Work with your discussion team to redesign a business process at Montclair State University. Choose one business process and describe the current steps and how you would redesign it to make it more efficient. Post your results here – each students should make a post, but it should be the same for all team members. Each student should pose comments and/or questions for at least one other group.
Below I attached what my classmates wrote, please write what i need to add as classmate “Heba” and replies to each part
Also 5-7 sentence reply on classmates post:
Classmate Kirsten: As a group, we decided the business process we wanted to improve was customer service, with a focus on optimizing support for online students. At Montclair State University, we, the students, are the customers, and we are paying for a service, (an education,) and products, (e-texts and case studies). Glorian pointed out that as online students, we are already at a disadvantage. Since we are not physically on campus, it might be more difficult to access services and receive assistance. The group felt the navigating process was more partial to in-person students and that a more user-friendly interface for online students was necessary to ensure these students promptly received the information and support they needed to be successful at Montclair State University.
One problem we talked about is the method used to perform a search. When opening up the university’s main web page, it gives visitors the option to search for topics or information in the search bar, but this can generate upwards of 40 results. Going through each link to read or skim through all the information is too time consuming. Many, if not all the links, may not contain the desired or necessary information that the searcher is seeking. A second problem we identified is a lack of direction. Online students might experience difficulty finding the appropriate person or department to email or call, along with possible frustration if they have to wait a few days for a response. The third problem we touched on was the influx of spam emails. Online students often receive emails containing information that is irrelevant to them, such as deadlines for paying housing deposits and registering for in-person orientation. Even the current checklists for incoming students do not differentiate between online and in-person students, though both groups of students have different requirements for items such as registration, orientation, or obtaining/opting out of health coverage through the university.
The group recommended different solutions for these problems. Juan suggested implementing different departments to handle different categories of students: Online, hybrid and in-person. The links to each department would be posted on the university’s main website. The visitor would then click on the appropriate link, and in turn, this would take them to the page with more links pertaining to that type of instructional interaction. For example, Glorian suggested quick links for new or online students that could take them to Canvas or the NEST. In addition to forming separate departments, Juan recommended integrating individual directories for online and in-person students. This would also entail two sets of staff, (one to assist students attending classes in-person, and the other to assist students completing classes online,) two separate email chains, (that correspond with online and in-person students,) and separate requirements checklists for incoming/graduating students who are attending in-person or online. I also suggested a live chat box that could be accessible from the university’s main webpage. A live chat box could connect visitors with university representatives, who could either answer questions directly, or provide the appropriate link to the requested information. After business hours, an automated response would pop up, with the question being forwarded to a university representative’s inbox to be answered next business day. A live chat box would be useful in helping visitors or students receive prompt and accurate information.