The Client & Their Challenge

For a network of colleges in Texas, financial aid wasn’t just a department — it was the heartbeat of student success. Each year, from March through August, over 60,000 students across multiple campusesturned to the financial aid office with urgent questions about FAFSA, loans, verification, and awards.

The stakes were high: without timely answers, students risked missing opportunities that could shape their futures. But the colleges’ main switchboard was flooded with 10,000+ calls per month, creating delays, frustration, and service levels averaging below 50%.

The client needed a partner who could do more than take calls. They needed someone who could:

  • Handle seasonal surges without sacrificing student care.
  • Equip agents with training and tools to provide accurate, empathetic support.
  • Find efficiencies that allowed staff to focus on complex cases while ensuring every student felt heard.

Our Approach: Empowering Students and Staff

At Harte Hanks, we knew this wasn’t just about calls — it was about confidence. We created a solution that blended people-first service with smarter processes:

  • Proactive Insights: We analyzed call drivers, identified trends, and built a strategy to promote the self-service portal, giving students faster access to answers for simple questions.
  • Dedicated Trained Team: We trained a team exclusively on the colleges’ standards, practices, and databases, so they could resolve issues on the spot.
  • Continuous Improvement: We developed agent performance assessments and reporting to ensure accountability and drive ongoing efficiency.

The goal was clear: reduce repeat calls, increase efficiency, and keep students focused on what mattered most — their education.

The Results

The transformation was dramatic. In just one academic year, Harte Hanks delivered:

  • 80,000+ calls handled by trained agents.
  • 91.2% efficiency level — nearly double the prior baseline.
  • 75% decrease in repeat calls, cutting multiple student inquiries from 40,000 down to 5,000–15,000.
  • <Stronger student experience, with faster resolutions and better data for continuous improvement.

For students, this meant answers came quicker, stress levels went down, and confidence in their financial aid journey increased.

The Harte Hanks Difference

This project was about more than call handling. It was about transforming the student experience during one of the most critical phases of their educational journey.

With Harte Hanks, the network achieved:

  • Efficiency gains that doubled performance.
  • A sharp drop in repeat student frustrations.
  • A partner they continue to trust — even years later.

That’s the impact of a partner who pairs care with cutting-edge solutions.

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