TESC Customer Service Update

[Prloko]

Hey all. I've been a member for about a year now and I see that TESC has an incredibly bad rap when it comes to customer service. I know this was only one instance, but I just enrolled in the school and called for the first time. I got a very nice woman named Jasmine on the phone. She was incredibly polite, calm and helpful. She went out of her way to make sure all my questions were answered even though my transcripts were just sent out and haven't arrived to them. Maybe the old TESC is gone.

Any current members have any experiences that are different?

[Publius]

I've called TESC multiple times. Every single time I've called them, all the reps and departments I've spoken to have been very polite and helpful.

One aspect where there was confusion was when I requested a TESC I.D. card. The regestration office said that I was supposed to receive one after I enroleld in my first class (which I did in July) but the general representatives I spoke to when I inquired about it said that thre is no such thing, just a Student I.D. number. Still not sure whether students are to get a card or not but we'll see. However, even during that misunderstanding, like all the other times they were in Prloko's words, "incredibly polite, calm, and helpful."

If my experience with TESC was a CLEP test and I had to grade them, I'd give them a 75.

[LaterBloomer]

Yes, the people who answer the 'phones have been invariably pleasant. The issue is with how efficiently things are done. I'm sure that this has never happened to you, but I had a number of transcripts sent to TESC. At one point, I called them and asked about a transcript that their site indicated that they hadn't received although the sending universtity had sent it some time before then. Evidently, it was in, but it took them a long time to show in their site. One evaluation was done before all of the transcripts were in. Once all of them were in, I called asking when I could expect the second evaluation. "Twenty days," was the answer. When I called on the 21st day as it hadn't been done, the answer was "twenty business days." When I called on the 21st business day, the answer was "twenty-one business days is our goal. It will be done next week." It has been done. My initial impression is pleasant, but inefficient.

[mrs.b]

Advising has always been quick and helpful - polite, VERY quick, and while most of my communication with them was by email, I have called with quick questions and they were always quick to offer advice or answer questions. I had limited dealings with the Registrar and Bursar, but the handful of time I had to call or email, response time was always fast (within 24-48 hours) and responses I received were always accurate. I even had to speak with...Teaching Services? or soemthing like that once, when a course mentor went MIA for six weeks with no grading or discusson contribution, and they were quite professional, polite, and understanding, and replaced the mentor with the department dean and got the course caught up within about 48 hours. Test Administration office was also great; I had an issue locating a proctor in my area, and I sadly do not remember her name, but one of the Test Admin people went far above and beyond to help get a road block removed. I would say 99.9% of my dealings with TESC's various customer service departments has been fantastic, professional, and accurate.

The only office I ever dealt with that was rude or unprofessional was Financial Aid. At the time, they were completely non-responsive to emails both in my own experience and going by confused questions by other students on the TESC board and here. When I got them by phone - the only way to communicate, they were always short and abrasive. When asked if they received emails, their answer was that they were busy and did not have time to spend on emails, and their mailbox was about six weeks behind... :confused: The only way to get information to them was by fax, and they would not confirm whether or not they received documents; you had to wait for the information to update and/or their standard six-week processing before they would try to look. ("When did you send it?" "Last week." "Our processing time is six weeks. If you haven't heard anything by then, call back.") When their lengthy processing and non-confirmation of receipt of documents pushed me past the enrollment period for the semesters finally approved, they attempted to assess a late enrollment fee, and I had to write an appeal to get it removed, and got a snarky, unprofessional "approval" letter back from the head of their department and the fee was at least removed. I went overboard preparing my degree plan so I would finish in one year and never have to deal with them again. I would recommend anyone else sell a kidney or get a third job rather than deal with TESC's Fin Aid department. HOpefully others had better experiences with them, but mine was atrocious.

