Staffordshire University Students Union: Student Advice Centre

Email/Telephone/Live Chat Access Policy

We acknowledge that to ensure accessibility students must have choice regarding means of communication with the Student Advice Centre. However in order to ensure fair access for all we have outlined working policies regarding remote access.

EMAIL:

We ask customers to email us using the following address:

For Advice:

Our Advice email service standards:

1. We aim to give a substantive response to all our clients’ emails as soon as possible but within five working days at the latest.

2. If an email enquiry is complex and we need to ask several different questions or clarify complicated information we reserve the right to ask the student to contact us by telephone or in person.

3. Just like our other services, we do not offer a choice of Adviser: emails are allocated to all the Advisers based on a mixture of “rota” and availability.

4. If a client emails any Adviser’s individual address, s/he will forward the email to for a response to be given.

TELEPHONE:

We can deliver Open Access slots and Follow ons by telephone. For Open Access the student would need to telephone the SAC during an Open Access session and would be allocated a numbered slot, the Adviser would then call the student back in the allocated slot. For follow ons the Adviser would call the student at the pre-arranged time.

If we are unable to reach a student on the number they have provided we will leave a generic message (not mentioning the Student Advice Centre).

Students will not be able to telephone individual Advisers.

Students will be able to speak to Advisers during Open Access sessions or at pre-arranged follow on times only. Calls outside these times will usually be dealt with by reception staff and directed to the next available Open Access session.

LIVE CHAT:

We aim to have at least one member of staff covering our Live Chat facility at all times during our reception opening hours. This will usually be our Reception Staff.

Advisers may operate Live Chat advice sessions at pre-arranged times. These times will be advertised on the website.

Where Live Chat conversations become lengthy and complex we reserve the right to refer the student to an Open Access session (in person or by telephone).

Policy updated August 2014

Review August 2015 Advice and Info Team Manager

F:\SAC Policies