report from the ipeds help desk: calls we take…. and calls we make…

Jamie Isaac and Janice Kelly

RTI International

Turning Knowledge into Practice

Report from the IPEDS Help Desk:

Calls We Take…. And Calls We Make…

SURVEY RESEARCH DIVISION

IPEDS Help Desk

- Operated by RTI International

- Specially hired and trained to serve IPEDS customers

- Open weekdays 8:30am to 5:00pm Eastern time

- Open evenings and weekends during the final week of each collection


Meet the Help Desk Staff


Meet the Help Desk Staff

Albeza

Preston

LaquitaByron Jef William

Mack

Lola

Charlene

RamelEmily

Lisa

LeslieLeslie


Name That Survey!

It’s time to play…


Name that survey…

- This is one of the more recent additions to the IPEDS collection

- It’s often considered to be the “easiest” of the surveys

- Patricia Brown is the survey director at NCES

- No, the Acronym does NOT stand for “Silly and Fictitious Answers”


Name that survey…

Yes, it’s…

Student Financial Aid (SFA)


Name that survey…

- This survey has the highest rate of non-compliance

- This is the only survey that allows negative values

- It’s considered to be one of the “hardest” surveys

- Cathy Statham is the survey director at NCES

- No, the Acronym does NOT stand for “Futility”!!


Name that survey…

Yes, it’s…

Finance (F)


What’s New at the Help Desk?• New web-based application which integrates

all call history, email history, and prompting history

• Allows Help Desk staff to easily see all previous contacts with institution, and to track unresolved questions/issues.

• Automatically routes undeliverable emails to Help Desk staff for follow-up and resolution.

• Provides complete and thorough documentation which can be supplied to Federal Student Aid for non-compliance follow-up.


What’s New at the Help Desk?

• Many veteran staff

• At present, we have 19 staff with combined experience of 82 collection periods (avg. of 4.3 each).

• IPEDS users continue to keep us very busy.


Help Desk Activity 2003-04 by Collection

Fall

Collection

Winter

Collection

Spring

Collection

Total

Number of Calls Received

8631 6468 9696* 24,795

Number of Calls Made

6296 5797 8222* 20,315

Number of Emails Received

2517 1295 1440* 5252

Total

17,444

13,560

19,358*

50,362

* Projected


Inbound Call volume

15000

17000

19000

21000

23000

25000

'00-'01 '01-'02 '02-'03 '03-'04*Collection Year * Projected


Outbound Call volume

8000

13000

18000

23000

'00-'01 '01-'02 '02-'03 '03-'04*Collection Year * Projected


Inbound v. Outbound Projections

8000

13000

18000

23000

28000

'00-'01

'01-'02

'02-'03

'03-'04

'04-'05

'05-'06

'06-'07

Outbound

Inbound

Collection Year


Undeliverable Emails – A Growing Problem

Number of “Bounced” or Undeliverable Emails, by Collection Year

0

1000

2000

3000

4000

'00-'01 '01-'02 '02-'03 '03-'04*

Projected

TotalBouncedEmails

Collection Year * Projected


Undeliverable EmailsWhat are the reasons for this growing number?• More filters & virus protection software are increasingly

preventing the emails from being delivered.

• Frequent upgrades to software, and/or changes of ISPs, lead to outdated email addresses that are not being updated by keyholders.

• The increase in SPAM has made it more difficult to separate the good email from the “bad,” and has also clogged up the email boxes of keyholders.

We recently decided that we need to send a letter to all keyholders asking them to take steps to ensure timely receipt of IPEDS-related emails.


Top Ten Reasons for Not Getting IPEDS Surveys Submitted on Time

1) I already submitted it last year.

2) I don’t have any students who received financial aid this year.

3) Our internet provider wasn’t working.

4) The person who usually does it has been on vacation.

5) I thought the reminder email said that it was due NEXT month.



6) We had a hurricane and our records were destroyed.

7) I broke my wrist and I haven’t been able to use my computer keyboard.

8) The information you are requesting is confidential and I won’t give it to you.

9) The feds seized all of our records so I don’t have the information to give you.



By the way… how many of those excuses do you think we fabricated?

NONE!

10) NCES delays the collection whenever it wants to…

…so I should be able to delay my submission when I want to!


Some of our favorite lines...

- I've printed and locked my data. Where should I mail the hard copy?

- Wow, you are really nagging this year!


Some of our favorite lines...

- My heart is not beating in the appropriate sequence and the sweat has dried on my hands. I’m glad I am done.

- Haaaaal - le-lu-jah

Haaaaal - le-lu-jah

Hallelujah

Hallelujah

Haaal - le - luuuuuuuuu- jah!


In Closing…Thank you for your assistance in making IPEDS successful.

Remember… for your data needs….

Make Your Point with IPEDS!


Jamie Isaac and Janice Kelly

RTI International

Turning Knowledge into Practice

Report from the IPEDS Help Desk:

Calls We Take…. And Calls We Make…

report from the ipeds help desk: calls we take…. and calls we make…

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