Student Information Advisor - Academic Services

Position Details

Department: Academic Services
Location: University of Birmingham, Edgbaston, Birmingham UK
Full time starting salary is normally in the range of £19,581 to £20,939. With potential progression once in post to £25,509
Band 400
Full time

Job Summary

This post plays a key role in the successful delivery of a professional and high quality first line support service to students at the University of Birmingham. The team in which this post works triage a high volume of inbound queries from a diverse client group of both internal and external customers, through multiple communication channels. The team triage all queries to identify where tasks can be resolved at the point of enquiry or the best resolution pathway where specialists support and/or knowledge is required (acting as a gateway to other support services). The Student Information Advisor will be required to successfully identify the range of services required to resolve the immediate enquiry and the needs of the students. Without reference to others the post holder will perform process driven tasks to resolve enquiries and diagnose the support services relevant to the students' enquiry. As part of the student hub development the role will extend further to incorporate booking appointments with specialist advisors, advising students regarding 'interview/appointment' information and examining further pathways for the all student enquiries. The postholder is required to have a 'can do' approach to their work; being proactive, adaptable and effective in the application of their skills to the role.

This post is a member of the front-of-house team who currently answer and respond to over 65,000 enquiries per annum. The postholder is required to work on the triage counter, respond to online queries and manage incoming calls in a professional and efficient manner. A high quality and professional service delivery is the expectation of the team at all times and the role of the Student Information Advisor is to ensure all student interactions meet these high standards.

The postholder plays a key role in the development and delivery of Welcome for new students and Registration for all students at the University and reports to the Student Information Team Leader.

Main Duties

Operational delivery and customer service

• To undertake day-to-day administration activities and front-of-house customer services for Student Enquiry Services, which involves liaising with students, staff and external organisations face to face, via email, enquiry management systems, social media and telephones. A proactive approach to service delivery (e.g. projecting when peaks of student queues may happen and allocating resources to minimise the impact of the experience for students) is required.
• To triage and manage (to resolution) a wide range of enquiries for matters relating to such things as: student registration; ID cards; student records; council tax queries; thesis submissions, student funding, international student queries etc.
• To undertake activities, as and when required, including document, form and evidence checking and booking appointments with specialist staff.
• To play a key role in helping develop and maintain the knowledgebase used within the service for staff and students.
• To have an objective, but empathetic approach to dealing with a range of challenging student issues which will require the postholder to be robust, confidential, sensitive and professional at all times. This includes assisting students with disabilities, emotional and behavioural issues and ensuring they are effectively signposted to the relevant professional Student Support Team (e.g. Counselling, Mental Health Advisory Service).
• To act as a front of house service and initial point of triage for other departments within the University. This involves providing highly professional and high quality customer service for the range and different needs of students and stakeholders that may require these services.
• To use triage skills to identify important or urgent issues and ensure that they are escalated appropriately (to the Student Information Team Leader or the Student Enquiry Services and Registration Manager). This will require a high degree of diagnostic skill so that precise identification of issues and queries can be made and responded to. This is an important responsibility as failure to judge a situation correctly could lead to serious consequences to the well-being of the individual or other members of the University.
• To undertake administrative duties in accordance with the role and the grading. For example, the postholder will be undertaken administrative processes including; handling of cash monies, taking payments using a credit card machine.
• To provide ideas to the Student Information Team Leader to help develop new initiatives and process improvements in order to further develop the high quality service delivery.
• Where applicable, liaise with specialist staff to arrange student appointments/triage assessments/workshops, ensuring that co-ordination and effective communication takes place with the specialist teams.

Welcome and Registration

• To support the delivery of Welcome and Registration activities at the University as part of the project team delivering key aspects of Welcome. This will include supporting delivery of key activities (e.g. Welcome Hubs/Information points) supporting the enhancements of the Online Registration system and supporting relevant project groups that develop and deliver Welcome
• To support the evaluation of Welcome with contributions of ideas and input towards the further improvement and development of Welcome for the following year.

Other duties

• To supervise Student Enquiry Services temporary staff (in the absence of the Student Information Team Leader) to ensure that service levels are maintained, staff are clear on their work allocation and high quality professional customer service is delivered at all times.
• To supervise temporary staff members who make up the Welcome Team, as and when required.
• To assist the Student Information Team Leader in duties including; organising rotas and cover shifts (e.g. for annual leave/sickness absence).
• To undertake projects or special tasks which may be assigned from time to time. This will include contribution ato major team projects including; enquiry management or other team/divisional projects.
• To undertake any other duties that might reasonably be required by the Student Information Team Leader, Student Enquiry Services and Registration Manager or Assistant Director, Student Experience to perform such duties consistent with your role and grade as may from time to time be assigned to you within the University.

Decision Making/Problem Solving

(i) without reference to others

• Have day to day contact with a wide range of stakeholders; including students, staff and external organisations (over 65,000 student enquiries per annum).
• Competently and confidently answer general queries regarding different aspects of activity the service covers.

(ii) after consulting others

• Respond to more complex or unusual queries, which may require specialist advice, escalating to the Student Information Team Leader as appropriate, via clearly defined escalation routes.
• Raise ideas for service improvements with the Student Information Team Leader.
• Consult with relevant specialists if a student needs emergency/urgent consultation, appointment or advice (initially referring to the Student Information Team Leader or Student Enquiry Services and Registration Manager, as appropriate).

iii) or that would be referred to someone else.

• Any key difficulties arising at Student Enquiry Services that requires urgent attention (e.g. full systems failure)
• Student or staff complaints
• Anything that has statutory or legal implications (e.g provision of information to the Police upon request about a student)

Person Specification

Essential

• Educated to a minimum of GCSE (or equivalent) standard, with at least 5 GCSE passes at grade A* - C (or equiv.) including English and Maths.
• Experience of delivering high quality customer services, with the demonstration of a strong understanding of how to respond to differing stakeholders' needs, including internal customers across different University departments, and enquirers from a diverse range of backgrounds.
• Evidence of ability to use diagnostic skills in triaging to be able to quickly and efficiently identify the needs of the enquirer.
• Ability to prioritise workloads in the face of conflicting demands, using own judgement to ensure the work is completed to time and deadline. This should include the experience of supervising (temporary) staff members.
• Excellent written communication skills, including the ability to write clearly and concisely and must include evidence of a thorough knowledge of English grammar, punctuation, and spelling, with the ability to edit and proofread own text.
• Experience of developing good working relationships (e.g. partnerships) with colleagues from different parts of a company, showing understanding of the interdependencies that affect the work of other staff/teams in an organisation.
• Evidence of ability to provide a high level of all of the following: professional judgement, confidentiality, diplomacy, cultural awareness and sensitivity, when liaising with staff, students and other key stakeholders.
• Confident and competent use of IT, especially in the use of databases and systems such as; enquiry management, as well as the ability to operate web technologies (such as online chats) together with a willingness to learn new packages if required.
• The post-holder must have an appreciation and general understanding of the Data Protection Act, Equality Act and Codes of Ethics for confidentiality.
• Flexibility and willingness to work extended hours and at weekends to meet the needs of the service (e.g. new student Welcome in September) and Student Hub operational opening hours.

Desirable

• Previous experience of student records system within a university.
• A-Levels (or equivalent).

We value diversity at The University of Birmingham and welcome applications from all sections of the community.

Informal enquiries can be made to Jenni Bird - J.Bird@bham.ac.uk