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Financial Affairs

Customer Service Standards

Financial Affairs Customer Service Standards

Financial Affairs provides sound financial management and services, assuring proper stewardship of UTSA resources. As we mirror the university’s core values, we partner with our customers to offer quality financial services and business solutions.

A vital part of accomplishing our purpose is providing excellent service to its customers — the UTSA community — to help them do their jobs more efficiently and effectively.

Financial Affairs employees are expected to adhere to the standards set forth in this policy. If you would like to provide feedback on our service, please contact us.

Standards

  1. Communication
    1. All communication with customers will:
      1. Be conducted in a professional and courteous manner.
      2. Be positive, consistent and in plain language, limiting technical terms to those that customers are familiar with.
      3. Concentrate on a solution.
    1. Telephone
      1. Telephone calls will be answered within three rings if possible, and transferred to voicemail after the third ring.
      2. The greeting when answering the telephone will include the name of the person answering the call and the department.
      3. The Financial Affairs representative will find out what the caller needs, asking questions as necessary to better understand the concern. If unable to assist, he or she will briefly explain why, provide the caller with the name and number of the person who can assist, and then transfer the call to that person.
      4. When transferring a call, he or she will remain on the line until the call is answered and ensure that the call is being transferred to the right person.
        1. Hold:
          • A caller will not be placed on hold without being asked if he or she minds being placed on hold.
          • If research needs to be performed, the caller will be given the option of holding or receiving a return call when the information has been obtained.
          • If the caller prefers a return call rather than being put on hold, the caller will be given a timeframe in which the return call will be made.
          • Callers will not be placed on hold for more than two minutes without being given an update.
          • Callers who have been on hold will be thanked for holding.
        2. Voicemail:
          • Greetings will be professional, informative, and updated as necessary. Callers will be provided with the name and department of the person they are calling, as well as the name and number of a person to call if the matter is urgent.
          • Voicemails will be checked twice daily at a minimum. Responses will be made within one full business day of the receipt of the call.
          • If a Financial Affairs representative will be away from the office longer than two business days, a voicemail greeting will notify callers of the dates of the scheduled absence, and will provide a means to contact someone else during the absence.
      1. Email
          • Email responses to customer inquiries will give complete and clear information with the option to respond by email or telephone if there are additional questions or concerns.
          • The standardized signature line will be used for all email messages.
          • Email inboxes will be checked frequently and timely responses will be provided:
            1. Centralized Inbox: Within one business day
            2. Individual Inbox: Within two business days
          • If the Financial Affairs representative will be away from the office longer than one business day, an "out of office" response will:
            1. Notify customers of the scheduled absence
            2. Inform customers of the schedule for checking messages
            3. Provide name(s), phone number(s) and/or email addresses for customers to contact during the absence.
  2. Walk-in Customers
    1. Customers will be acknowledged and greeted in a friendly, professional manner when they enter reception areas.
    2. Reception areas will have a mechanism in place for times when a person is not available (for example, a bell that can be rung).
    3. Reception and work areas will be clean, organized, free of clutter and in good working order.
    4. In areas where customer lines form, triage will be employed to serve customers in the most efficient way possible.

Normal Departmental Processing Times

  1. Fiscal/Financial Services
    1. Waivers, exemptions, third-party sponsorships: Decision made on or before next payment deadline.
    2. Appeals: Processed within two weeks of receipt of required documentation.
    3. Deposits: Entered daily.
  2. Payroll Services
    1. Monthly employees paid first business day of following month upon receipt of required documentation and timekeeping according to published deadlines.
    2. Semi-monthly employees paid on fifth business day after the 15th of the month and end of month upon receipt of required documentation and timekeeping according to published deadlines.
    3. Off-cycle checks: Processed twice monthly.
    4. Retroactive pay changes: Processed next scheduled pay period.
    5. Salary supplemental pay: Creator will receive email acknowledgement when processed.
  3. Surplus Property
    1. Surplus staff are professional, courteous and identify themselves when arriving at customer offices.
    2. Walk-in hours will be maintained on Friday from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. and other times by appointment.
    3. Property scheduled and picked up within seven business days upon receipt of completed request.
    4. E-Surplus website updated daily (first come/first served basis).
    5. Auctions (via directbids.com): Posted for 10 business days; customer pay and pick up during timeframe scheduled on directbids.com website.
    6. Reasonable care exercised when removing/delivering items.
    7. Turn-in or Property Issue forms are provided for all items picked up or delivered.
  4. Accounting Services
    1. Chart of Accounts change requests: Completed within one to two business days of receipt of form through electronic workflow. Requestor notified when change completed.
    2. Cost Center corrections: Processed within two business days of receipt of correction information. Requestor notified when correction completed.
    3. IDTs processed within three business days of receipt of correct information.
    4. Cost transfers processed within three business days of receipt of correct information.
    5. Cash drawdowns processed within three business days of receipt of correct information.
  5. Disbursements and Travel Services
    1. Process employee reimbursements within 10 business days upon receipt of complete and accurate information.
    2. PO Voucher payments processed according to Texas prompt payment law within 30 days of receipt of (1) invoice or (2) goods/services (later of the two).
    3. Process Non-PO payments within 15 business days:
      1. Prepayments: must be submitted at least five business days prior to requested payment date
      2. Wire Payments: must be submitted at least seven business days prior to requested payment date
    4. SIFs (vendor set up) processed within two business days.
    5. Vendor Hold communication sent within one business day.
    6. DTS will follow up with department on payments with open issues weekly, following departmental escalation procedures.
    7. Travel/Cash advances issued within four business days of trip start date (documentation must be received at least 10 business days prior to trip start date).
    8. 1099s processed by IRS deadline.
    9. Student refund checks issued within three business days of being posted to student accounts (ACH: two business days).
    10. One Card applications and Credit Card Maintenance Forms will be processed within 15 business days of receiving completed documentation.
  6. Inventory
    1. Equipment transfers between departments completed within three business days of receipt of completed/final approved transfer request.
    2. Missing and Stolen Property Reports submitted to the Property Manager within five business days of receipt of completed/final approved Missing/Stolen Property Report.
    3. Determination of Negligence/Non-Negligence completed within 10 business days (missing) or 15 business days (stolen).
    4. Assets scheduled and tagged within five business days of receipt.
    5. Capital and controlled equipment loaded within two business days of the payment, provided no account code corrections are needed.
    6. Informational email sent to department within one business day of account code corrections made by Asset Management.
  7. Distribution Services
    1. Incoming priority packages delivered the same day if received by 2 p.m. 
    2. Incoming ground packages will be delivered within two business days of receipt.
    3. Receiving report request will be issued within two business days.
    4. Incoming first-class mail will be sorted to departmental mailbox by noon daily.
    5. Outgoing first-class mail and packages received in the mailroom by 3 p.m. will be sent out the same day.
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