Students First! Service Representative (and Students First! Team Member) Description
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Title: Students First! Service Representative (and Member, Students First! Service Team)
Objective: The objective for each Students First! Service Representative is to achieve the mission and vision of Students First! within the framework of Lane’s Values and Behaviors (see attached).
1. Students First! Mission:
To effectively provide students/customers with the services and materials that they need in order to participate successfully in the learning experiences provided by Lane.
2. Students First! Vision:
Students/customers are successful because:
- Lane provides consistent, accurate, easily understood information about programs and services
- Information and services are readily accessible and meet the changing needs of students/customers
- Employees are empowered to provide quality integrated services
Results Expected
Each Students First! Service Representative shares accountability with the other members of the Students First! Service Team for the following measurable outcomes:
- Satisfaction: Increasing students’ and customers’ satisfaction by effectively meeting their needs;
- Retention: Contributing to increased student and customer retention;
- Enrollment: Contributing to increased student and customer enrollment;
- Efficiency: Improving the efficiency with which services are performed;
- Process Manageability: Creating clear, reliable, well-documented processes;
- Adaptation: Responding to changing technology and changing needs of students, customers, and community.
Core Processes
The following processes are central to the team’s role in providing integrated front-line information and assistance to enable all students (and customers) to achieve their educational goals at Lane while meeting the college’s needs for records and payments. Services will be provided at multiple locations through a variety of means, including the internet, kiosks, telephone, printed materials, video, cable TV, fax, mail, self-service, and in person.
- Dissemination of general information regarding academic advising, financial aid, support services, testing and assessment, career and employment services, and other college and community services.
- Enrollment and registration (including new student information sessions and skills testing information).
- Assistance in accessing student records (including grades, transcripts, student schedules, enrollment verifications, and financial aid status).
- Student financial transactions (including charges, payments, refunds, adjustments, and financial aid disbursements).
- Distribution and collection of documents involved in enrollment and registration, student financial transactions, student records, and financial aid.
- Referrals for academic advising and counseling services, testing, resolution of student record problems, financial aid awarding and special circumstances, student accounts resolution and collection, veterans services, international student services, career and employment services, student support services, student activities and clubs, and adjudication of appeals related to student conduct or academic performance.
Work Environment
The Students First! Service Team operates in an innovative work environment designed to promote student success. This environment is characterized by the following:
1. Team Services: What the Team Does
A. Service Orientation: Dedication to providing our students with information and
assistance they need to enroll in the college and participate in learning experiences.
B. Quality Service: Commitment to providing consistent, accurate, accessible, and easily understood information.
C. Integrated Services: A “one-step” approach to providing the information and assistance.
D. Process Orientation: Team members learn and share responsibility for performing all tasks and steps involved in the processes for which the team is accountable.
2. Team Approach: How the Team Performs Its Work
A. Collaborative Approach: Team members work together in a collaborative manner on planning, problem solving, conflict resolution, and continuous improvement activities.
B. Shared Responsibilities: Team members share responsibility for all tasks required to provide high quality, integrated services. Team members are expected to be flexible and adaptable by “flowing to the work” in response to changing needs and changing demands on the team.
C. Shared Accountability: All team members are collectively accountable for the performance of the team.
D. Team Self-Management: Consistent with the level of team development, the team, as a whole, accepts responsibility for its own administrative, developmental, and performance management activities directed towards achieving its mission, goals, and accountabilities.
E. Constructive Relationships: Team member treat one another, their colleagues in other work units, and students they serve in a manner consistent with Lane’s expectations of “Values and Behaviors” (see attached).
F. Empowerment: Team members are expected to assume responsibility and authority for making decisions and solving problems in order to meet student needs within the scope of the team’s services. Four conditions must occur before specific responsibilities and authorities can be assumed:
1. Team members must understand the college’s and the team’s mission, vision, goals and values:
2. Team members must have acquired the necessary knowledge and skills;
3. Systems must be in place that make the necessary information available;
4. Team members must demonstrate the ability to apply the knowledge and skills described above.
- Creativity and Innovation: Team members are encouraged to be creative in developing and improving processes to advance the mission and goals of the team. Honest mistakes will be treated as learning experiences.
Team Development
- Employee Development: Lane is a learning organization. Team members are expected to systematically acquire the knowledge and skills necessary to perform all steps and tasks in the team’s processes, including student services and team self-management activities.
