Niner Central - making the business side of college easier for students

Niner Central is a point of contact for students to resolve financial or registration issues
Wednesday, March 14, 2018

Niner Central, which opened officially Tuesday, March 13, is an innovative solution to eliminate students being shuffled between business units in an effort to resolve financial or registration issues.

As part of Chancellor Philip L. Dubois’ “One University” initiative, a cross-divisional group of departments, led by Enrollment Management, developed a new way for students to conduct business with the University.

“Our students face rigor and challenges daily in their academic journeys as they prepare for their careers. However, the business processes involved with being a student should be simple transactions,” said Tina McEntire, associate provost for Enrollment Management. “Through Niner Central, the focus of every single interaction with a student, whether it be on the phone, via email or in person, is to provide extraordinary service that helps the student progress toward graduation.”

Located in the Cone University Center, Niner Central will deliver comprehensive services. In conjunction with a specially designed physical space to facilitate student engagement, a new website will serve as a single resource for students.

Kimberly Laney is the director of Niner Central; she joined the University this past summer. With more than 20 years of customer service experience, Laney is fulfilling the chancellor’s vision to revolutionize business interactions with students. The Mount Holly, North Carolina, native has familiarity with the University; she completed a bachelor’s degree in political science and a Master of Public Administration at UNC Charlotte.

In addition to serving in the Budget and Evaluation Office for the city of Charlotte, Laney was the director of CharMeck 311, a large contact center for residents of Charlotte and Mecklenburg County.

“Our goal is for students to develop a strong and lasting connection to the University, so we recognize that delivering exceptional service is integral to building that connection,” said Laney.

She has assembled a staff with representation from multiple business offices and colleges. In addition to drawing on their extensive training, the staff has used Salesforce to create an electronic knowledge base to respond to virtually any student query.

“We will go beyond answering questions since students don’t always know the question to ask,” said Laney. “Our team focuses on solving problems and using the wealth of resources we’ve built. Most students will leave Niner Central with issues resolved and equipped to excel academically, as we can direct them to tutoring, advising and other support services.”

When students need more assistance than the Niner Central staff can provide, they will receive a personal introduction and an escort to the appropriate campus office to review their situations. “With Niner Central specializing in the customer service aspect of student interactions, the other business offices will be able to concentrate on the most complex cases,” said Laney.

“As an alum, I can attest to the University’s concern with students progressing toward degree completion,” she continued. “We want our students focusing on their educational journeys and pursuing opportunities for personal and professional success rather than bouncing between administrative offices. Niner Central will enhance students’ ability to do so while demonstrating how much we value their time and their investment in UNC Charlotte.”