Leeds Beckett University - City Campus,
Woodhouse Lane,
LS1 3HE
Customer Service Excellence praised at Leeds Beckett
The University first achieved the Customer Service Excellence (CSE) standard in 2013 and secured re-accreditation in 2016, achieving an impressive nine areas of particular strength, referred to as ‘compliance plus’ - the highest rating that can be awarded - alongside the 48 criteria which received a 'full compliance' rating.
Following a one-day assessment visit in May 2017, the mid-point of a cycle of assessments, the University has now been awarded an additional eight ‘compliance plus’ ratings, bringing the total to 17, with the remaining 40 criteria receiving ‘full compliance’.
On presenting the University’s 2016 award, assessor Mick Lynch (pictured top left, with Vice Chancellor Professor Peter Slee and Jenny Share), said: "Some organisations talk about continuous improvement, but you really get to witness that here at Leeds Beckett. I’ve been impressed by a number of the initiatives introduced such as empathy mapping and a personalised website – this is really fantastic and gets to the heart of the customer experience. You are to be congratulated on the continuous journey of improvement and enhancement you are making to your customer experiences."
Leeds Beckett now holds areas of ‘compliance plus’ in all five of the themes of the CSE assessment: customer insight, culture of the organisation, information and access, delivery, and improving timeliness and quality of service. Particular initiatives praised in the 2016 report included: the DISCover yourself project which profiles students in order to identify where extra support might be needed; the Race Charter Action Plan; our Access Agreement; Student Voice; and our website personalisation.
Jenny Share, Secretary and Registrar and the senior lead for the project, said: “We are delighted to now hold a total of 17 ‘compliance plus’ ratings, with two of these being under the criteria relating to improving timeliness and quality of service. This means that the University has now met, and exceeded, its five-year target for Customer Service Excellence, which was to achieve a ‘compliance plus’ rating in this area’.
“We decided to apply for the CSE standard to demonstrate our commitment to our student experience and the great customer service that we want to give to them. As a University, we have used the standard as a vehicle for positive organisational change, improving service standards and our approach to our diverse customer base. I would like to thank everyone who has contributed to this fantastic achievement for our University.”
The Customer Service Excellence, or CSE, is a Government standard, developed to offer services a practical tool for driving customer-focused change within their organisation. The next full re-accreditation for Leeds Beckett will take place in 2019.