By this stage my internet key had stopped cooperating, my mobile phone was dead, my camera batteries had run out and I was feeling pretty similar myself.  The conference wrap-up was kicked off by Paul Van Veenendaal who awarded the ‘Mystery Shopping’ prize (an exercise in testing out the customer service of participating universities) to the University of Western Sydney.  As they weren’t in the room we all gave a big cheer to ACU who came second (missed out by 1 point!).

Jon Stubbs then thanked the conference organising team and had to drag Dinnah to the stage to accept her stunning bunch of flowers.  The 2010 conference is up for grabs but I didn’t have time to linger for much longer.  It had been an intense couple of days with giving 2 presentations and a managing a couple of days of liveblogging.  Thanks to everyone who was so supportive and to those who came up and introduced themselves – good to see people are interested and I’m happy for people to contact me about training professional staff in using Web 2.0 (including animated characters) – that means you Graham!  I’ve written a few notes on the process of liveblogging which I’ll post soon enough but for now I have to get home to my 13 month old son Henry who will get to see me all long weekend.  Happy ANZAC day everyone and safe travels to those heading back home.

Dipesh Shah, Web Coordinator (Student Communication) from ECU presented a session entitled ‘Offer Pack – No thank you!!’ on Friday 24th April (1435–1505) at the ATEM Student Services Centre Conference, Fremantle, WA

It’s a brave timeslot to find yourself in but Dipesh seemed up to the challenge of speaking (thankfully in English which is one of his 4 languages) in the final session of the 2-day conference.

The subject for this presentation is what ECU calls the ‘Virtual Offer Pack’ (VOP – my abbreviation) which, like most projects at Universities, was initially a simple, small initiative where students could view and accept offers.  Over time, other systems have been integrated with international students most recently added to the virtual offer pack. 

The ‘old’ process involved forms, processing, data entry, forwarding information, letters sent to students, f2f enrolment events and on and on meaning huge staffing and financial commitments not to mention that the information was often out of date the minute is was sent to students.  The VOP allows applications, processing, offers, acceptances and the establishment of a student record. 

Students can access other key online resources about orientation, transition and available programs.  The system requires less financial commitment at key times, it is more convenient for staff and students and information is up to date and single-source.  As with all IT-based projects, there are a number of issues to consider including students who prefer to deal with hard-copy offers, problems with system load and traffic etc.

The future of the project is looking toward interacting with students via SMS, delivering content using Facebook and designing apps for the iPhone so that students can access mobile services.

Question time was characterised by information sharing about admissions processes – down to some very nitty gritty details so that I got a bit lost (apologies to those people – it must be what it’s like when I start talking about ICT!).  After we tahnks Dipesh, it wa time to hit afternoon tea.

BIO – Dipesh has been working as the Web Coordinator at Student Services, Edith Cowan University for the last four years. He has a Bachelor in Information Technology and is currently working towards a Masters in Innovative Technology. Before migrating to Australia from Kenya, Dipesh worked as an Auditor/Accountant for 3 years then joined the family business.  Apart from talking tech stuff he has a keen interest in sports and loves socialising with family and friends.  His recent interest in is social networking tools online and how these can be used within University environment.

ABSTRACT – Our current competitive higher education environment is demanding better ways of how we can quickly turn admission applications into enrolled students. Information overload is what goes out with the offer packs not to mention outdated information and costly resources required to put offer packs together.  Today most students are used to technology and it is acknowledged to be a more expedient medium. So why not use it to our advantage.  Student Services at Edith Cowan University developed an Online acceptance system that has been used for easy acceptance of offers with convenience. A number of benefits will be presented as a result of this system.

Also presented during this timeslot:
o    Easing The Student Experience by Stephanie Allen from Chapel Associates, UK.
o    Ensuring continuous improvement to meet changing expectations by Barbara Biviano from Griffith University

Robyn Reilly, Director of Business Improvement at Benchmarking Australia presented a keynote paper entitled ‘Customer Service’ on Friday 24th April (1350–1430) at the ATEM Student Services Centre Conference, Fremantle, WA

Having seen Robyn around the conference over the last couple of days but with no time to stop and chat, I was first struck by how engaging her speaking voice is – something that emphasised her passion and experience in the area of customer service and held the attention of the audience in the second-to-last session of the day.

