By Katie Brown, University Registrar at Aspen University, and Michael Godbehere, Associate Registrar at Aspen University

"Field Notes" is a regular Connect column covering practical and philosophical issues facing admissions and registrar professionals. The columns are authored by various AACRAO members. If you have an idea for a column and would like to contribute, please send an email to the editor at connect@aacrao.org.

As students return to class, they may or may not be attending in-person classes. Your institution might be employing a hybrid model. Or, even if your students are back on campus, your employees might continue working from home. Regardless, you want to ensure that all of your students are experiencing excellent customer service. The following tips and best practices will help your department with their long-distance customer service needs:

• Understand the challenges of long-distance customer service. When you're not in the room with a student, it can be challenging to pick up on body language, read the room, or provide materials to your students. Being aware of the limitations of long-distance communication will help you plan to overcome those obstacles.

• Reassure your students with your tone. When on a phone call with a student, use active verbal cues to indicate you are listening. Making comments about writing down their information and asking engaging questions, even when you already know the answer, will ensure your student that you're actively listening, despite them not being able to see you. And remember to keep a calm demeanor. Students are more likely to act differently on the phone than in person, so the chances of getting an angry or intense call are higher than getting an upset student in person.

• Be clear with written communication. Ensure that when you respond to students via email, you are always specific and clear in your response. That way, there is no room for ambiguity. Using links to the school website, catalog, or other online resources will also help to illustrate your points and increase student comprehension of the issue. And as always, be polite. Kind sentiments or empathetic statements can go a long way toward establishing a rapport with students.

• Prepare to deal with angry students. The more confident and prepared you are in your role, the easier it will be to handle a high-stress situation with a student. Utilize the 4-A model to deescalate situations: Acknowledge, Apologize, Assure, Ask. Don't engage in combative situations; you can end the call politely if you need to. And lastly, never take situations personally; you never know what a student is going through behind the scenes, and it's not worth ruining your day over something you couldn't control.

• Use a food metaphor. Certain food metaphors can help you with your communication skills. For example, the Compliment Sandwich allows positive information to be the bread slices to your information-heavy filling. The Soda Bottle metaphor will remind you that if you open a shaken soda bottle, it's likely to explode on you. However, if you are calm, take your time, and slowly ease the soda bottle open, you'll get a much better result.

• Create learning opportunities for your students. The customer is not always right, and that's ok. However, when correcting a student, make sure to turn the situation into a teachable moment. Be careful not to imply that the student is unintelligent, but do provide them with the resources to understand better in the future.  

Staying positive and professional in your verbal and written communications with students will go a long way toward making your students' communications with your department a positive experience, despite the distance.

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