Federal Student Aid Customer Experience Journey Brenda Wensil | Chief Customer Experience Officer U.S. Department of Education Federal Student Aid Customer Experience Office July 2015

Agenda Overview of Federal Student Aid Customer Experience Organization Digital Customer Experience

About Federal Student Aid - Video

About Us Federal Student Aid (FSA) is the largest provider of student financial aid in the nation. FSA is responsible for managing the student financial assistance programs authorized under Title IV of the Higher Education Act of 1965. 1,200 employees help make college education possible for every dedicated mind.

What We Do Grants Student Loans Work Study We offer more than $150 billion to help millions of students pay for higher education. Grants Student Loans Work Study

Overview of the Financial Aid Process - Video

Federal Student Aid Organization

Customer Experience Office Federal Student Aid Customer Experience Office was created in late 2010. Federal Student Aid Customer Experience Office (CE) is responsible for identifying, measuring and reporting customer expectations and satisfaction with the federal financial aid services and products offered by Federal Student Aid.  CE is accountable for understanding the customers’ perception of service over the entire customer lifecycle and identifying ways to improve customer satisfaction. CE serves as the "voice of the customer" and works as an advocate for customer facing issues.

Chief Customer Experience Officer Brenda Wensil is the Chief Customer Experience Officer at the U.S. Department of Education’s office of Federal Student Aid. Joined the office in December 2010. Prior to joining the Department of Education, Wensil held leadership roles for 20 years with Wachovia Corporation as Head of Customer Strategy, Marketing and Customer Relations, as well as Head of Retail Segments and Director of Enterprise Supplier Performance Management. Consulted with Barclays Bank in London, leading an international team to redesign and execute the company’s global technology supplier management functions.

Customer Experience Organization Office of the Chief Customer Experience Officer Brenda Wensil, Chief Customer Experience Officer Jennifer Douglas, Deputy Chief Customer Experience Officer Awareness & Outreach Group Wendy Bhaghat, Director Ombudsman Group Joye DeMoss, Ombudsman Student Experience Group Lisa DiCarlo, Director School Experience Group E.T. Winzer, Director Customer Analytics Group Ed Pacchetti,

Customer Experience Workforce Customer Experience represents about 9% of FSA’s workforce.

CE Top 5 Priorities Evolve the customer aid lifecycle to improve simplicity, ease, access to information and satisfaction. Drive the customer to information about financial aid and repayment options through innovative marketing techniques. 3. Optimize efficiencies and new processes to advance financial aid delivery to customers and the market. 4. Manage budget and resources creating savings, cost-neutral solutions where possible and visibility into the spend. 5. Create a culture that thrives on trust, credibility, collaboration, professional accountability and integrity.

Customer Experience Business Functions Awareness & Outreach Group Customer Analytics Group The Awareness and Outreach (A&O) Group is responsible for the vision, strategy, end-to-end management of, and the formulation and evaluation of products, services, tools and vehicles that impact awareness and outreach and customer engagement across the student aid life cycle.  Accountable for targeting segments of the student population and their families and influencers, providing information and guidance to assist in post-secondary school planning and decision-making and educating aid program recipients.  Manages FSA’s social media strategy and enterprise implementation and engagement activities. Manages the design, development and fulfillment of financial aid publications. The Customer Analytics Group (CAG) gathers, analyzes and reports on FSA customer behavior, issues and feedback. Develops various customer feedback systems to provide customers ways to provide information of the performance of FSA and its customer contact vendors. Provides management trend reports to FSA Operating Committee members to stimulate discussions on ways to improve the customer experience. School Experience Group Student Experience Group The School Experience Group (SEG) works proactively to identify the unique service needs of all 6,300+ post-secondary education institutions including Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU’s), Hispanic Speaking Institutions (HSI’s), and Tribally Controlled Colleges and Universities (TCCU’s). Provides program management, oversight, monitoring and targeted technical assistance to improve Title IV program compliance. Develops tools and guidelines to assist Title IV program participants and Federal Student Aid staff to assess, attain, or improve compliance with Title IV Program requirements. Student Experience Group (SEG) acts as the entry point to the student aid life-cycle by delivering integrated awareness and application products and services that are driven by the needs of millions of students, potential applicants and their families.  Accountable for the annual development of the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) and associated applicant products. They monitor policy, regulatory, and program changes that impact student aid eligibility, application/system development, and other Student Experience Group activities.  Manages a multi channel contact center (Federal Student Aid Information Center) which is responsible for responding to customer inquiries. 13

