Improving Student Satisfaction and Retention With Support Solutions

Challenge

Located just north of Oklahoma City, University of Central Oklahoma (UCO) is a four-year public institution that has driven excellence in higher education for more than 130 years. However, it faced mounting pressure as student inquiries grew in both volume and complexity, overwhelming already limited IT and student services teams. Pandemic-related disruptions intensified the issue, leading to long wait times and strained staff capacity, with support teams operating in silos and lacking shared processes or metrics. UCO needed a scalable, coordinated approach to deliver timely support while reducing burnout among staff.

Solution

UCO turned to its student success partner to expand and modernize its student support model, implementing Anthology IT Help Desk and One Stop services as a unified, 24/7 solution. The approach was tailored to UCO’s needs, introducing ticketing for student services, improving response times, and easing the burden on in-house teams. Both services were implemented quickly and supported by ongoing data review, allowing UCO to align IT and student services around shared performance goals and continuous improvement.

Anthology Student Services

One Stop

Help Desk

The partnership with Anthology’s One Stop solution has been nothing short of extraordinary. Our Enrollment offices were overwhelmed with phone calls and students were not happy with our customer service. However, since partnering with Anthology, the average call wait time is significantly reduced. In addition, students are excited to get answers to their questions 24/7, 365 days a year. Anthology is handling the majority of incoming calls, which allows our staff to focus on other responsibilities. Office morale is growing, and we’ve noticed a decrease in staff turnover since the implementation.

Vice President, Enrollment and Student Services

Results

The partnership transformed the support experience for both students and staff, dramatically reducing wait times and increasing service responsiveness. In the first year, tens of thousands of inquiries were handled, staff time was reclaimed, student satisfaction improved, and retention rose by 1.5%, generating significant incremental tuition revenue. Just as importantly, frontline staff experienced improved morale and collaboration, with IT and Student Services now working together around a shared, data-driven support strategy.

1.5% increase in student retention

$214,000 of incremental tuition revenue in just first semester

Improved speed to answer students up to 96%

Improved student satisfaction and staff retention

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