Although the pace of learning may vary somewhat among team members, each individual is expected to make steady progress in mastering the relevant competencies. Each team member will have an up-to-date assessment of his or her competencies and a development plan. Team members will be provided support and timely opportunities for training. The successful acquisition of new knowledge and skills will need to be clearly demonstrated before a team member is determined to have achieved mastery.
Except for the responsibility to fulfill the team’s mission, no limitations will be placed on employees’ opportunities to acquire and use increasingly advanced skill levels. Highly trained student service representatives will be needed to support the emerging needs of the college.
- Team Development: Team members share responsibility for regularly assessing the total capabilities of the team in light of team performance requirements. The team will develop and implement training plans to enhance the overall effectiveness of the team in providing services and managing their own administration, development, and performance.
- Skill-Based Competencies: Each team member’s compensation is based on his or her demonstrated mastery of the sequential sets of skills. Thus, each team member is paid according to his or her capability to serve the needs of students and the needs of the team, rather than being paid according to a particular position held or duties performed at a given time. Team members’ pay structure will be based on broadly defined skill sets so that team members can move easily from one task to another with minimal concern for pay issues.
Pay levels increase as additional skill sets are mastered, as described in the Core Competencies and Development Plan documents. Each skill level contains elements of service skills/technical knowledge, teamwork skills, and high performance team skills. Work processes of the team will be designed to ensure that acquired skills are used, maintained and continuously improved. When a team member completes all training and demonstrates mastery of all skills on a given level, s/he is eligible to advance to the next service and pay level.
- Evolution of Team Services: Over time, the team will assume responsibility for additional processes and services until the team has become responsible for all the services within the scope of the team’s mission and vision. Additional responsibilities will be adopted as student and community needs evolve and as the team develops the capability, process design, information technology, and facilities to respond.
- Continuous Process Improvement: The team’s success in delivering services will be evaluated by a number of measures including quality, student/customer satisfaction, efficiency, process manageability (process control), cycle time, and employee job satisfaction. Team members are responsible for collecting measurement of data, reporting and displaying the results, systematically reviewing the results, and using the results as a basis for continuous improvement. The team regularly analyzes problems and improvement opportunities, develops preferred solutions, and plans, tests, implements, and evaluates improvements.
- Performance Management: Individual and team performance evaluation is an integral part of the team approach. Specifically, individual and team goals will be established for the measurable results expected, desired capability development and desired behaviors. Progress towards these goals will be regularly reviewed and the findings will be incorporated into employee development, team development, and continuous process improvement. In this manner, evaluation activities will be routine, objective, constructive, factual, data-based, and used for development and improvement purposes. As the team matures, there will be a transition in responsibilities for evaluation activities from leader-directed (with input from the team and others) toward team-directed (with input from the leader(s) and others). Essential administrative and collective bargaining policies and practices will be followed.
Lane Community College
Students First! Center Team Member Description
Entry Level Skill, Education, and Experience Requirements
| Competency | Knowledge, Skills and Abilities | |
| Minimum Skill Requirements | Interpersonal and Customer Service Skills | § Well-developed interpersonal communication skills § Written and oral communication skills § Active listening skills § Collaboration skills § Respectful |
| Team Skills | § Willing to work in team environment § Willing to participate in team development § Able to learn new skills and adapt to changing conditions | |
| Computer Skills | § Able to access and interpret information using technology systems with appropriate training § Able to use micro, mainframe, and network computer software systems and internet resources with appropriate training | |
| Process Skills | § Organize and prioritize work load § Able to multi-task § Attend to detail § Perform objective analysis § Use logical reasoning § Perform numeric computation | |
| Knowledge of Post-secondary Education | § Familiar with higher education and its goals § Knowledge of needs and issues of diverse student population including socio-economic, ethnicity, race, culture, gender, ability, sexual orientation, and age § Able to work flexible hours | |
| Preferred Skills | Student Service Information | § Knowledge of confidentiality issues § Knowledge of campus support programs § Previous training in Students First! § Work experience in student service area |
