How helpful are our student helpers?
ITILTattle’s first guest blog poster is Alex Carter – Head of Service Management
Student Helpers are existing students employed to assist new students at The University of Edinburgh
Student Helper ready to log a QuickCall
With Welcome Week and start of semester underway, Information Services Group have a team of dedicated student helpers available to support new and returning students at the Main Library.
Survey data and anecdotal feedback shows that this has been well received in previous years but we haven’t been able to answer questions about exactly how many students have been helped or what the mix of enquiries have been worked.
This year we’ve decided to use UniDesk QuickCalls to record the activity of the student helpers to give us this data. We’ve set up the students as operators, with no permission to use the normal operator interface so they can only record calls using QuickCalls. The students are then able to use the responsive system on their own mobile phones to quickly record any help they provide using 7 simple buttons.
The flexibility of QuickCalls enables the staff managing the student helpers to quickly create these buttons and add, reorder or remove the buttons in response to feedback from the helpers as to what enquiries they are receiving.
By getting these records created as UniDesk calls in real time we are able analyse not just how many students are being helped, but also what the enquiries relate to. Not only can we do this but by having the time that the help was provided we can look at when the busy and quiet times are to enable better planning for future welcome week events.
Information Services Group staff work very hard to prepare for start of term and ensure the most positive experience we can for new students. The student helpers are a very visible element of this and by using QuickCalls their use will be backed up by measures and evidence of the value of this service.
Lastly, I’d like to wish all our students, new and returning, a happy and successful time at the University of Edinburgh.
Alex Carter – Head of Service Management
2 replies to “How helpful are our student helpers?”
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ITIL Team Best Practice Viewpoint
Thank-you to Alex!
The scenario Alex has described is one in which previous no data was being collected. QuickCalls provide that first step to collecting useful service data. It is “Focus on Value”, “Start Where You Are”, “Progress Iteratively with Feedback” … you know the rest!
Perhaps in future we might also collect actual user demographic data – for example the college and whether the student is postgraduate – as we do at the full service desk. Improving the phone app to fast and securely scan the student card may be a goal for next year?
Recommending QuickCalls for the School! ty Alex, James & the ITIL team..