As an information service we are always looking at ways we can understand and improve the quality of service we provide to students and their supporters.
We have developed our service value statement collaboratively as a team to make sure that the values that have served us well in the past continue to underpin our service delivery well into the future.
The process
After years of working to service levels and development objectives we wanted to discover and understand the values we shared that drive us as a team to provide a consistently high level of service. This was an exercise in making the implicit values of the team explicit.
In articulating these values we did not want to fall into the trap of creating platitudes but something that genuinely reflects what we are as a service and who we are as people.
Over the course of several months culminating in our development away we developed, agreed and took ownership of these service values.
We started the process by collecting together positive comments from students about our service over the last few years. Once collated these were shared with each of the four teams in SSiD. They reflected on these comments and developed a set of statements describing what they viewed as our service values. It was reassuring that there was a consistency of agreement between the teams.
On the development away day we split into cross team groups and debated the areas that we still up for discussion. We ended with a vote to prioritise which of the statement and keywords would form the basis of the statement. Following the away day the Head of Service summarise the results in the following statement.
Our service values statement
1. Student Centred: I continually strive to understand students and put their needs as the focus of my activities.
2. Service Driven: I am here to serve students and their supporters by providing a continually improving service of the highest quality.
3. Friendly and Helpful: I present myself as approachable, personable and genuine when providing services in the best interests of students.
4. Teamwork and Collaboration: I work in an open minded, cooperative and supportive way with colleagues to develop and improve services for students.
5. Reliable, Responsive and Accurate: I consistently provide a quality service which is reliable, responsive and accurate.
6. Excellence and Professionalism: I continuously develop my skills and abilities to provide service to the highest standards, with an approach that inspires confidence.
Using our service values
Being able to clearly understand and articulate our values helps us continue to provide a high quality service and push us on to continuous improvement and these statements are a touchstone that keeps us on track.
We are committed to service values and use the on a daily basis. They help us focus our discussions and decisions in running, maintaining and developing the service. They help us in collaborating and negotiating with colleagues. They help us in reaching conclusions at team and project meetings. They help us when we are developing new services or improving existing services.
When conflicting objectives drive us in different directions our service values bring us back to what is most important – the essence of who we are and how we provide service to students and their supporters.
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