| Campus/Community Resources | § Knowledge of campus and/or community resources | |
| Bi-lingual Ability | § Bi-lingual ability is desirable § Multi-cultural experience is desirable | |
| Education and Experience Requirements | Two years of Post-Secondary Education Two years of Related Experience in delivery of customer service using technology | § Equivalent combination of training and experience will be considered qualifying |
Students First! Center Team Member Description
Core Competencies and Development Plan
Skill Levels
Skill Sets
| Service Skills/Technical Knowledge | Teamwork Skills | High Performance Team Skills | |
| III Advanced Service Level | Advanced Referral Skills Professional Judgment/Special Circumstances Skills | Advanced Conflict Management Skills Project Management Skills Training Needs Assessment Skills | Change Management Skills Systems Thinking Training Development for New Hires |
| II Full-Service Level | Information Technology Referrals Student Services and College Information Student Services and College Processes Process Improvement Skills | Team Role Skills Collaborative Problem Solving Skills Meeting Facilitation Skills | Problem Solving Skills Coaching Skills Results and Measurements Skills Goal Setting |
| I Developmental Service Lead | Basic Information Technology Basic Referrals Basic Student Services Information Basic Student Services Processes Cash Management Skills Customer Service Skills | Basic Team Skills Basic Communication Skills Basic Conflict Management Skills | Decision Making Skills Consensus Building Skills Assessing Team Performance Skills |
Students First! Center Team Member Description
Core Competencies and Development Plan
| Certification Requirements | ||
| Skill Set | Standard for Certification | Training |
| Service Skills/Technical Knowledge | ||
| Basic Information Technology | § Accesses and understands student-specific information using SF! Mainframe computer system efficiently and effectively § Uses Lane’s Internet web page to access information about services, processes and programs § Enters all data information into system accurately § Uses electronic mail appropriately and effectively | 1. Students First! Training 2. Continuous Upgrade Training |
| Basic Referrals | § Makes appropriate referrals § Keeps up to date on relevant information on referral areas and what is happening at the college | 1. Students First! Training 2. Updates |
| Basic Student Services Information | § Understands and maintains confidentiality requirements of FERPA § Disseminates information accurately to students in areas of academic advising, financial aid, support services, testing and services, and other college and community services | 1. Students First! Training 2. Confidentiality Training |
| Basic Student Services Processes | § Completes assigned processes accurately in areas of enrollment and registration, students financial transactions, financial aid § Assists students in accessing own student records § Provides students with proper forms for task at hand § Checks forms and documents for completion § Maintains documents appropriately while in custody § Routes documents accurately and appropriately in a timely manner | 1. Students First! Training 2. Confidentiality Training |
| Customer Service Skills | § Willing to navigate organizational obstacles to help customers § Works to resolve customer dissatisfaction § Gives competent and complete assistance § Interprets and explains technical information retrieved § Works to eliminate campus run-around § Demonstrates approachable demeanor § Checks for customer satisfaction § Practices recovery techniques § Uses phone effectively § Demonstrates an appreciation for diversity § Treats everyone as a customer: co-workers and students § Treats customers with respect | 1. Students First! Training 2. Advanced Connections |
| Teamwork Skills | ||
| Basic Team Skills | § Focuses on the situation, issue, or behavior – not on the person § Maintains the self-confidence and self-esteem or others § Maintains constructive relationships § Takes the initiative to make things better § Leads by example § Shows a high level of participation and involvement | 1. Zenger-Miller: Basic Principles 2. Meyers-Briggs |
| Basic Communication Skills | § Raises difficult issues without making people feel defensive § Responds without defensiveness to criticism § Open to receiving helpful feedback § Paraphrases appropriately § Uses praise and acknowledgment often § Uses perception checking § Gives constructive timely feedback to co-workers § Shows interest in what others have to say § Ask questions to clarify, gather information, and focus conversation § Lets others know he/she understands | 1. Glaser Training 2. Zenger-Miller: Proactive Listening |
| Basic Conflict Management Skills | § Works to find common interests in “disagreements” § Does not “dig in” with a position in a conflict | 1. Conflict Resolution Training |
| High Performance Team Skills | ||
| Decision-Making Skills | § Uses decision continuum to clarify who decides § Understands decisions are made along a continuum from authoritarian to teams § Makes decisions when it is time to move from thinking to action | 1. Glaser Training 2. Work Roles and Relationships Matrix Training 3. Problem-solving: Making the Decision |
