Do your best to find the right referral. Students may sometimes focus their concerns in an area that is less crucial to their needs than another. For example, students may express anxiety about whether the Registrar will let them withdraw from a class late in term. The appropriate referral, however, is to the instructor of the course, whose prerogative it is to decide whether a WP or a WF can be awarded. It goes without saying in this context, of course, that you must have a clear idea of University policies and procedures to settle on the right referral.
Students are often uneasy about following through with a referral.
Try to make them comfortable with the idea, pointing out the friendliness, accessibility, and helpfulness of the people you are sending them to. This task can be crucial in the case of faculty and upper-level administrator referees, since students often find these people intimidating. Try to keep the chain of referrals as simple as possible. Often students will have to visit several offices to complete referral procedures. Also, work out with students a proper sequence of steps, so that they don't have to backtrack.