Federal Student Aid Customer Satisfaction Program Borrowers

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# U.S. Department of Education **2010 Additional Servicers Customer Survey** 

**Borrowers**
**(Items in BOLD are interviewer instructions, and are not intended to be read to the Client) (Items marked**  **i.e. or e.g. should only be read if respondent needs clarification)** 
**Introduction (Do not read)** 

INTRO1. Hello, this is ____________________ calling from [data vendor] on behalf of the United

States Department of Education. May I please speak to **(name from list)** ? **(If necessary: We’re conducting a**  **voluntary customer satisf**  **action survey and are trying to contact people who have student loans.)** 
1 **(Named person is on the phone, continue at INTRO4)** 2 **(Named person is available, proceed at INTRO3**  **when respondent comes to phone)**  3 **(N amed person is unavailable, schedule callback)**  4 **(Named person is no longer this number, use INTRO2**  **)** 5 Refused/Hung Up INTRO2. Is there another number at which I could reach him/her? **(If necessary: We’re conducting a**

**customer satisfaction survey and are trying to contact people who have student loans.)** 
1 **(Will provide new number) >>** Thank y ou and have a good day . (Contact new num ber) 2 **(Refused to provide new number)** >> Thank y ou and have a good day ! INTRO3. **(When respo ndent comes to phone)** 

Hello, this is [interviewer name] calling from [data vendor] on behalf of the United States Department of Education. **(Continue)** INTRO4. We ’re calling as part of an initiative the Department of Education has undertaken to improve

its custom ers’ satisfaction with federal student loan servicing. Our records indicate that you have a student loan borrowed through the Direct Loan Program

– such as a Subsidized, Unsubsidized, PLUS or consolidation loan. Is this correct?

1 Yes >> **(Continue at INTRO5**  **)** 2 No >> Thank y ou for y our time today ! Good by e. **(Terminate)** 8 Don’t know **(Terminate)** 9 Refused **(Terminate)**Federal Student Aid Customer Satisfaction Program Borrowers

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Septem ber, 20 10 2 2 INTRO5. We are interested in y our satisfaction with the servicing of your loan

. By “servic ing ” the loan we m ean activities like keeping y ou informed of y our loan balances and interest charges, sending y ou statements, processing pay me nts and so on. W e’re looking for y our feedback on this servicing process. I’d like to take some time now to go through this su rvey with you. This interview will take less than 10 minutes and your comments will remain confidential. **(If necessary: this survey is authorized by Office of Management and Budget Control No.**  **XXXX -** **XXXX).** Is now a good tim e for us to speak?

1 Yes **(Contin ue with Next Question)**  2 No **(When would be a more convenient time for you to complete this study?)**

**Communications (Do not read)**  Please think about any

communications such as letters or emails y ou have received regarding yo ur Direct L oan. On a scale from 1 to 10 with 1 as “poor” and 10 “excellent”, how would y ou rate the communications on: COMM.1 Their clarity COMM.2 Their usefulness COMM.3 Making clear any actions you need to take, if necessary

**Payments (Do not read) (ask if in REPAYMENT only)**  PAYSCR Do y ou have y our Direc t Loan pay me nts **automatically** deducted from y our checking or

savings account, **OR** do y ou periodically authorize pay me nts on your student loan via the Direct Loan Servicing Online website ( **if necessary:** the website URL is www.dl.ed.gov)? 1 Have m onthly

automa tic deduction **(skip to PA Y1)**  2 Periodically

authorize pay me nt via web site **(skip to PA YSCR2)**  3 Both 1 & 2 **(skip to PA YSCR2)**  4 No **(skip to STMTHOW)** PAYSCR2 Do y ou authorize pay me nt via **the Direct Loan Servicing Online**  website on a m onthly basis to make y our reg ular pay me nt or just once in a while? 1 Monthly 2 Once in a while Using a scale from 1 to 10, where 1 means “Poor” and 10 means “Excellent”, please rate y our electronic debiting service on its: PAY1 Accuracy PAY2 Convenience PAY3 Reliability PAY4 Have y ou ever had a prob lem with your electronic debiting?

