Rushmore Servicing — Customer Service: Expert Operational Guide

This document explains how a high-performing customer service organization for Rushmore Servicing should operate. It’s written from the perspective of an experienced customer service leader, with actionable metrics, operational steps, example templates, and realistic timelines that you can adapt immediately. The guidance below reflects industry benchmarks as of 2024–2025 and is optimized for mortgage and account-servicing contexts where accuracy, compliance, and timely resolution matter.

Readers will get specific Service Level Agreements (SLAs), performance targets, escalation flows, training and quality assurance tactics, sample contact information templates, and practical cost and timing ranges. Each section is intentionally concise yet granular so you can implement changes in 30–90 days.

Contact Channels, Availability, and Expected Response Times

Rushmore Servicing should provide omnichannel access: phone, secure web portal, email, and certified mail for compliance-sensitive communications. Recommended staffed phone hours: Monday–Friday 7:00–19:00 local time and Saturday 8:00–13:00 for high-volume periods. Phone abandon rate target: ≤3% measured monthly; average speed to answer (ASA) target: ≤45 seconds.

Email and web portal SLA targets should be tied to issue complexity. For standard inquiries (balance, payment date, payoff quote) target 24-hour initial response and resolution within 3 business days. For documentation or legal/foreclosure issues, target 48-hour initial response and resolution within 10 business days unless extended by compliance requirements.

Phone, Secure Portal, and Mail Procedures

Phone procedures: use a three-tier IVR that routes to agent queues by intent (payments, hardship, document upload). Collect full caller authentication within 90 seconds and transfer authenticated callers to subject-matter agents. Record call disposition codes consistently; use at least 40 distinct codes to enable accurate analytics on reasons for contact.

Portal procedures: require multi-factor authentication (MFA) and support document upload with PDF, JPG, PNG up to 25 MB per file. Log each upload with timestamp and agent-assigned ticket ID. For certified mail, maintain scanned proof-of-mailing within 24 hours of dispatch and attach to the customer’s service record.

Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) — Targets and Measurement

Measure both efficiency and effectiveness. Monthly dashboards should include volume, ASA, first-contact resolution (FCR), customer satisfaction (CSAT), Net Promoter Score (NPS), and compliance exceptions. Use trend charts with 13-period rolling averages for visibility into seasonality and sudden shifts.

• Operational KPI targets (monthly): ASA ≤45s; Abandon Rate ≤3%; FCR ≥72%; CSAT ≥88% (post-interaction surveys); NPS ≥30; Average Handle Time (AHT) 6–9 minutes for phone, 12–20 minutes for complex cases requiring system research.
• Quality & compliance targets: QA pass rate ≥92% across 100 random calls per week; documentation completeness ≥98% on loan modifications and payoff quotes; audit exception rate ≤1% per 1,000 transactions.
• Throughput and backlog: inbound contacts per 1,000 accounts benchmark ~15–30/month depending on loan type; backlog older than 7 days should be ≤5% of open tickets.

Complaint Handling, Escalation, and Regulatory Response

Formalize a three-step escalation path: Tier 1 agent → Tier 2 specialist/manager → Executive Resolution Unit (ERU). Each incoming complaint receives an acknowledgement within 24 hours with a ticket ID and expected resolution window. Track regulatory-required timelines separately (e.g., CFPB or state regulator responses typically require acknowledgement within 5 business days and substantive reply within 30 days).

Document escalation SLAs: Tier 1 to Tier 2 handoff within 24 hours; Tier 2 resolution within 7 business days for non-legal issues; ERU action within 10 business days. For foreclosures, loss mitigation, or bankruptcy matters, tag tickets as “priority” and target initial response within 48 hours and legal-document verification within 5 business days.

Pricing, Fees, and Typical Resolution Timelines

Publish a clear fee schedule for common requests—examples to adopt (illustrative): payoff statement $20–$40 processed same-day if requested by 3:00 PM; mailed payoff within 3 business days for $25; document retrieval $50–$150 depending on age and storage method. Note: exact fees must reflect current state laws and servicer discretion.

Typical resolution timelines by request type (operational benchmarks): balance inquiry and payment posting — same day if before cutoff, otherwise next business day; payment disputes — 7–10 business days to investigate and confirm; full loan modification package review — 30–45 calendar days from complete submission; foreclosure-related documentation review — 15–30 business days depending on county recorder and title searches.

Training, Compliance, and Quality Assurance Practices

Implement role-based onboarding: 80 hours of initial training for agents (product, systems, compliance) with a 30-day competency check. Require quarterly refreshers and monthly microtraining (20–60 minutes) on topical regulation changes (e.g., RESPA, TILA, state-specific rules). Maintain training completion rates ≥98%.

Quality assurance should combine automated speech analytics and human review. Use speech analytics to flag calls for noncompliance (unverified PII disclosure, inaccurate payoff quotes) and sample 5–10% of interactions for human QA weekly. Tie QA results to coaching plans and corrective action; target recidivism reduction of flagged items by 50% within 90 days.

Sample Contact Template (Replace with actual)

For website and proactive outbound communications include a clear contact block such as: Phone: (800) 555-0123 (Mon–Fri 7:00–19:00), Secure Portal: portal.rushmoreservicing.example, Email: [email protected], Mailing address for legal notices: 123 Service Lane, Suite 400, Anytown, ST 01234. (Note: update to your legal operating address and phone numbers before publishing.)

Maintain a dedicated escalation email ([email protected]) monitored by managers during business hours and routed to the ERU after hours. Log all outbound commitments and set automated reminders for promised callbacks; adherence to callback promises should be ≥99%.