $28,329.00 | $28,329.00 |
| Call Center Representative Reclass | The scope, call volume, and responsibility of Call Center Representatives now warrants higher pay to maintain a sustainable high quality knowledgeable Call Center staff to adequately and professionally meet our student needs. This front line staff which takes up to 1000 calls a day during peak periods, with a first call resolution of near 60%, provides an invaluable service to Butte College students. I propose pay be increased to the level of a Special Programs Clerk (Range 18 @ $16.56 up from Range 12 $14.28/hr) |
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| 2 | SSSP, Student Services, Call Center | Personnel | 11-000-700-1-649005 | 52390 | $13,846.00 | $13,846.00 |
| Seasonal Worker Budget for Registration and Orientation periods | The Call Center with 2 FT and 5 PT staff answer up to 1000 calls a day during peak periods. This is an average of 22.5 questions per operator per hour. Call Center training costs are expensive and with our scope requiring operators to know so much about the college and Student Services it takes a minimum of 3 weeks of training. The budget here reflects 2 additional staff during our 5 key orientation/registration peak periods for 40 hours per week and training costs. |
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| 3 | SSSP, Student Services, Call Center | Equipment | 11-000-700-1-649005 | 55610 | $35,000.00 | $35,000.00 |
| Call Monitoring System | Our calls and scope have double or tripled and our staff level has stayed the same. We need a way to measure our volume to be able to set reasonable call volume limits for staff and be able to justify additional staff to meet any increase in volume or scope. Without a monitoring system or guidelines in this area, we are not planning effectively for a sustainable future. |
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| 4 | SSSP, Student Services, Call Center | Operating Expenses | 11-000-700-1-649005 | 55890 | $1,500.00 | $1,500.00 |
| "Get Satisfaction" Online Community Knowledgebase | With wait queues becoming the norm during peak times and us directing students to more and more online services, it would be nice to have a goto place for students to find FAQ. Our goal is to link this webpage to this online help community for a one stop online solution when students are unable to get a hold of someone directly. This low cost solution has potential to lower our call volumes and provide a sustainable self-serve venue for students. |
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| 5 | Equipment | 11-000-700-1-649005 | 56411 | $7,650.00 | $0.00 | |
| New Computers | Our systems in the Call Center are not quite old enough to fall within the Life Cycle replacement but are not robust enough to quickly navigate to information and systems to help students in a reasonable time. I therefore ask for updated equipment to provide more efficiency and timely information to students. Frustratingly slow to do basic tasks such as my Unit Plan and viewing email and locks up regularly for myself and many of my staff. |
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| 6 | SSSP, Student Services, Call Center | Operating Expenses | 11-000-700-1-649005 | 56411 | $5,000.00 | $5,000.00 |
| Budget for Headsets, equipment and basic supplies | Operators often go through a headset each year with the volume of calls we receive. Additionally, paper, envelopes, printer cartridges, business cards, binders and other supplies are needed for outreach, training and day to day operations. |
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| 7 | SSSP, Student Services, Call Center | Personnel | 11-000-700-1-649005 | 52190 | $9,200.00 | $9,200.00 |
| Call Center bi-lingual part-time Representative | Currently, our bi-lingual staff is busy answering regular calls and must return Spanish calls. To provide immediate service to our Spanish speakers, translate our website for Spanish speakers and increase orientation and online help to Spanish speakers, additional personnel is needed. With changes in the Dream Act it is important that we have a go to person for students that is knowledgeable and accessible. The only way to ensure the level of service to really make an impact with this population is to have additional staff. Even if we can bring in temporary staff on one time money it would help to serve this population. |
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| 8 | SSSP, Student Services, Call Center | Equipment | 11-000-700-1-649005 | 56410 | $2,027.00 | $0.00 |
| (8) Drawers for Adjustable Desks | Having drawers on our new desks would provide operators the tools needed to organize information effectively to better assist students. |
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