New training tool
The Council for the Management of Educational Finance (Council), TG, and its industry partners created a training curriculum to assist postsecondary institutions, lenders and servicers in training their staffs to effectively help borrowers manage their student loan debt. At the Industry Dialogue held in February 2004, the Council brought together representatives from postsecondary institutions, lenders, and servicers to discuss and share their best practices for debt management and default aversion. At this event we discovered discrepancies that exist among the messages that students receive when contacting the institution, lender, or servicer. Consequently, the Council developed this training curriculum in an attempt to facilitate the delivery of a consistent message throughout the higher education finance community.

For the community; by the community
The following industry partners were involved in the development of the training curriculum: AES, Austin Community College, Chase, Costep, EdFinancial, Education Loan Servicing, First National Bank of Bryan, LoanSTAR, Nelnet, Panhandle-Plains Student Loan Center, Texas A&M University — Kingsville, Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board, TG, University of Houston, and University of Mary Hardin-Baylor.

How postsecondary institutions, lenders, and servicers can use this training curriculum
The curriculum was designed for call center customer service representatives, supervisors and managers, campus administrators, and lender representatives in the financial aid community. The material presented in each module is intended to complement other existing training materials and is not intended to be a comprehensive curriculum.

Additionally, the curriculum can either be used for a self-learning tool or for instructor-led training. Each module can be individually downloaded to train a specific audience.

Module 1: Customer Service Representatives
This module provides an in-depth review of federal student loan repayment options and the requirements a borrower must fulfill in order to receive a deferment or forbearance. Also, it explains the significance and impacts of the elements that appear in a credit report. This module also presents some practical customer service techniques that are essential when speaking to student borrowers.

• Section 1 — Exercising good customer service and communication skills
• Section 2 — Payment options for borrowers
• Section 3 — Regulatory requirements for deferments
• Section 4 — Knowing the regulatory requirements for forbearances
• Section 5 — Practice scenarios
• Section 6 — Understanding the impacts of an adverse credit history

Module 2: Call Center Management
This module provides practical solutions for call center supervisors and managers of lending and servicing institutions, and financial aid offices. This module offers guidelines and solutions for cultivating a productive work environment, resolving conflicts with the customer, and effectively assessing staff performance.

• Section 1 — Cultivating a productive work environment
• Section 2 — Exercising conflict resolution skills
• Section 3 — Guidelines for assessing staff performance

Module 3: Campus Administrators
This module explains to campus administrators the roles that lenders, servicers, guaranty agencies, and institutional financial aid offices play in the student loan management process. Also, it provides some key indicators and reasons why students are not properly managing their debt, and how this is affecting the cohort default rate of postsecondary institutions. The module concludes with an overview of customer service skills that are essential to effectively advising students about proper debt management.

• Section 1 — Role of schools, lenders, servicers, and guarantors in loan management
• Section 2 — Fundamentals of credit and debt management
• Section 3 — Student loan cohort default rates and implications for the campus and students
• Section 4 — Customer service skills

Module 4: Entrance and Exit Counseling
This module provides financial aid officers with federal regulatory requirements, guidelines, and principles of ethics to follow when conducting entrance and exit counseling sessions on campus.

• Section 1 — Entrance counseling
• Section 2 — Exit counseling
• Section 3 — Principles of ethics
• Section 4 — Resources for schools

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Want to know more about the Council? Contact Maria Luna-Torres at (800) 252-9743, ext. 4632, or send an e-mail at maria.luna-torres@tgslc.org.