Session 25

COD Customer Service

 Customer Service

§ Agenda
- Customer Service Overview
- Statistics
- Current Initiatives
- COD Issues

1
 Customer Service Overview

§ Calls routed by your school or vendor code to

assigned teams
§ Teams are currently structured by process
• Direct Loan and Pell schools
• Pell only schools
• Full Participants (includes vendors coding FP
version)
• Pell only schools with 3rd party servicer
• Pell/Direct Loan schools with 3rd party servicer

2
 Behind the Scenes

§ Calls are tracked on the COD system.

§ Issues are opened if school representative can not
resolve the issue during the phone call.
§ Other resources are engaged to resolve the issue:
• Support Specialists
• Business Analysts
• Technical Support Specialists
§ Customer Service will provide updates on a
regular basis.

3
 Communication Methods

§ COD Web Site Postings

§ COD Daily Processing Updates
§ P-Messages (for Pell related issues)
§ Direct Loan Bulletins
§ E-mail via CODSupport@afsa.com
§ Outreach campaigns (when necessary)

4
COD Customer Service
Statistics
 COD Inbound/Outbound Calls

20,000

18,000

16,000

14,000
Call Volume

12,000

10,000

8,000

6,000

4,000

2,000

0
May June July August September October November December
Inbound 2,897 3,936 6,045 7,943 8,304 8,350
Outbound 4,479 4,892 9,304 15,626 17,240 19,395

6
 Average Speed of Answer (ASA)

0:14

0:12

0:11

0:10

0:08
Seconds

0:07

0:05

0:04

0:02

0:01

0:00
May June July August September October November December
ASA 0:12 0:13 0:14 0:13 0:09 0:07

Average Speed of Answer (ASA)

7
 Average Talk Times

6:00

4:48

3:36
Minutes

2:24

1:12

0:00
May June July August September October November December
Avg. Talk Time 5:42 4:30 4:32 4:49 5:21 5:08

Talk Time

8
 Source of Calls

2% 2% 1%
4% Schools

8% Students/Borrowers

LOC (DL)

3rd Party

Parent of Student

CPS

83%

9
 Web User Requests

2,200
2,000
1,800
1,600
1,400
1,200
1,000
800
600
400
200
0 May June July August September October November December
Web Users 1,094 1,435 1,690 1,833 2,002 2,197

• There are currently 21 Third Party Users •

10
 Current Initiatives

§ More direct access to Primary Rep

§ Reduce need to transfer to LOC regarding
Promissory Note issues
§ Recurrent training developed for CSRs
§ Training of Support Specialist Team

11
 Current Initiatives
School Testing:
§ Common Record Manual Verification – February 2003
§ Structured Application Testing – Mar. 2003 – Sept. 2003
§ School Testing Guides available on IFAP beginning in
January 2003 and sign up sheet
§ Software Vendors supporting Common Record are
encouraged to test
§ Full Participant Schools that use their own software
product are encouraged to test with COD
§ Schools are encouraged to talk to their vendor about test
plans and testing results

12
 Current Initiatives
COD Support:
§ Buddy system to share lessons learned
§ Revamp current FAQ process to ensure more dynamic
information bringing attention to NEW postings
§ Evaluate List Serves/Bulletin Boards to introduce a virtual
COD Community for schools and vendors to post questions,
concerns and feedback on COD 2003/2004
§ Have an onsite team to provide technical support for XML,
COD processing and School Testing.
§ Utilization of Area Code Routing to get you to your
representative eliminating the need to input school I.D. in the
Voice Response Unit.

13
 Top Issues

§ Pell Year to Date

§ Promissory Notes
§ System Edits
- 024
- 039
- 994/996
- 074
- 824/827
§ Funding

14
 How do I become a
COD Full Participant?
§ Schools must register with COD to become a Full
Participant in Award Year 2003-2004
§ To register, contact COD School Relations
- Email CODSupport@afsa.com
• Indicate “2003-2004 Full Participant” in Subject Line
- Call COD School Relations
• Select Award Year 2002-2003 and express interest to COD CSR

§ All EDExpress Users must register as Full Participants

for 2003-2004

15
 How do I obtain access
to the COD Web Site?
§ Submit a Security Administrator Request Letter on
school or corporate letterhead
- Security Administrator is responsible for setting up
additional users at your institution
- Reporting/Attending school relationships in COD will
automatically allow access to other school codes
§ Refer to announcements on IFAP for detailed
instructions and mailing address
- 6/3/02 - Updated: COD Website Access for Schools
- 6/3/02 - COD Website Access for Vendors/3rd Party
Servicers

16
 How do I contact COD
Customer Service?

§ Email CODSupport@afsa.com
§ Call COD School Relations Center
- 1-800-4-P-GRANT for Pell Grants
- 1-800-848-0978 for Direct Loans
- Enter Award Year 2002-2003

§ COD Web Site (www.cod.ed.gov)

17
 Where can I get more
information?
§ IFAP Web Site (www.IFAP.ed.gov)
- Common Origination and Disbursement page
- Announcements and FAQs
- COD Technical Reference

§ COD Web Site (www.cod.ed.gov)

- Daily Processing Updates
- School Funding and Processing Information

§ Contact COD Customer Service

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 Other COD Sessions
§ Session 21 – What’s New for Direct Loan
Processing in 2003-2004?
§ Session 22 – What’s New for Pell Grant
Processing in 2003-2004?
§ Session 23 – COD and Pell Grants: Updates to
Edits and Record Layouts for 2003- 2004
§ Session 24 – COD and Direct Loan: Updates to
Edits and Record Layouts for 2003- 2004

19
 Other COD Sessions
§ Session 25 – Meet the COD Customer Service Team
and Get Answers to Your COD Questions
§ Session 26 – COD: Using the New Web Site
§ Session 27 – COD Full Participants for 2003-2004
§ Session 28 – COD and Direct Loans: Balancing the Books
§ Session 29 – COD, Pell, and Direct Loans:
Funding for Schools

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