IT Help Desk goes from strength to strength
Leeds has become the first English university, and the third university globally, to achieve IT Service Desk Certification (SDC) by the international standards body, the Service Desk Institute (SDI).
SDI standards cover all aspects of service desk operation, including management, staff, resources, tools, training and delivery, strategy, planning and continual service improvement.
The University shares the international quality mark with the University of St Andrews and King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST) in Saudi Arabia. It also joins a host of other well-known public and private sector organisations including CGI, O2, Vocalink, Kent and Leicestershire County Councils and Swiss Re in achieving certification.
Reflecting on the accreditation, IT Help Desk Manager Sally Bogg says: “When we started the SDC programme three years ago we really thought the focus would be on our processes, procedures, tools and technologies, but we learned that really service improvement is all about people. This team has been relentless in the pursuit of service improvements for our staff and our students and the result is that we now deliver a service we are all extremely proud of.
“I can say with confidence that we are really seeing the benefits of the SDC programme. As part of the process we have improved our approach to customer experience and have implemented several initiatives to help us capture accurate and timely user feedback. We are regularly measuring and reporting on customer satisfaction levels: in the past 12 months we have seen our customer satisfaction score increase from 88% to 97% and we are now telling customers how we are using their feedback to improve services.
“Our focus for the coming 12 months will be on continuing to support both the University and the One IT programme to achieve their strategic goals.”
Howard Kendall, SDI’s Master Auditor, commented: “It is testament to the quality, enthusiasm and communication of an excellent team of people. The overall One IT strategy gives the Help Desk a target for its own sound business plan and the super reputation that the University has globally provides ample further inspiration to deliver.”
The IT Help Desk continually seeks feedback on its service from users, and some of the comments received this year include:
- It is nice to have such and engaged and courteous service. They have made my life so much easier and I feel that I can approach them with any problem.
- The staff were extremely helpful and patient, nothing was too much trouble and they went out of their way to get a difficult job on my laptop done.
- The service was amazing – and this was not a one off, it has been unfailing good over many years.
- I’ve always had positive experience with all members of the IT Help Desk team. They are always willing to help. Great Service.
Picture shows (l-r): Richard Vickers, Vanessa Styles, Richard Cruise, Sally Bogg, Laura Rimkute, Fred Sheehan, Mark Townend, Tim Walker
Posted in: University news