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Contact:
Kristina Tirloni
TG
(512) 219-4990
(800) 252-9743, ext. 4990
kristina.tirloni@tgslc.org

December 15, 2008

TG Publishes Book on Customer Service in Financial Aid Industry

Round Rock, TX — What does customer service mean within the context of a school financial aid office? A new book published by TG, Customer Service in Financial Aid: Strategies to Engage Students and Make a Difference, lays out specific principles to help master the concept of good customer service and use those principles to further an institution's success with student recruitment and retention. It's the only publication of its kind written specifically for financial aid officers to help identify exceptional customer service techniques that can be applied in their offices' daily operations.

"Customer service is a universal need in any industry," explained author and TG corporate trainer Tom Rebstock. "The real impact of poor customer service is that customers who are continually mistreated will take their business elsewhere. "Financial aid offices or enrollment management departments can use the described techniques in the book to provide help in implementing or improving strategies to recruit and retain students," he added.

According to Rebstock, very little research had been done on providing customer service within academia, and virtually none within the context of a financial aid office. The research was conducted through TG's "Crafting the Keys to Customer Service" workshop, with results gathered from 56 workshops carried out in 12 states. More than 2,200 financial aid and school administrators participated and provided more than 100 suggestions for defining good customer service. Some of the findings highlighted the following:

  1. Provide accurate and complete information
  2. Know all policies and regulations - the whole process
  3. Personalize service based on individual needs

"TG quickly realized that helping define customer service could assist our customers, the financial aid officers, in their efforts to ensure success at their campuses," he explained. "The book is full of good examples of how to practice good customer service, and we will continue to gather more data on the best practices in this area."

Financial aid and enrollment offices can receive copies of Customer Service in Financial Aid when attending the "Keys to Customer Service" and "Best Practices in Customer Service" workshop sessions scheduled through TG's Speakers Bureau. Financial aid officers can also contact TG Communications at (800) 252-9743, ext. 4546, or send an e-mail to communications@tgslc.org.

Media representatives may contact Kristina Tirloni at (800) 252-9743, ext. 4990 or via e-mail at kristina.tirloni@tgslc.org to request a copy.

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About TG: TG is a public, nonprofit corporation that helps create access to higher education for millions of families and students through its role as an administrator of the Federal Family Education Loan Program (FFELP). Its vision is to be the premier source of information, financing, and assistance to help all families and students realize their educational and career dreams. Additional information about TG can be found online at www.tgslc.org. This press release can be downloaded from www.tgslc.org/newsroom/.

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