An employee at KU received approval for tuition assistance but was still billed several thousand dollars in Enroll & Pay. After reaching out, they were told everything was fine and the waiver would be applied later. While the issue eventually resolved, the experience created unnecessary stress and raised a broader concern around how well systems were aligned.
As more examples surfaced, it became clear this was not an isolated issue. Delays between HR approval and application in Enroll & Pay led to confusion, increased inquiries, and extra manual work across teams.
The team partnered with HR, Student Accounts & Receivables, and IT to understand where the breakdown was occurring. The issue stemmed from timing gaps, manual steps, and limited visibility into where requests were in the process.
To address this, the workflow was restructured into a centralized, queue-based process with clearer routing and tracking. Replacement and cancellation functionality was introduced to ensure only the most accurate request moves forward. Form visibility was improved for processing teams, and file transfer steps to Student Accounts were refined to support more timely application.
The result is a more coordinated and transparent process that reduces confusion for employees and improves consistency across teams.
Fellow Change Agents:
- Julie Popiel
- Regina Casto
- Monica Shafii
- Mandy Tucker
- Justin Carroll
- Kay Walden
- Jody Milford
- Kevin Kenn
- Mary Ann Richey
- Cheryl Harber
Impact of idea:
- Reduced follow-ups and employee confusion - Fewer employees are reaching out to HR and Student Accounts to confirm their benefit, reducing back-and-forth communication and allowing teams to focus on processing rather than responding to inquiries.
- Faster and more reliable application of benefits - Improved workflow and file transfer timing help ensure tuition assistance is applied closer to when it is approved, reducing delays and minimizing the risk of large, unexpected balances appearing on student accounts.
- Less manual rework and process intervention - Clear routing, tracking, and replacement functionality reduce the need to manually correct or stop outdated requests, saving time for processing teams and improving overall accuracy.
