This case study provides a detailed description of a student services manager in

the metropolitan university that was preparing for the upcoming registration process. In years
previous ones, the process did not meet her expectations and she categorized the long lines, the frustrated staff and the
discontented students as the key issues. The influx of students ready to enroll this
autumn is approximately 1,000.

She expects this number to increase every semester due to the growing popularity and projects.
of expansion. The intent of this case study is to analyze and provide realistic solutions for
take advantage of opportunities to improve the process.

Firstly, the idea is to highlight the reasoning that contributed to the complications occurring.
during the registration. The long lines and slow movement throughout the process were undoubtedly due to
the small number of staff available to the manager. Mary indicated that she had 8 members in
their department that serves 1000 potential students. This led to discouraged staff that
had to work non-stop for 8 hours answering questions and helping students to
through this rigorous process.

They were given half an hour for a break and worked frantically during the rest of their shift.
working constantly at that pace will frustrate anyone. Moreover, this led to students
dissatisfied people who saw a process that should take 16 minutes to complete the stretching in the
over the course of a few hours. We were also informed that approximately 250 students
they came from outside the province and 100 students had problems completing the forms
of registration, which resulted in a delay that cost him valuable time. Below are illustrated
the steps to complete the registration process and the time assigned to each step.

According to the steps provided by the manager, the student takes approximately 16
minutes to complete the registration process. This analysis will show two realistic solutions that can
to be implemented to improve efficiency and reduce registration time.
Solution A

Hire more temporary workers A more friendly experience and additional personal available
to answer the students' questions

Attach examples of registration forms to minimize errors.

Include options for university services in the registration form and remove step 3
(enroll in university services)

• Color-coded forms for out-of-province students to help distinguish them.

children who require additional health coverage

Establish the office on the first floor with the student service office

• Take photos of the students and the review form in step 1 and send the information to
obtain the printed card. The student can complete the other steps and provide a receipt of the
payment of the fee and obtain the card without having to wait.

Solution B

Have stations on one floor to prevent students from having to go up and down.

• Email copies of the form to the students along with a template on how to
fill it out and guide them through the registration process virtually. A more informed student will know what
wait and plan accordingly.

Have students fill out our online registration forms and send them by mail.
electronic.

• Have separate alignments for out-of-province and students living in the residence

Give students the option to pick up their student cards the following week.

The key criteria that helped me decide which solution is preferable are variables such as: Cost,
time and duration to implement the changes. Considering that the article is dated the 10th
August and we have four weeks for registration, I chose Solution A.
The deadline is 20 days and this solution does not have a long-term aspect associated with it. Firstly, it is
it is necessary to hire more employees because the staff is overwhelmed in number and
Unfortunately, students with questions or concerns are ignored. Given that
the school is considering expanding in the near future, it is essential to provide an experience of
quality for current students, as they will represent the university and play a role
important in hiring for the future.

Secondly, attaching sample registration forms will give the prospect an idea of how
fill out the form and it will be a valuable tool to minimize the errors made in this
process. By taking a photo in the first step, along with the registration form, you will save the pain of
head of waiting for it to be produced, encoded, and issued the card.
Since the selection of meal plans, the bus pass, and parking is now part of the
registration form, students do not have to go to a different station to select them. This
It may take longer at the fare payment station, but students can be
calm, as they only need to present a payment receipt and recover their photo card
that is already prepared and coded, ready to be picked up.

Finally, the color-coded forms will facilitate the distinction between the students of the
province and the staff can guide you to the appropriate desk where you can register for the
health coverage, regular students can proceed to the fee payment station. The
The following Gantt chart illustrates the implementation process.

This case presents a lot of information about certain aspects learned in our class of
business fundamentals. Essentially, the three key qualities of service products, namely,
intangibility and personalization. Intangible services cannot be touched, so we can
characterize this as the experience that students have during the registration process. The
Personalization can be classified as the different steps outside the province that students
They must take to enroll in health coverage. The services offered must be customized until
certain point to meet the needs of most students.