Robyn’s 3 areas of focus were the plan, the picture and the people and right from the beginning she told us that she likes to keep advice about customer service pretty simple.  Robyn used a story (this one about her daughter choosing a school for her 6 year old daughter) to highlight the aspects of front-line service that win the day.  It was interesting to note that the differences between good service and the ‘best’ service aren’t all about how much time you spend with the customer.

The picture – successful organisations have a clear ‘picture’ as to what they was the customer experience to be, but they also have a good sense of how they want to run their business.  A clear picture means being in control and means that staff know exactly what their role is and what it isn’t.  Of course knowing where you are now is the other side of that coin and taking an honest look at your current situation might be harder than it sounds.  The ‘picture’ should therefore be realistic, clear, include examples and include the outcomes that can be achieved.  It’s also key to know why the picture is being defined as it is – Robyn tells us that poor definition of the ideal  picture results in staff getting fuzzy about what their job is!

Getting an external perspective on your customer service is therefore vital in knowing where you stand today as is an appreciation of the huge amounts of influence we have over prospective students when they contact us.  I saw so many people taking notes during this part of Robyn’s talk but when she asked us if it all made sense so far everyone looked up and was quick to reply that it was!

The plan – is not a list!  It should be outcomes-focussed and be collaboratively developed and widely communicated.  Lots of milestones mean lots of opportunities to celebrate success but while you may set gaols and timelines you can’t ‘laminate a plan’ (I particularly like this idea!) because things change all the time!

The people – apparently this is the component that typically receives the least attention but unless staff have a clear idea of what to do and how to act, nothing will change.  Robyn advocates using a ‘roadmap to achievement’ that includes:
• A 12 month plan
• An agreed end-point/outcome
• A list of things to keep doing
• A list of things to start doing
• A list of things to stop doing
• A shared vision of what success looks like and how it is measured and an obvious sign that success has been reached!

People need to be given guidance on the right behaviours, skills and knowledge required to create ‘the picture’ that you aspire to.  A key part of this is to do something about the person whose behaviour is not acceptable (something Robyn says we do infrequently and reluctantly).

Robyn finished by reinforcing that good customer service is proactive not responsive – something we often get backwards.  Sadly no time for questions as we all rush off to the final session of the conference.

Robyn’s slides are available CSBA-presentation-robyn-reilly-atem-sscc-2009 and you can also access Paul Van Veenendaal’s presentation csba-presentation-paul-van-veenendaal-atem-sscc-2009 too.  For more information about CSBA Click here to visit their website.

BIO – Robyn is one of the most respected leaders in the Australian Contact Centre Industry.  She brings with her over 25 years experience gained in both Operational and Executive contact centre and customer service Management roles.  Robyn has led over 40 centres right across Australia, delivering Sales, Customer Service and Directory Assistance.  CSBA develops all Client programs in consultation with Robyn to ensure focused programs that suit the ever changing nature of modern contact centres.  Robyn provides targetted coaching and strategic guidance to CSBA clients to ensure best practice customer service and staff engagement at all levels of an organisation.  Her enthusiastic presentation and facilitation style will harness the energy in your contact centre to ensure optimal performance going forward.

Professor Jan Thomas, PVC-Academic at Murdoch University presented a keynote paper entitled ‘Contemporary Issues’ on Friday 24th April (1300–1345) at the ATEM Student Services Centre Conference, Fremantle, WA

The terms ‘organisational bridging’ and ‘organisational buffering’ set the scene for Jan’s talk on the Higher Education landscape.  When considering policy and regulation, Jan noted that the education revolution has started to make equity everyone’s business and everyone’s priority.

