Online Scheduling Software for Student Service Centers: Lessons Learned at San Jose State University

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Online Scheduling Software for Student Service
Centers Lessons Learned at San Jose State
University, CA

• Bruce Kravitz, San Jose State University
• Carol Arakaki, ServiceBuzz Corporation
• 2005 NACADA National Conference
• Format/Code Concurrent Session/405

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Agenda

• Expected Outcome Demonstrate how Business
  Student Advisement Center (BSAC) at San Jose
  State University is using online scheduling
  technology to help manage their student
  advisement
• BSAC Background
• Scheduling Problem Statement/Solution
• Director Creates Publishes Staff Work Schedules
• Students Schedule Appointments
• Staff Meets and Staff Updates Appointment
  Status/Notes
• Director pulls Reports
• Lessons Learned Bruce
• Feedback/Comment Staff Students
• Questions?

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BSAC Background

• BSAC services 2500 business students/year.
  There are 2 full time advisors, 2 part time
  advisors, receptionist, and 1 director.
• Appointments are a combination of drop in and
  scheduled 30min 11 student/advisor meetings
• BSAC provides a variety of services which include
  student advising, academic planning,
  preadmission/returning student advisement,
  international student advising, reinstatement
  petitioning, etc.
• All appointments were scheduled via phone or in
  person. Phone message states open hours.
• Appointments were written in appointment book by
  receptionist and Advisors checked appointment
  book throughout the day to see their schedules.
• Receptionist would spend 5min on the phone
  scheduling appointments. No show rate was
  30-40.

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Problem Statement/Solution

• Problem Statement There is not an easy way to
  manage advisor tasks, communicate advising
  schedule changes, and schedule student
  appointments, which causes confusion on
  appointment times, increase no shows, inefficient
  use of staff times, and constant phone calls.
  BSAC needed to find a more effective way to
  service their students and complete all required
  tasks with the same number of advisors.
• Type of advisor work is dependent upon the time
  of the semester
• Student advising schedules are updated
  periodically to accommodate changes in advisor
  tasks
• Solution Implement online scheduling
  application that enables the director to manage
  advisor tasks, BSAC services, enable students to
  schedule online or via phone, and communicate
  changes automatically to students and advisors.

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Director Creates Online Staff BSAC Service
Schedules
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Director Defines

• Appointment Times
• Types of Services Available
• Number of Staff Appointments Available
• Length of each Appointment
• Define automatic confirmation or manual
  confirmation
• Block off Appointment times (i.e.. Students need
  to Schedule 2 days in advance but not more than
  13 weeks)
• More

Key Message Application is very flexible and
can adapt to the way you want to run your student
service center
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Director Setup Staff and Services
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Director Creates Staff Schedules
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Students Schedule Appointment
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Students go to College Web Page Click on
Schedule Appointment
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Students click on Available Appointment Times
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Students Chooses Advisor
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Student Signs In
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Student Selects Service
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Appt Schedule Complete
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Application automatically sends Student e-mail
Confirmation
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Students can Easily Cancel Appointment
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Cancel Appointment
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Staff Updates Appointments/Notes
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Staff Updates Student Status and Notes
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Reports
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Track Appointments by Staff
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Track when Students Schedule Appointments
30 appointments made after office hours Can
export data
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Track Appt Scheduled Online vs Phone
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Track Appt Complete
25 Ave No Show Rate. Range 13-40
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Track by Types of Services
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Lessons Learned - Bruce

• Largest Benefit - Student Convenience 30 of
  student appointments made after office hours
• Enables students to take responsibility and take
  an active role in scheduling their own
  appointments (teaches accountability
  self-reliance)
• Teaches students to use (self-service) technology
• Provides students the convenience to set up
  appointments 24/7 (no standing in lines)
• Application gives me the flexibility to make
  changes to student service times work schedules
• Can view work load/flow and can adjust if
  necessary
• Can be used to determine potential issues (ie
  training, etc)
• Need to put aside more time for directors/manager
  to learn application
• Tracks no show rate (ave 25, range 13-40)

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Feedback from Staff/Students

• How did you do your job before online scheduling
  application?
• Jo Everybody came through the receptionist. We
  wrote it down manually
• Darlene In our old job we wrote it down
  manually
• Oscar Everything was schedule via phone.
  Students call me directly for appointments, I
  would transfer to the receptionist, write it down
  in the appointment book, and fwd the call back to
  me. There was a lot of back and forth. There was
  bound to be missed calls.
• How has it changed your job?
• Jo I now have an idea of who I see for today
  and tomorrow. I can access appointments myself
  or with the students. Students can leave notes
  so I can be prepare in advance for the meeting.
• Darlene Easier. I can look up an appointment
  and know what I am doing. It is like having a
  personal receptionist.
• Oscar Do you hear that? The phone use to ring
  off the hook. The calls have lowered
  drastically. My time is not spent playing phone
  tag btw receptionist and students. The office is
  quite now.
• How long did it take to learn the application?
• Staff when you showed me, not very long,
  10-15mins.
• Student I just signed up for an appointment

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Feedback from Staff/Students (Continued)

• What benefits has the application provided you?
• Jo
• Convenience
• Seems like students keep appointment more. Not
  as many No Shows.
• I dont have stacks of paper on my desk I can
  keep notes in the appointment.
• Darlene It is online. When I am at home, I can
  look ahead and block my schedule from there.
• Oscar
• The phone calls decreased.
• I have notes about the type of appointment the
  student wants to see me about vs finding out when
  I see the student. Students can let us know what
  they need ahead of time (print out of appointment
  and what to bring). They know what they need to
  bring so we dont have to waste 2-3 meeting
  telling them to get all of the information.
• Looking up notes about the previous meeting is
  great when students say to me you said this?
  and when there are special exceptions to the rule
  I have my notes and can check
• Access to my appointments off campus. I can
  reschedule appointment from off campus
• Everyone has a receptionist with an Appointment
  Book. Taking manual appointments is so
  cumbersome and archaic
• We are in Silicon Valley. We need to take
  advantage and keep up with the technology in this
  area

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Questions?

• Bruce Kravitz, Director of BSAC
• College of Business, San Jose State University
• One Washington Square
• San Jose, CA 95192
• Phone (408)  924-3435
• Web Site http//www.cob.sjsu.edu/cob/5_STUDENT20
  SERVICES/BSAC_1.html

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Contact ServiceBuzz

• Carol Arakaki, Account Manager
• E-mail carakaki_at_servicebuzz.com
• ServiceBuzz Corporation
• 650 Castro Street, Suite 120-314
• Mountain View, CA 94041
• Phone [phone]-BUZZ (2899)
• Email sales_at_servicebuzz.com
• About ServiceBuzz Corporation
• ServiceBuzz Corporation is a privately held
  company, founded in May 2002 to solve the
  problems that
• service organizations have with scheduling.
  ServiceBuzz develops, markets and sells a suite
  of web based
• software (delivered as services) for scheduling
  staff, services, resources and events.
• ServiceBuzz SelfScheduler Suite
• Makes Scheduling Easy and Keeps IT Simple!
• For more information visit www.servicebuzz.com