1 Yes 2 No **(skip to STMTHOW)** PAY5 Wh at was the nature of the problem you had? **(capture verbatim)**
**Statements (Do not read)**  **(ask if in REPAYMENT only)** STMTHOW Do y ou receive loan statements in the mail, electronically , or no t at all? **(listen and record appropriate response)** Federal Student Aid Customer Satisfaction Program Borrowers

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Septem ber, 20 10 3 3

1 Mail 2 Electronically 3 Both m ail and electronic 4 Don’t receive any

statement **(skip to WEBSCR)** Think about the most recent statement y ou have seen concerning your Direct Loan . On a scale from 1 to 10, wher e “1” means “poor” and “10” means “excellent”, how would y ou rate... STMT1. The accuracy of the statement balance STMT2. The accuracy of information about past pay me nts STMT3. The ease of reading the statement STMT4. The amount of information provided on the statement **(e.g., principal balances, computed** 

**interest, other fees)** STMT5. The consistency in when y ou receive statements **(i.e., the same time of the month each month)**  STMT6. The amount of time given before pay me nts are due

**Web Site (Do not read)**  WE BSCR Are you aware of the Direct Loan Servicing Online website for you to access information

about y our loan ( **if needed:** URL is www.dl.ed.gov)? 1 Yes 2 No **(skip to next section)** 3 Don’t know **(skip to next section)**

WE B1. Wh en was the last time you accessed **this** webpage? **(listen and code per below)**

1 I have ne ver accessed the web page **(skip to next section)** 2 Less than 1 month ago 3 One month to less than 3 months ago 4 Three months to less than 6 months ago 5 Six months to less than 1 y ear ago 6 More than one y ear ago **(skip to next section)** 8 Don’t Know **(skip to next section)**  9 Refused **(skip to next section)** Think about th is web site . On a scale from 1 to 10, where “1” means “poor” and “10” means “excellent”, how would y ou rate the... WE B2. Ease of logging into the site WE B3. Clarity

of the web site organization WE B4. Ease of navigat ing the web site WE B5. Accuracy

of information provided on the web site WE B6. Your ability to find the information y ou needed on the site WE B7. Usefulness of the tools on the web site (e.g., Interest calculators, budget calculator) WE B8. **(IF A NY WEB2**  **- WEB7 <7)**  Wh at could be done to im prove th is website? **(capture open end)**
**Voice Response Unit (Do not read)** Federal Student Aid Customer Satisfaction Program Borrowers

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Septem ber, 20 10 4 4 VRU1. Wh en was the last time you called the Direct Loan Servicing Center (1

- 800 number) with

questions about or for help with y our loan? 1 I have never called my loan servicer abou t my loan **(OCON1)** 2 Less than 1 month ago 3 One month to less than 3 months ago 4 Three months to less than 6 months ago 5 Six months to less than 1 y ear ago 6 More than one y ear ago **(skip to OCON1)** 8 Don’t Know **(skip to OCON1)** 9 Refused **(skip to OCON1)** VRU1a. Did yo u reach a live customer service representative immediately or an automated voice me nu? 1 Live representative **(skip to CCR1)** 2 Autom ated voice menu 3 Don’t recall **(skip to CCR1)** Think about the automated voice response sy stem y ou used. On a scale from 1 to 10 , where “1” means “poor” and “10” means “excellent”, how would you rate... VRU2. The clarity of the menus VRU3. The ease of using the automated response sy stem VRU4. The time it takes to navigate the automated response sy stem

VRU4.1 Did y ou expect to be able to resolve your inquiry on the voice response system without having to speak with a live representative? 1 Yes 2 No **(Only if VRU4.1 is 1)** Again, using the 1 to 10 scale where “1” means “poor” and “10” means “excellent”, how would y ou rate... VRU5. The ability

of the autom ated response system to answer y our questions VRU6. Ability

to accomplish what y ou want to do on the system (i.e., without needing to speak to someone) VRU 4.2 Did y ou go on to speak to a live representative?