| Consensus Building | § Employs consensus as the decision making tool whenever possible § Works to build true consensus in decisions § Works to ensure everyone has opportunity for input § Works to make others feel heard and understood § Supports team decisions | 1. Glaser Training: Consensus |
| Assessing Team Performance Skills | § Participates in the evaluation of team performance § Objectively evaluates personal performance and performance of other team members § Accepts appropriate feedback from other members of team on own performance § Sets appropriate goals for personal development | TBA |
Students First! Center Team Member Description
Core Competencies and Development Plan
| Certification Requirements Full Service Level II | |||
| Skill Set | Standard for Certification | Training | |
| Service Skills/Technical Knowledge | |||
| Information Technology | § Utilizes technology to collect data, analyze it and report on team’s performance and goal attainment § Uses Internet resources to provide information to students beyond Lane’s web presence | Modules and upgrade training will be developed as services are incorporated into the Students First! Center | |
| Referrals | § Makes appropriate referrals § Provides more direct service in core processes and shows an increase in referrals to Support Services | Modules and upgrade training will be developed as services are incorporated into the Students First! Center | |
| Student Services and College Information | § Disseminates appropriate information to students about additional Lane and community services | Modules and upgrade training will be developed as services are incorporated into the Students First! Center | |
| Student Services and College Processes | § Performs additional core processes accurately and efficiently | Modules and upgrade training will be developed as services are incorporated into the Students First! Center | |
| Process Improvement Skills | § Maps current processes § Identifies unnecessary or non-value added steps § Redesigns Students First! core processes | 1. Process Redesign Training: KPMG | |
| Teamwork Skills | |||
| Team Role Skills | § Works on both tasks and relationship functions specifically ¾ Asks questions ¾ Expresses opinions ¾ Uses PRES model ¾ Polls ¾ Summarizes ¾ Builds consensus ¾ Gatekeeps ¾ Compliments and agrees ¾ Speaks for him/herself ¾ Uses humor ¾ Listens actively ¾ Does process checks ¾ Deals with “problem” behavior in meetings effectively ¾ Sets realistic agenda and accomplishes it ¾ Utilizes accountability record or other written plan to ensure all commitments are followed through on | 1. Glaser Training | |
| Collaborative Problem Solving Skills | § Effectively uses CPS model with the team on open-ended problems | 1. Glaser Training | |
| Meeting Facilitation Skills | § Facilitates meetings effectively using techniques in team role skills § Records meeting effectively § Plans effectively for next steps based on results of the meeting | 1. Broome: Facilitating Effective Meetings | |
| High Performance Team Skills | |||
| Problem Solving Skills | § Understands own reaction and approach to problems § Identifies others affected by problem § Clarifies boundaries/limitations on solving a problem § Writes clear problem statements § Sets goals to focus on results § Encourages creative (divergent) thinking on problems | 1. Problem solving in Context 2. Problem Solving Identification 3. Six Thinking Hats | |
| Coaching Skills | § Demonstrates a variety of asking and listening techniques to coach others – formally and informally § Identifies opportunities to help co-workers expand their skills, knowledge and abilities § Approaches co-workers appropriately with ideas and suggestions | Zenger-Miller: Coaching to Bring Out the Best in Others | |
| Results and Measurement Skills | § Develops methods for collecting data to evaluate (results expected) in job description § Implements the data collection process § Analyzes the data collected | TBA | |
| Goal Setting | § Participates in team goal setting | TBA | |
| Certification Requirements Advanced Service Level III | ||
| Skill Set | Standard for Certification | Training |
| Service Skills/Technical Knowledge | ||
| Advanced Referral Skills | § Recognizes special needs and circumstances of students (i.e., disabilities and cultural differences) and provides alternative service | TBA |
| Professional Judgment/Special Circumstances Skills | § Makes independent judgment to alter procedures or waive requirements in special circumstances | TBA |
| Team Work Skills | ||
| Advanced Conflict Management Skills | § Uses negotiation skills effectively § Employs appropriate approaches to solving conflicts § Works effectively and collaboratively with labor in resolving conflicts | TBA |
| Project Management Skills | § TBA | TBA |
| Training Needs Assessment Skills | § Participates in regular team effectiveness assessments § Identifies resources when needed § Plans training activities in identified areas § Evaluates results | Goodkind: Training Needs Assessment Training |
| High Performance Team Skills | ||
| Change Management Skills | § Proactively manages change processes § Applies integrated service concepts to improvement of other college services for students § Plans with other college units for improvement of services for students | 1.Zenger-Miller: Personal Strategies for Navigating Change 2.The Change Workshop |
| Systems Thinking | § TBA | TBA |
| Training Development for New Hires | § Develops content and delivery method for training for new team hires | TBA |