Operation Drop In

Operation Drop In: A Model for Structured Intake Implementation

Katie Hudon

Sarah Fox

Career Services, UWF

• Who We Are: Centralized office structure on a medium-sized campus• Seeking a method to better meet students needs—and meet student needs

“where they are”• Despite what we hope for, not all students have developed time

management skills setting up and coming to an appointment (i.e., culture of immediacy, no shows, etc.)

• Office sometimes on a several-week wait for appointments• Could benefit from enhancement in better pairings of student with specific

Career Coach• Individuals with counseling backgrounds who had previously used intake

methods in psychological services environments working in office • Adapted psychology intake structure to Career Service needs

Conception of New Structure

• Purpose• Improve pairings of students/alumni with most appropriate Career Coach• Ensure students/alumni are seen in timely manner and afforded better access to

services• Meet student where they are• Relieve front desk staff work load

• Structure• Student requests Drop In (M-Th. 9am – 4pm)• Intake Specialist meets student in lobby or interview room

• Spends 15-20 minutes• Asks relevant items on questionnaire, reviews subject(s)• Abandons questionnaire/conducts mini-appointment if student falls into one of

following categories: Resumes, Cover Letters, Interviewing Tips, Part-Time Jobs• Recommends Career Coach if needed (staff specialties and student time, etc.

preferences considered)• Refers to front desk to schedule appointment based on student

preferences/recommended Career Coach if needed

Purpose and Structure

• Creating• Modelled psychological center forms• Used staff experience with common appointment situations

• Piloting• Began Summer 2014, M-Th. 12pm – 4pm, lasted 2 months• 2 Student Staff, 3 Graduate Assistants, 3 Professional Staff• Considered whether student needs were being addressed through

1:1 meetings and staff meetings• Assessed student experience and satisfaction via word-of-mouth

• Editing• Submitted critiques via shared document• Met to assess strengths and weaknesses• Revised questionnaire

Questionnaire Development

• Career Planning/Experiential Learning Team and Career Peer Training• Reviewed forms• Discussed structure• Reviewed scenarios• Emphasized purpose of Drop Ins• Consulted Specialties Reference Sheet

• Reception Team Training • Front desk handles schedules for department• Intake Specialist provides sheet with recommended Career Coach if

appointment needed

Training

Managing Staffing Concerns

• Google Calendar• Staff/students serve 2-3 times/week, 1-hour slots• Calendar ensures Drop-In hours covered M-Th. 9am – 4pm• Future planning allows for calendar changes

Managing Staffing Concerns Cont.

• Addressed Staff Concerns:• Increased number of staff needed from previous semesters

• Living-Learning student staff contributed• Provided vision-casting/addressing the “why” of Drop Ins to all

staff• Some student staff initially spent more time than allotted for

Drop Ins (will discuss further in later slides)

• What• New service with new hours for

Fall Semester (9am – 4pm)

• How• Social Media

• Facebook• Wordpress Blog• Twitter

• Signage (flyers and yard signs)• Word-of-mouth

• Appointments• Presentations• On the Go (tabling) • Faculty

Marketing

• September 2014• First two weeks slowly increased number served (soft opening)• Third week increased traffic and full launch

• How long until the Intake Specialists learned the ropes?• Approximately two weeks

• Location of Meetings/Meeting Space• New furniture purchased with high-top tables • Purpose of creating an suitable atmosphere for meeting need and

accommodate students/alumni in addition to those serving in appointment rooms

Implementation

• Affect on timeliness and accessibility in meeting student/alumni needs• Feedback During Team Meetings

(Qualitative/Anecdotal)• Feedback During One-on-Ones

• Procedural• Timing of Drop Ins

• Feedback From Front Desk• Feedback From Students

Assessment

• Feedback From Front Desk• Because the front desk sets appointments via phone, all day

Friday, and in the early AM and late PM, the front desk staff stated that they sometimes forget

• Approach: Further training, reminders, review of process, etc.• Feedback Concerning Process From Students

• Not always meeting with an Intake Specialist (see above):• “I expected to be able to see an advisor right away but

was asked to make an appointment.”• “I did not meet with a career advisor.”

• Scheduling occurred with ease• Received all 3’s (top score) or N/A’s on Drop In Rating Forms

Process Improvement-Related Feedback Specifics

Assessment/Results Cont.

MONTH DROP IN#

July (piloting) 7

August (piloting) 17

September (piloting = 3 served)

30

October 39

November 49

December (as of 12/4) 15

130 Drop Ins in Fall 2014*9/8—12/5

Using Feedback

Issue Solution

Forgot questionnairePersonal note/calendar reminders, store questionnaires at front desk

Went over 20 minutesCheck clock/watch, learn time takes to begin drop-in and discussion

Forgot to check-in and make notes Specific task list

Student seemed overwhelmed with information and limited time

Reassure student with follow-up appointment and email communication

Front desk scheduling appointments when only needed Drop In session

Remembering to abide by protocol sheet

Analysis and Future Planning

• Answering questions within 15-20 minutes

• Being thoughtful about what is possible to cover in designated time parameters

• Brainstorming/training on the best information to offer (with an eye on individualized needs)

• Providing appropriate steps based on these considerations

Analysis and Future Planning, Cont.

• Utilizing assessment data to meet student needs/demand in the face of possible staffing cuts, etc. (e.g., continuing heavy Drop In usage hours and dropping low-volume hours)

• Considering students’ preferences is of utmost importance (for Front Desk Staff scheduling)

• Planning future training/process review with front desk staff

• Rotate Partners• To see both perspectives (Intake Specialist and student/alumni)

• Intake Specialists • Use questionnaire for the role play• Ask all the questions in the General Information Section of the

questionnaire• Then proceed to appropriate section of questionnaire that relates to the

scenario (e.g., if your student/alumni is meeting with you about graduate school, jump to

the Graduate School Section of the questionnaire)

• Goal• Intake Specialist to ask all appropriate questions for scenario • Pair student/alumni with appropriate Career Coach in a follow-up

appointment

Role Playing - Instructions

Documents to Use