Student retention becomes key when they can vote with their feet – this turns our attention to the quality of the educational experience and we can look to Europe for our future, one that will require a shift of priority for AUQA.  Shifts are already occurring such as that from teaching-centred to student-centred learning which is now mainstream core business and the more recent evolution whereby equity and access for students is no longer solely the business for an ‘adjunct’ set of interested staff.

Global issues of student mobility and international education raise a number of issues around accreditation (Jan used the example of the middle east), the risk of a xenophobic reaction, the rise of non-traditional competitors and a greater reliance on international student fees.  Whilst the full impact of a GFC is yet to be seen there will, of course, be lasting impacts on Australian Higher Education – from rising student debt to changes in migration patterns.

Buffering strategies used by Universities by becoming more internally efficient, implementing technology and shifting staff roles.  Work behind the scenes provides a platform from which institutions can respond to policy changes and global trends.  Bridging strategies will become increasingly essential and they include educational partnerships with alumni, employer groups, TAFEs and overseas institutions.

Jan’s statements about the impact of technology certainly connected with me!  She talked about the role of academics in using emerging technologies (as opposed to the debate about removing technologies altogether to get students back into the classroom) and particularly focussed on Twitter as used by the community and the role it may have in education (note – a shameless but appreciated plug for the UWA Web 2.0 work means that only glamourous photos of Jan will be used on this blog).  Discussions around Gen Y permeate higher education just as it does the media although Jan highlighted some less-debated aspects of this generation – their generosity, contribution to community and desire to improve the lives of other people.  Yet we are left with the question of how we can bring staff along for the ride?

Student buffering strategies are already engaged by the time they get into University and can be provided to them through scholarships, learning supports, health and counselling services and many others including foundation programs.  Students access bridging strategies including Orientation, transition programs, Facebook, clubs and societies, work-integrated learning and so on.

So what next for Student Services?  Buffering and bridging strategies will both be vital.  This may mean that future steps will include making equity a key issue, making universities accessible and safe, maximising bridges from schools and TAFEs, building in work-integrated-learning, accounting for student expectations, including the student voice and having a robust ‘listening’ strategy that includes institutional surveys, focus groups and ongoing evaluation.

Time is short this afternoon so unfortunately no time for questions as we swing straight into our next keynote presentation.

BIO – Professor Thomas has worked in higher education for nearly 20 years, first as an academic in veterinary science and more recently in university-wide management. She is an Auditor for the Australian Universities Quality Agency and a Fellow of the Australian Institute of Company Directors.  Jan was appointed to the position of Pro Vice Chancellor Academic at Murdoch University in February 2003, and Deputy Vice Chancellor Academic in May 2006. Her portfolio includes responsibility for teaching and learning, academic quality assurance, including preparation for and implementation of the AUQA audits, academic planning and profile, library, student administration, student support including equity, health, counselling and disability services.

Dr Lisa Cluett. Senior Project Officer for the Online Student Journey Project at UWA presented a session entitled ‘Engaging students using animated characters: a simple and cost effective way of hosting student experiences online’ on Friday 24th April (1100–1135) at the ATEM Student Services Centre Conference, Fremantle, WA

Slides now available here – hosted by Slideshare (a free file sharing tool) and in *.pdf format Cluett_vokis_atem-sscc-09_20090424

ABSTRACT – Student engagement remains a topic high on the agenda for Student Services’ staff and the role of professional staff in the student experience is increasingly recognised.  Finding new ways to engage students with our services, programs and resources can be a challenge.  This paper presents an initiative from UWA Student Services that engages students with their institution (and with each other) by using animated characters.  Issues of anonymity, access, and pedagogy will be explored and the steps in creating an online character (using Voki and SitePal tools in this case) will be demonstrated.

Also presented during this timeslot:
o    Enquiry Management – warts ‘n’ all by Peter Cottam and Dipesh Shah from ECU
o    Driving innovation in higher education through Professional Enquiry: setting the case for Professional Enquiry as Continuing Professional Development (CPD) by Dr Oscar Odena from the School of Education, Queen’s University Belfast

Well there were a few hiccups ahead of time – morning tea was cut short AND ran late, my internet key failed me and the embedded video wouldn’t start.  I’d like to say no one realyl noticed but I was on Plan ‘D’ by the time my talk started – never mind A, B or C.

