Best-In-Class Customer Service: The Loyal Tenet

Nelnet Campus Commerce is committed to being loyal to the 1,300 institutions we serve by being devoted and truehearted during every encounter and conversation. After an institution selects us, the ball is in our court to not only deliver great solutions, but provide constant, outstanding support.

Koko Tetteh, Nelnet Campus Commerce account manager, says being loyal means being there for someone through thick and thin.

“Be a teammate. Someone your co-workers or customers can depend on,” Koko says. “Staying invested in relationships and always being available, sincere, and caring to one another is key.”

Just as we all continue to go to our favorite restaurants over and over again, we want our partners to continuously choose our solutions because of the positive experience and great technology they receive when collaborating with us.

Maria Stadanlick, director of student accounts at the Rhode Island School of Design, says Nelnet associates deliver on excellent customer service every single day.

“They listen and learn about the ways in which RISD operates and how to tailor their work for the specific needs of our students and families,” Maria says. “When a family calls and doesn’t realize they’re actually speaking to an associate at Nelnet Campus Commerce and not RISD, they’ve done their job and well.”

We promise to stay committed and engaged with our partners 24/7. Delivering outstanding service and constantly being accessible makes it easier for our institutions to reach the common goal we share – providing smarter ways to pay for higher education.

Gretchen Babola, Nelnet Campus Commerce team leader, says she shows her loyalty to our partners by thinking through issues the institution may not have thought of yet.

“For instance, if there is a change that they want to make, I will try to make sure they understand the downstream impact of the change so they can be sure they are making the best decision and it will not cause any problems for them down the line,” Gretchen says.

Having empathy and compassion for our higher education partners has been especially important in 2020 – but our efforts have extended far beyond this year. Our associates are committed to putting themselves in our partner’s shoes to see exactly what needs to be done. By doing this, we can overcome obstacles and produce the best solution for any institution.

Emily Baker, director of student financial services at the University of Redlands, says, “Everything Nelnet Campus Commerce told us they had, they delivered on. We stuck to the implementation schedule, our project manager was incredible, and we were in constant communication the whole time.”

We are living in an age of instant communication. With that in mind, our associates are eager to have genuine, heartfelt conversations with our partners every chance we get. Whether that be through emails, phone calls, webinars, conferences, or via our social media and website platforms, we’ll answer any questions thoughtfully and promptly.

If an answer is not available immediately, we are open and honest with our clients and let them know collaboration with other individuals and teams is needed before we provide an answer.

Koko says she is committed to giving our partnerships constant support because she wants their students to succeed.

“Going above and beyond for them, providing the best customer service and making sure they are happy and knowing that no matter what I will be available to assist and help resolve any issues they may have,” Koko says. “If I do not have an answer, I will search with the team and come back with one.”

We hold ourselves accountable to gather information about each institution we partner with so that in return we can serve them in the most efficient and productive way. Being up to date on what is happening at our partners’ institution allows us to solve and answer any concerns or questions. We own the problem by coming up with creative solutions and following up on outstanding questions.

Maria says that the Nelnet Campus Commerce associates thoughtfully engage with Rhode Island School of Design staff on campus to ensure the student and family experience is positive.

“To be partners requires a strong, trustworthy relationship,” Maria says. “It makes my job easier to know that they always have RISD’s best interests in mind and will never hesitate to go the extra mile.”

Putting in extra time and effort sometimes goes unnoticed – but we aren’t in it for the recognition. We’re in it for the end result. For the experience of students, institutions, and families. For supporting our partners no matter what.

“I believe that I am making our partner institutions more successful by helping implement great products that make their work easier. This makes it easier for students to get their tuition, fees, and bills paid,” says Gretchen.

Stay tuned for more articles in our series on best-in-class service. (Or, explore our eight best-in-class tenets.)