Sallie Mae 2003 Annual Report Download - page 11

LENDER SELECTION LOAN ORIGINATION LOAN DELIVERY GUARANTOR SERVICES DEBT MANAGEMENT
CollegeServ
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CollegeServ represents a central “hub” of Sallie Mae. Here, 200 representatives
with extensive knowledge of the student loan process provide school customers
across the country with the information and support they need to manage the
delivery of education loans to a financial aid office.
Catherine Thomas
DIRECTOR OF FINANCIAL AID
UNIVERSITY OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA
Janice Morse is something of a modern-day Sherlock Holmes.
As a service coordinator for CollegeServ in Killeen, Texas,
Janice says she relies heavily on “investigative skills” and her
ability to ask the kind of probing questions that ultimately
deliver effective service resolutions for school customers.
“Customer service means being a good listener,” says
Janice. “Sallie Mae’s ability to really listen to what financial
aid administrators are saying sets us apart. A school, big or
small, knows we are there for them. When an issue comes
up, we find an answer. And we continue to be proactive,
looking for ways to create an even better customer experi-
ence for the school and, ultimately, the students.”
University of Southern California (USC) is a prime exam-
ple. The university, which has 31,000 students who attend
multiple campuses, has seen its lending volume skyrocket
in recent years. More than $45 million in Federal Family
Education Loan Program (FFELP) volume was disbursed to
USC students by Sallie Mae on just one day in January 2004.
Despite this significant volume, Sallie Mae’s single point-of-
contact approach ensured service and response standards
were at their highest throughout the process.
“We depend on Sallie Mae as a business partner, not sim-
ply a lender/servicer,” says Catherine Thomas, USC’s director
of financial aid.
“USC is known as a high-touch, high-tech school, and
Sallie Mae has a like-minded philosophy,” she adds. “And
that’s made all the difference for us and our students.”