I’ll upload my thoughts, the slides* and some notes in due course but will tell you now that the UWA Registrar sauntered into the room just before I started, sat in the front row and even took a few notes while I was speaking!  I tried not to focus on the fact that BOTH my bosses were in the room and was bouyed by the Registrar encouraging me to seek additional funding from him if I needed it – Just Ask he said!  Watch this space! 

Carole Jackson, Student Centre Manager, UTS presented a session entitled ‘Changing expectations – on the way from Misery to Happiness (ah-huh, ah-huh)’ on Friday 24^th April (0955–1030) at the ATEM Student Services Centre Conference, Fremantle, WA

I think Scottish band ‘The Proclaimers’ would be proud to know that their song written back in the 80s is still getting air-play on the other side of the world as it was played as the introduction to Carole’s talk.

Carole briefly referred to Kathryn and Robert’s talk from yesterday (see blog post below) and outlined the series of staffing challenges facing the new student service centre at UTS (from the size of the audience it looked like many people are also interested in overcoming staff resistance and improving customer service).  As well as staffing issues, Carole noted that the physical space exacerbated the problems of staff morale, gaps in knowledge, low motivation and no team spirit!

Searching for inspiration, Carole turned to Roosevelt’s advice of doing your best with what you’ve got – and so a program of team building began with Carole trying to find out what her staff wanted and why they were there.

The first step was a workshop to brainstorm work plans and position descriptions with a focus on students as customers.  Issues of trying to meet numerous tasks (e.g. phone, email and counter enquiries at the same time!) meant that staff were taking sick leave because they were so stressed at work.  Carole countered this by establishing clear rules about taking leave and to e very honest about what working in the Student Centre involves (this was met with many stunned faces).  Not to be put off, Carole established 2 work-streams that better enabled staff to spend time and effort on team-related tasks as well as the requirements of dealing with enquiries.

Tools were needed to build on the early commitment which mainly came in the form of training and professional development in areas such as leadership, communication and customer service.  Time was also set aside for team meetings, unit half-days and joint centre sessions.  Staff were also given the opportunity to rotate functions throughout the unit which had the added bonus of maintaining ‘corporate knowledge’ within the unit.

BIO – After a career in teaching, Carole worked in the corporate sector as an administrator and manager before entering the university sector. Since March 2008 Carole has been manager of the Building 10 student centre, which was the first student centre to open at UTS in late 2006. It has delegated authority for student administration for three faculties. Carole has been instrumental in developing and implementing strategies for staff training and professional development, building team morale and strengthening relations between Building 10 student centre and faculties. Carole also designed and delivered a casual staff induction and training program for the Contact Centre initiative at UTS in 2008.

ABSTRACT – OK, so you inherit a team, most of whom don’t want to be there – and show it. Student facing customer service? “that’s not what I signed up for”; telephones? “if I wanted to work in a call centre, I would”; sharing the load? “not my job”. What do you do? Through a combination of team building, training, personal development - and yum-cha – a cohesive, service-focused team whose members see student administration as a career has emerged. This is the story of changing a team’s perception of itself instead of changing the team.

Also presented during this timeslot:

• The merging of Customer Service Teams, a story of success at RMIT by Terrie Healy, Ann Hornsby and Finn Leach from RMIT

Professor Bill Louden, Senior Deputy Vice Chancellor at UWA presented a keynote paper entitled ‘Social inclusion – student equity and diversity’ on Friday 24^th April (0905–0950) at the ATEM Student Services Centre Conference, Fremantle, WA

Excuse any errors, I am liveblogging.  Photos will be added later

First thing on Day 2 and it was time for the keynote from Prof. Bill Louden.  We kicked off just about on time despite many people queuing up for glasses of water!

