Putting customers first

Information Services has been awarded the 'kitemark' of the UK Government's national Customer Service Excellence ® standard, which recognises that customer services are at the centre of our IT, library, media and advanced research computing services.

During the assessment, services were evaluated against five key criteria, and areas of compliance and partial compliance were identified. The criteria – customer insight, organisational culture, information and access, delivery, and timeliness and quality of service – enable the assessor to identify our strengths and any areas for development. Each criterion is subdivided, creating a total of 56 areas.

To achieve the Customer Service Excellence ® standard, organisations must have fewer than ten areas of 'partial compliance' identified. Information Services returned just three, which is an outstanding result for a first submission. The assessor also noted a number of strengths in our customer care practice, including a unified and consistent commitment to customer service excellence, empowerment of staff, and strong consultation with customers.

Janet Peters, Director of University Libraries, said: "On behalf of the Information Services Directors, I am delighted that we have achieved this prestigious standard. The standard recognises the commitment of all our staff to improving the service we provide, and signposts where we need to do better. We shall be tackling this with the same enthusiasm as shown by our staff during the submission process."

Hugh Jones, Cardiff University's Chief Operating Officer, said: "It's a fantastic achievement and a confirmation of what I've seen myself, which is the commitment and dedication of staff across Information Services to providing an excellent service to all users. Information Services is one of the teams setting a high standard within Cardiff University's professional services, so that we can better support the University's ambitious vision."

"Achieving the Customer Service Excellence ® standard is the first step for Information Services," added Janet. "What is important now is that we continue to develop and evolve to meet the needs of our University community."