KINGSTON, Jamaica (JIS) — The Students’ Loan Bureau’s (SLB) new Interactive Voice Recognition (IVR) has added a layer of ease and convenience for its customers.

Public Education and Public Relations Manager at the SLB, Olivia Briscoe, told JIS News that “we continue to listen to the feedback of our customers and have made some changes recently to our telephone lines, so it is now a lot easier for persons to get through to the SLB”.

“The IVR, which was re-implemented in January 2018, is an interactive voice system that [eliminates] dealing with a person when you don’t have the time to wait for a response,” Briscoe explained.

She said that the system serves both the repayment customers as well as the new and returning applicants.

Existing customers can access their balance, and new applicants expecting funding from the SLB can check their status.

She said that the IVR system is currently able to assist persons whose loans entered repayment in 2017/18.

“To access their information, customers can simply call 876-619-4752,” Briscoe noted.

She said that the Bureau is working assiduously to ensure that the other years are uploaded.

She explained that this is part of the SLB’s thrust to improve its customer service, highlighting that when interacting with the Bureau’s telephone service; persons will even be prompted and informed of their place in the queue or the estimated waiting time.

The SLB, which provides loan funding for tertiary students in Jamaica, is now accepting application for the 2018/19 academic year. Applications close on May 31.