In addition, location planning and design planning are necessary when offering a
service. The design must be convenient and easy to follow, and the location is absolutely important.
so that students do not get confused and can easily locate the stations. The facilities
Support facilities such as restrooms, parking lots, and cafeterias should also be conveniently located.
and students should not have difficulties accessing them.

Improvement methods in services can be a good guide to help the manager organize and
improve the service experience. In this example, we are in high-contact services because the
students have physical contact with the staff and the service, and the information is exchanged. The
service flow analysis is also an important tool because it helps the manager to eliminate
the unnecessary steps involved in providing the service.
A good example of this is the step-by-step process to complete the registration. The operation control
it is essential because it helps the manager to monitor and compare the results with the schedule
planned. The Gantt chart describes the necessary steps that need to be taken and the time that
Take each step in a realistic way.

A tool like quality improvement teams can also be useful and combines employees.
from different work areas to analyze and solve common problems. This improves quality and
provides the opportunity for team members to be heard. The attitude of employees
plays a crucial role in the service sector, as employees are often the service.

The key criteria used to judge service quality include reliability, capability of
response, security, empathy, and tangibles. An employee must be reliable and provide the service according to
promised. They must be able and willing to help customers and have the knowledge and courtesy.
to gain the trust of clients. An employee must be warm and affectionate and maintain a
pleasant appearance.

To conclude, this case presented us with a registration process scenario in which the manager was not
satisfied with the level of service provided. She felt that the process can be improved and that the
Overall experience could be much better and productive. They presented us with some problems and
key variables that led to those problems.

This case study presented two independent solutions to cure the manager's problems, in
function of profitability, the time limitations and the implementation process, we decided
select a solution. However, a combination of both long-term solutions would be ideal and
having an appropriate online system to speed up the process will be a great tool and
it will definitely make the process more efficient.

Relevant Facts

- Causes of the current process: long lines, frustrated employees, and unhappy students.
- Approx. 1,000
- 1 person for each activity, 2 people for activity 6.
- Preparation time before starting: 4 weeks
- The first 4 steps were carried out in a temporary office in the administrative building of the
university (3rd floor).
- Working hours 8-12 & 12:30-4:30, 8 hours of work.
- Approximately 10% (100 estimated) required a second review. Step 1.
- For students from outside the province, approx. 25% (250 students) were required to enroll in the plan.
health of the university. Step 2.
- Voluntary registration of extra services. Step 3
- Payments by check or debit cards, added later to the invoice. Step 4
- Go to another office to take the ID photo, in-person process, take a number.
turn. Step 5
- Student card encoding, 2 people working, step 6.
 - Waiting time until delivery, step 7.

Cost x Salaries

Employees (8hrs) Quantity Steps S/Hrs S/Day Total Employees

Temporary 4 1,2,3,7 $15 $120 $480/day
Registration Office (mandatory) 1 4 $25 $200 $200/day
Employees Association 3 5, 6 $20 $160 $480/day
Total 8 $60 $480 $1160/day

Illustration 1. Current Registration Process of Metropolitan College. Tool: Lucid chart. Own creation.

Proposal:

- Reorganize all stations in one place, this avoids dissatisfaction in the

transfer between one step and another.
- Hiring more temporary staff, taking into account the period of 4 weeks before
start the process, the employee hired by the university association would be
in charge of training temporary employees if necessary.
- Reduce the % of students with errors in the registration form by attaching an example of
filled out forms, which will be sent by email beforehand.
- Add an extra checkbox only for out-of-province students and include it in the form.
the option, this speeds up access to the next station for students within the province and
avoid crowds.
- Include the option to register for additional university services in the form, this way
Step 3 is eliminated and we proceed directly to payment.
- Move step 5 to take the photograph to position 2, send the photo, deliver a pre-receipt to
student who will be sealed in the payment area, this reduces the waiting time between the
production and coding of the card and delivery. The 5 minutes of step 6 will be replaced by
the duration of step 3 (optional) and 4.
Cost per Salaries (Proposal)

Employees (8hrs) Quantity Steps S/Hrs

Temporals 5 1,2,3,5,6 $15 $120
Registration Office (mandatory) 1 4 $25 $200
Employees Association 1 5 $20 $160 $160/day
Total 7 $60 $480 $960/day