Not only are we celebrating our 12th year of Customer Service Excellence (where does the time go?!) – but following our full 3 year re-accreditation in January 2016, we are delighted to announce that Learning Services are fully compliant in all 57 elements of the award PLUS we received another 2 compliance pluses for going that ‘extra mile’ for customers.
After his visit in January the assessor gave this feedback:
“There is a determination shown by staff to provide a quality service and go above and beyond expectations of customers. A positive caring attitude in their approach and an obvious interest in meeting their customers’ needs was evident during the assessment. There was also a strong determined leadership from senior management with the customer at the heart of their plans and service. It was clear that all staff are committed and motivated to promote the best service possible through a customer focused approach.”
In this our 12th year as award holders, we are delighted that our work continues to be recognised in this wa
y. The first compliance plus we received was for our peer review framework that underpins all our sessions with customers, on a 1-2-1 or group basis, the second compliance plus was for MAVIS (Mobile Audio-Visual Information Service) which is an app designed by our classroom support team to provide staff with information about known technical issues in classrooms across campus.
So where did our journey begin? In 2004 Learning Services were one of a small number of academic libraries who achieved the award (originally called Chartermark). In 2010 the government reviewed the award and it became known as Customer Service Excellence.
What is Customer Service Excellence? The award is based on 5 key strands:
- Customer Insight; knowing who your customers are, consulting with them, involving them in decision making.
- Culture of the Organisation; showing a commitment to building a customer focused culture right through the organisation from senior managers to the front line staff.
- Information and Access; providing accurate and comprehensive information and ensuring it is delivered via most appropriate channels.
- Delivery; achieving positive outcomes for customers, listening to their views, achieving key performance targets.
- Timeliness and Quality; ensuring prompt action, keeping to agreed timescales, always trying to ensure that speed of service doesn’t come at the expense of quality.
Each strand is then broken down into a number of elements – 57 in total. At our assessment in January the assessor reported that Learning Services are fully compliant in all 57 elements of the award and commented:
“The service offered to customers continues to develop and there is a real commitment to provide the best service to customers through a committed staff enabling the customers’ individual needs to be met with positive results.”
If you would like to find our more about Customer Service Excellence in Learning Services visit our web pages or contact [email protected]
Helen Jamieson
Customer Services Manager
