Revolutionizing Higher Education Support: A Community
College's Contact Center Transformation
A Community College’s Contact Center Transformation
Time to Read: 3 minutes
We didn’t just fix a call center – we rebuilt how 50,000+ students access support.
In an era where student success hinges on accessibility, one of America’s largest community colleges faced a critical challenge:
A contact center struggling with 45-50% call transfers, outdated systems and overwhelmed staff.
Partnering with Inktel, they transformed disjointed processes into a streamlined, student-first support hub – in just 4 months.
Here’s how.
THE CHALLENGE: WHEN "JUST GETTING BY" WASN'T ENOUGH
Students were falling through the cracks. We needed every interaction to count.
The college’s existing system suffered from:
Fragmented knowledge: 13 departments with no centralized training
Outdated tech: Phone systems couldn’t support remote work or modern analytics
Understaffing: 30 agents handling 8,000+ monthly inquiries (40% about basic FAQs)
The stakes: Will enrollment goals and student outcomes on the line, the college needed a partner who could move at higher-ed speed.
THE INKTEL SOLUTION: PRECISION TRAINING + FUTURE-PROOF TECH
We built a ‘student support playbook’ in 45 days—then trained agents like they were enrolling themselves.
- Curriculum Overhaul
– Created Tier 1 training manuals consolidating policies from 13 departments
– Role-played 500+ real student scenarios (FAFSA, registration, housing)
– Result: Agents resolved 80% of inquiries without transfers (was 50-55%)
- Amazon Connect Implementation
– Deployed cloud-based phone system in 3 weeks (remote-ready from day one)
– Integrated with student databases for personalized support
– Result: 22% faster call resolution with real-time analytics
- Strategic Staffing Scale-Up
– Grew team from 30 → 60+ FT agents in 4 months
– Hired bilingual agents to match student demographics
– Result: 97% inquiry coverage during peak registration
RESULTS ACHIEVED: BY NUMBERS
50% fewer call transfers
(Now just 20% require escalation)
3.8/5 → 4.4/5 student satisfaction
(Post-call surveys, 2023 vs. 2024)
100% remote-capable team
(No service disruptions during campus closures)
CONCLUSION: A BLUEPRINT FOR STUDENT-CENTRIC SUPPORT
This partnership proved that when you combine institutional knowledge with contact center expertise, students win.
Today, the college has:
✔ A scalable model for future enrollment growth
✔ Agents who feel empowered (attrition dropped 35%)
✔ Data to keep improving (real-time dashboards for admins)
For higher ed leaders: The lesson is clear—outsourcing isn’t about replacing your team; it’s about extending their impact.
This transformation proves that, with the right partner, even the most complex higher education contact centers can evolve quickly to meet student needs.
At Inktel, we specialize in building accessibility, modernizing technology or boosting staff efficiency.
Ready to rethink what your student support can achieve?
Contact our team today to discuss how we can help you deliver exceptional service that keeps students engaged and enrolled.
Ready to elevate your customer support? Contact Us today and schedule a call to learn how we can optimize your contact center for excellence: https://www.inktel.com/contact/