[Publius]

The only office I ever dealt with that was rude or unprofessional was Financial Aid. At the time, they were completely non-responsive to emails both in my own experience and going by confused questions by other students on the TESC board and here. When I got them by phone - the only way to communicate, they were always short and abrasive. When asked if they received emails, their answer was that they were busy and did not have time to spend on emails, and their mailbox was about six weeks behind... :confused: The only way to get information to them was by fax, and they would not confirm whether or not they received documents; you had to wait for the information to update and/or their standard six-week processing before they would try to look. ("When did you send it?" "Last week." "Our processing time is six weeks. If you haven't heard anything by then, call back.") When their lengthy processing and non-confirmation of receipt of documents pushed me past the enrollment period for the semesters finally approved, they attempted to assess a late enrollment fee, and I had to write an appeal to get it removed, and got a snarky, unprofessional "approval" letter back from the head of their department and the fee was at least removed. I went overboard preparing my degree plan so I would finish in one year and never have to deal with them again. I would recommend anyone else sell a kidney or get a third job rather than deal with TESC's Fin Aid department. HOpefully others had better experiences with them, but mine was atrocious.

That's always frustrating, sorry you had to deal with all that. Here, they expect their students to submit things on time while they have a department that's 6 weeks behind on their emails. That says one of two things, they are either lazy or understaffed (or a combination of the two). Hopefully they'll come around.

As far as all the other office (except for Financial Aid) you listed, I've had dealings with all of them and would say I had the same pleasant and professional experience.

[mrs.b]

That's always frustrating, sorry you had to deal with all that. Here, they expect their students to submit things on time while they have a department that's 6 weeks behind on their emails. That says one of two things, they are either lazy or understaffed (or a combination of the two). Hopefully they'll come around.

As far as all the other office (except for Financial Aid) you listed, I've had dealings with all of them and would say I had the same pleasant and professional experience.

They are only one department, and it is one not all students need to deal with. The other various departments are very professional and polite, in my experience, so I would say 99.9% of interaction is positive. I think TESC's customer service gets a bad score for the same reason a lot of businesses or service groups do - negative experiences tend to stick out in peoples' minds over positive. In my case, I should probably thank Fin Aid for being how they were. It lit a fire under my behind that ended up saving me a lot of money in the long run, along with time and opportunity cost. If not for that, I would have roughly another year to go based on my initial timeline, and that's a year I now have to focus on starting a new business and plan graduate studies. So maybe that experience was positive, after all.

[sanantone]

This was last year, but I had one advisor who wouldn't pre-approve my courses. When I complained to Dr. Keel, he referred me back to the same advisor who still wouldn't help me. Finally, when I emailed advisement once again, I got a different advisor who pre-approved my courses. At this point, I was pressed for time. I called advisement to see if a test and Intermediate Algebra would satisfy degree requirements. The advisor gave me a wrong answer on the first one and hung up the phone before I could ask her the second question. When I complained on their board, Dr. Keel told me that I should have emailed. When I told him I was pressed for time, he told me I shouldn't have waited until the last minute to plan my degree. Well, if one of his advisors had helped me a month or two ago, I wouldn't have been rushing to finish my last few degree requirements.

COSC's customer service wins hands down.

[Publius]

The other various departments are very professional and polite, in my experience, so I would say 99.9% of interaction is positive.

I agree 100%.

[Snickerdoodle]

I think that TESC's customer service over the phone is excellent. Dealing with them through email can be quite a hassle, however. It takes 1-2 weeks for me to hear back from them (as opposed to the stated 3 business days), and even then, they don't always answer your question correctly. In addition, I had a PLA mentor who simply did not respond. I appealed to his management and still got no response. I ended up dropping that course in frustration.

I ended up substituting a test for that PLA course, and now I'm waiting for them to receive and process my scores so that I can make this graduation period! I already submitted all my paperwork and such, but TESC is soooooo slow! There's a chance that I won't be able to graduate till next year.

[LaterBloomer]

Snickerdoodle, thanks for reminding me. I'm not an enrolled student, and that may make a difference as to how I'm treated. When e-mailing, there was the automatic response, and, then, nothing. I think for three or four e-mails that I sent asking about the time-line for the assessment, I got one response. With my ADD, I'm not the type who writes an e-mail, and then next day sends another one. I'm the kind that thinks that I sent one yesterday, and should wait a couple of more days before sending another one. Thing is, my "yesterday" is usually 3 or 4 days ago, so it's not as if I'm bombarding them with e-mails. My concern is that I get everything ready for a Jun 2013 graduation. I need 18 credits, and I'm worried about the speed at which they do (or don't!) move.