Bill started right out of the gate saying that the numbers ‘20’ and ‘40’ were going to be key in the coming years and that his talk would be structured around issues of government targets, specifically the goal of having 20% of the 2020 cohort from low SES groups, rising to 25% by 2025.

When examining the current situation we can see that entry levels students from outside the affluent suburbs of Perth is significantly lower than those from the ‘western suburbs’ whose rate of entry is much higher.  There is better news when it comes to retention of students from low SES groups with background making little/no difference.

So where does the inequality stem from?  Bill asserts that university selection procedures are overshadowed in importance by factors that play out much earlier in students’ lives – in primary and secondary school and that it is here, rather than in University admissions policies that real change can be achieved.  There appears to be much we can learn from other countries (such as Finland, Canada) who seem to be doing better with students across all groups.  Risk of inequality in Australia is strongly skewed towards students who are indigenous or remote, or low SES with up to 4x as much risk as non-indigenous metropolitan and high SES.  How can we make the path easier for students who start their educational journey from a tougher place and experience ‘accumulating disadvantage’ during their school lives?  The problem was given clarity when Bill demonstrated the fundamental change between the patterns when kids are 6 years old (minimal impact of SES group) and when they are 17 where advantage has become concentrated and disadvantages have not been overcome.

The answer lies in a number of factors including funding for preschool education (we currently lie at the bottom of a list of 16 comparable countries, below Norway at the top and Mexico, UK and Korea further down).  Bill’s suggestion is to spend early and spend it in the right places, rather than waiting to spend millions of dollars on remedial programs much later in students’ lives.  The education revolution will see expenditure on standards of education, conditions of employment and entry for teachers and capital works for schools.

Measurement of social class also needs improving by moving away from the current ‘area-based’ system that uses postcode which fails simply because it fails to take into account variation within suburbs.  Governments can and should also set realistic, in-context targets that aren’t based solely on numbers, they shold (but probably wont’) increase income support payments and make scholarships exempt from counting as income.

Universities are doing their bit – intervening early, having embedded, comprehensive transition support programs and broadening access and entry schemes.

Question time was kicked of by Fred Chaney (yesterday’s keynote) who asked Bill how he thinks these thoughts might best be communicated to the Federal Government.  Bill felt that he had no trouble communicating his ideas and even that the goals he described were actually aligned with the governments – yet the money for investment was being directed elsewhere.  So are we serious or not? Are we happy as a country to sit in the middle of the table?

Dave Macey raised the issue of getting students into teacher training and how this can be progressed.  Bill likened the problem to those facing a doctors shortage (‘seat-filling’ problems) which cannot be faced by lowering entry standards.  Dave then asked what can be done for teachers already practicing to which Bill answered by highlighting the opportunity.

A final question from the Kerry Robinson at the front of the room asked How can we get the government to change its mind about counting scholarships as income?  Talk about it – more and more, wherever we can!

Bill’s talk will be available online shortly via this blog post.

BIO – Professor Bill Louden took up his role as Senior Deputy Vice-Chancellor at The University of Western Australia at the beginning of 2009. He is a teacher, academic and curriculum expert. He is chair of the Curriculum Council of Western Australia and previously Dean of Education at UWA.  Professor Louden holds a PhD from the University of Toronto, and Arts and Education degrees from The University of Western Australia and Murdoch University.  Before joining UWA he served in Pro Vice-Chancellor and executive dean roles at Edith Cowan University. His research interests include literacy, standards and educational change.

Well it’s pretty quiet in here at 8.34am!  I left the dinner at a respectable hour of 9.30 last night but others may have lingered a lot longer (blog post to come on that soon)!  The sponsors are all here looking very bright-eyed and cheery which tells me they’re professional conference attendees! I’ve been up since 6am with an energetic 13 month old so it’s only now that I can turn my attention to my SECOND talk of the conference.  This presentation requires an internet connection, a working sound card and speakers and audience particpation (might be extra difficult in the cavernous Sirius Room).  Are there too many variables here?  We’ll find out soon enough….