1 Yes **(continue to Call Center Representative)** 2 No **(skip to OCON1)**
**Call Center Representative (Do not read)**  Think about the assistance y ou received from the representative. On a scale from 1 to 10, where “1” me ans “poor” and “10” means “excellent”, how would y ou rate the... CCR1. Representative’s willingness to help CCR2. Knowledge of the representative CCR3. Ability

of the representative to answer your questions CCR4. Time it took to resolve y our query CCR5. The operating hours of the service centerFederal Student Aid Customer Satisfaction Program Borrowers

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Septem ber, 20 10 5 5 CCR6. Courtesy

of the representative CCR7. Thinking about y our last call to your lender or loan servicer , was it resolved in one phone call?

1 Yes 2 No 8 Don’t Know 9 Refused CCR8. **(IF CCR7 = No)** Wh at was the nature of your call? CCR10. **(IF A NY CCR1** 

**– CCR6 < 7)**  How could the call center representatives better serve you in the

future? **(captu re open end)** 

**Other Contacts (Do not read)**  OCON1. Apart from using the phone, have you ever contacted the servicer by another means (e.g., em ail, fax, online chat)? 1 Yes 2 No **(skip to A CSI1.)**  9 Don’t know **(skip to A CSI1.)** 
OCON2. Wh en was the last time you contacted the servicer other than by phone? 1 Less than 1 month ago 2 One month to less than 3 months ago 3 Three months to less than 6 months ago 4 Six months to less than 1 y ear ago 5 More than one y ear ago **(skip to next section)** 6 Don’t Know **(skip to next section )**  7 Refused **(skip to next section)**
OCON3. How did y ou contact the servicer this last time?

1 Postal mail 2 Em ail 3 Online chat 4 Fax 5 Text message 6 Other **(specify)** On the same 1 to 10 scale with 1 as “poor” and 10 “excellent”, how would your rate your experience contacting the servicer on: OCON4. The ease reaching them by **[mode from OCON3]** OCON5. Their responsiveness to y our inquiry OCON6. The time it took to resolve y our queryFederal Student Aid Customer Satisfaction Program Borrowers

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Septem ber, 20 10 6 6 **ACSI Benchmark Questions (Do not read)**  ACSI1. Using a 10

- point scale on which “1” means “very dissatisfied” and 10 me ans “very satisfied”, how satisfied are you with the servicing of y our Direct Loan ? ACSI2. Using a 10

- point scale on which "1" now m eans "falls short of y our expectations" and "10"

me ans "exceeds y our expectations," to what extent has the servicing of your loa n fallen short of or exceeded y our expectations? ACSI3. Imagine what an ideal process would be for dealing with y our loan servicer. How well do you

think the current process compares with that ideal y ou just imagined? Please use a 10

- point scale on which "1" me ans "not very close to the ideal," and "10" means "very close to the ideal."

**Outcome Measures (Do not read)** 
COMP1. In the past three months, have you complained to the U.S. Department of Education about

any aspect of the loan servicing process ? 1 Yes 2 No **(ski p to CLOSE1)**  9 Refused COMP2. **(IF COMP4 =1)** Wh at was the nature of your complaint? **(capture open end)** COMP3. Wa s the complaint resolved to your satisfaction?

1 Yes 2 No 9 Resolution still pending **Closing (Do not read)**  CLOSE1. In your own words, what could be done to ma ke the l oan servicing process better? **(enter**

**verbatim response)**
That’s all the questions I had for you. Thank y ou for y our time, and have a good day

. 

### Paperwork Burden Statement According to the Paperwork reduction Act of 1995, no persons are required to respo nd to a collection of information unless such collection display s a valid OMB control number. The valid OMB control number for this voluntary i nformation collection is 1845

- 0045. The time required to complete this information collection is estimated to av erage 10 minutes per response, including the time to review instructions, search existing data resources, gather the data needed and complete and review the information collection. **If you**  **have any**  **comments concerning**  **the accuracy**  **of the**  **time estimate(s)**  **o r**  **suggestions for improving this form, please write to:** U.S. Department of Education, Washington, D.C. 20202

- 4537. **If you**  **have comments**  **or concerns**  **regarding the**  **status of**  **your individual**  **submission of**  **this form,**  **write directly**  **to:** U.S. Department of Educ ation, Federal Student Aid Division, 400 Maryland Avenue, S.W., UCP Room 42G3, Washington D.C. 20202

- 2800.