Reimagining Digital Services to Boost Student Satisfaction by 25%
The
Engagement
Faced with falling student satisfaction scores (a primary indicator of success), a large University recognised that IT service provision was not to the standard Generation Z students expected and demanded – the University had not moved quickly enough to become a Digital organisation.
Like many educational establishments, the University faced the paradox of a Digital literate customer base, which expected omni-channel provision of learning and administrative support, whilst many of the younger users (Gen Z) lacked experience of “standard” workplace tools (e.g. Word, Email, Excel)
Understanding the Challenge
The first phase of the engagement was a short, intense current-state assessment of the prevailing context. During this seven-week engagement a small Mozaic team worked collaboratively with stakeholders to understand the challenges, define a vision and strategy for the future, and a plan and roadmap for the change
We found an organisation in need of reinvention: there was neither definition of the services provided, nor the mechanisms for managing and delivering them; the engagement model for students was outdated and based on physical interactions (not great for Gen Z); requests were unstructured, requiring each to be considered individually and unique solutions designed and implemented; and the teams were focused on day-to-day firefighting with little time for strategic investment in improvement.
Designing and Driving the Change
The strategy we collaboratively developed provided a detailed roadmap to transform the organisation. Importantly, the operating model included a new governance approach which facilitated engagement with the University stakeholders (the business) into the decision-making process for the digital strategy.
The transformation programme included the development of a comprehensive service catalogue to standardise approaches, reduce effort, and support re-contracting for third-party services. This was codified in the implementation of the leading service management tool ServiceNow.
Additionally, the reorganisation created a small number of “gaps”, which Mozaic addressed though the provision of interim management.
Building on the ServiceNow implementation and investment, later phases of the programme included the development of a Bot called Felix. Felix uses ServiceNow’s Virtual Agent, part of the ITSM Pro subscription, and Integration Hub, leveraging AI and automation capability to transform customer experience.
Students can talk to Felix via MS Teams, to address a number of customer agent stories. At the end of these stories, we have implemented automated integrations to satisfy the service request and complete the story with no human intervention e.g. implementation of a new printer queue, user access, new mailbox.
A Brave New World
The Results
Together with the University team, we have transformed the IT operating model and revolutionised service provision.
Student satisfaction scores, which are correlated with league table placing and student acquisition have increased by 25% to a remarkable 100%.
The implementation of the service-bot, Felix, has not only provided a modern channel by which students can engage with IT, it has freed individuals from time-consuming tasks to focus on the improvement of service provision – it’s a virtuous circle.
Importantly, Felix never sleeps. The friendly bot with its workflow automation has reduced the requirement for agent support, whilst also improving customer service: students can now resolve their Digital needs through the midnight hours while back-office team members happily sleep.
Felix has been a revelation, within the University, and it was implemented using tooling that was in-place as part of the early change programme. The success of the Bot has enabled the investment in ServiceNow to be fully realised.
In radically rethinking its IT service provision, the University has reinvented itself as a modern, Digital educational establishment; and the impact of the change is felt beyond traditional technology borders.
Students have the services they need and can engage with them in the way they want; Digital technology is now an enabler to the educational process, rather than a constraint and a constant frustration.
What has been achieved is a great exemplar for others, it has enabled the University to reestablish itself as a global educational leader, supporting its expansion not only through UK-students, but internationally. It is truly Future Ready.
Get in touch with our team to learn more about our services, explore partnership opportunities or discuss how we can help with your challenges.