About Runshaw College
Runshaw College has provided high quality education for almost 50 years. Considered one of the most successful colleges in the UK, Runshaw College are renowned nationally for outstanding results, a friendly supportive culture and a focus on learners’ needs. They pride themselves in having the finest facilities in the region.
IT Services at Runshaw College is a team of dedicated professionals who provide technical support and solutions for the staff and students at the college. The team consists of Service Desk Analysts, Infrastructure Engineers, Software Developers, and Cyber Security Specialists. The team is responsible for maintaining and improving the IT infrastructure, hardware, software, and online platforms of the college, as well as offering training and guidance on how to use them effectively.
Service Desk Certification (SDC)
We began our journey on the SDC programme to reinforce our commitment to continuous improvement and to demonstrate our dedication to best practice for our customers.
“SDI’s SDC programme has been a vital tool for setting the benchmark for best practice to help influence us into delivering outstanding service and it’s something we believe our customers both require and deserve in equal measure.”
Key Changes
The Certification Audit Report helped highlight several opportunities to improve our performance and value. Specifically, we will be looking to add a presentation layer to our Service Catalogue, to enhance its usability and accessibility for our customers. Whilst also investigating and initiating XLAs to develop more user interaction using a balanced bundled reporting approach. By implementing these actions, we aim to continuously improve our Service Desk and provide the best possible service to our customers.
Benefits from Certification Programme
The SDC programme has contributed to an increase in customer satisfaction during 23-24 so far compared to the previous average, by us implementing changes based on the report’s recommendations.
Customer Satisfaction Statistics 23/24
“There’s also been a noticeable improvement in resolution & first touch resolution rates, enhancing the efficiency of the service desk, especially in support of Teaching & Learning activities across campus.”
IT Resolution Statistics, Previous 6 months 23-24
T&L Reported Incidents & Requests in 23-24
“Another key improvement has been undertaking Proactive Problem Management, helping us identify issues before they have been reported.”
Incidents Reduced by Problems 23-24
All Key KPIs (Taken from Feb 2024)
Challenges
A particular challenge for us came from trying to understand how a smaller operation like ours can meet both the SDI Global Best Practice Standard alongside our own goals and focus to drive and provide high-quality support as the college continues to grow. It’s helped us identify areas for enhancement, such as the service catalogue, process overviews, documentation, and the use of financial metrics, which have helped elevate the service desk even further.
Would you recommend the SDC programme to other similar services?
Absolutely! The team’s commitment to these standards has been recognized with a Business-led 4 Star Certification rating, reflecting the service desk’s effectiveness and maturity.
“The SDC programme has provided a framework which complements our ambition to better benchmark performance, drive continual improvement, and align ourselves with industry best practices to support the delivery of service excellence.”
*Runshaw College IT Services SDC & Improvement Graphic (shared on digital displays around campus)
It’s helped vindicate the current team’s dedication and commitment to the Service Desk and our customers, considering the personnel changes since the last audit. It’s a significant achievement to not only maintain the standards set but to surpass previous scores, showcasing continual growth and drive toward excellence. The 4* has acted as a powerful affirmation of the quality and value of the service we provide, and it’s a testament to the team’s hard work and focus that this achievement has been possible.
What are your next set of goals/where do you hope to be in 2 years time?
Another successful 4* Business Led Review in January 2025 utilising some of the recommendations provided during this most recent audit followed by a run at 5 star Certification and the ambition of becoming the first public sector ‘World Class’ Service Desk in the world. That sounds good to us!
*Monthly graphic shared on social media
With special thanks to Mike Parkinson, Service Desk Team Leader & Alex Harding, Head of IT Services, Runshaw College.
Want to know if Your Service is ready for Service Desk Certification?
Please reach out using the form below or via live-chat , we love helping IT Service and Support Teams to become even more brilliant! – It’s what we do best!