Customer Experience Business Functions Front Office Ombudsman Group Manages the business process improvement and development for the Customer Experience Office. Develops strategic objectives and ensures strategic alignment. Manages the development and execution of StudentAid.gov target state. Manages the development and execution of borrower strategy including messaging and partnerships with external stakeholders. The Ombudsman Group is dedicated to helping resolve disputes related to Direct Loans, Federal Family Education Loan (FFEL) Program loans, Guaranteed Student Loans, and Perkins Loans. Provides timely assistance to borrowers of loans made, insured, or guaranteed. Receives, reviews, and attempts to informally resolve complaints from loan borrowers. Serves as an impartial resource to mediate disputes internally without the need for outside arbitration. Key Projects Integrated Student Experience Borrower email campaigns Financial literacy initiatives White House initiatives Customer service modernization Social media campaigns Outreach events, webinars and trainings Customer segmentation Voice of the customer FAFSA annual development Training for schools on default prevention and other Title IV topics of interest Partnerships with organizations to reach Presidents and other college leaders at MSIs and community colleges that can drive desired changes at their colleges Content management Loan resolution modernization Customer feedback and analytics management 14

Integrated Student Experience To offer an industry-leading one-stop-shop for students and borrowers through StudentAid.gov. StudentAid.gov will seamlessly display all relevant Federal Student Aid content, data and tools to users through one web portal. FSA will use only one URL: StudentAid.gov, even though web pages are hosted separately. All web pages will use a consistent look-and-feel, voice, and design driven by customer feedback. NOTE: The legacy systems that supports this data and tools (CPS, COD, NSLDS, etc.) will remain unchanged, but the content will be presented through a singular experience

Drivers ED’s signature initiative for Executive Order 13571 on Streamlining Service Delivery and Improving Customer Service. Plain Language Act, the White House Campaign to Cut Waste. Presidential Memorandum to improve repayment options and improve services issued. Digital Government Strategy aimed at delivering better digital services to the American people.

Integrated Student Experience Target State The Integrated Student Experience Target State delivers a comprehensive digital platform that provides access to FSA business processes via the appropriate channel for the customer. Integrated Student Experience Features Multi-Channel Experience Responsive Design (Mobile Web) Before School While In School In Repayment Web Content Management Online Bill Pay Financial Aid Content Career Search PLUS Request Counseling (EC, FACT, Exit) IDR Application Financial Aid History Integrated CRM Capability FAFSA4Caster Calculator Repayment Estimator MPN / Endorser Addendum Agreement to Serve (Teach) Loan Consolidation Ombudsman Social Media FAFSA PSLF application Deferment Application Single Sign On/ Identity Mgmt (NPAS) Mobile Experience Mobile Experience Correspondence Email Promote Informed Choice Maximize Your Aid Campaign Promote FAFSA Promote Enrollment & Graduation Repayment Plan Options Campaign PSLF Campaign MyData Button (Application, Servicing) Paper Open API Key: Existing Capability Future Integration

Phase 1 Complete A consolidated and streamlined web experience (StudentAid.gov) with updated designs and content written in plain language. Built in-house using FSA developers and writers, resulting in cost savings. Offers informational content for students on Federal Student Aid programs FSA’s first mobile-optimized website Includes ombudsman request form, contact form, events, videos, infographics, data center Retired websites including College.gov, Students.gov, Ombudsman.ed.gov, FederalStudentAid.ed.gov

Phase 2 Complete Displays Student Access data from National Student Loan Data System (NSLDS) system using a web service provided by NSLDS Log in using FSA ID Loan/Grant history My Data Download Released Repayment Estimator rebuilt on StudentLoans.gov, available for users with or without existing loans: StudentAid.gov/repayment-estimator

Marketing to Our Customers

Twitter/FAFSA

@FAFSA Office Hours on Twitter 23

Facebook/FederalStudentAid 24

YouTube/FederalStudentAid 25

Integrated Spring Repayment Campaign: Components Partner Outreach Paid Media Native Advertising Video Pre-roll Gaming Organic Social Media In-grace Borrower E-mails Explore Content Leverage Existing Content: Videos and Infographics Website Content and Tools (e.g., Repayment Estimator) Publications Create New Content: Promotional Videos Q&A Video Series Social Media Content Update Content: StudentAid.gov/repay Financial Aid Toolkit Page for Partners Blog PSAs and Webinars StudentLoans.gov StudentAid.gov ED.gov Blog

Matt & Mike - Video

Customer Impact Since July 2012 26+ million mobile visits 100+ million visits 9,400+ YouTube Subscribers Facebook Fans/Likes 348k 86k+ Twitter Followers 28

Return on Investment $1.5 Million Cost Savings Over 2 Years Improved Customer Experience and Financial Literacy Streamlined Content Management Improved Marketing and Customer Acquisition 29

Continuous Improvement Usability Studies Review Metrics Review Surveys 30

What’s On The Horizon? 31

Sneak Peak

Contact Information Brenda Wensil Federal Student Aid Chief Customer Experience Officer Brenda.Wensil@ed.gov 33