Building Bridges to Outstanding Customer Service:

After years of providing the same annual training to all our student staff regardless of skill level or time of service, it became evident that we needed to revise our approach to better prepare students to deliver the quality service our customers deserve. New students struggled to retain information, asking the same questions repeatedly in their first year. Returners flat out told us they were bored and learned very little in structured training. It was important to get and maintain student interest and enthusiasm for their work while providing them with professional challenges and growth opportunities. Success was measured by the completion of five deliverables: We identified skillsets, redefined position descriptions, and developed a multi-tiered, hands-on training program with specific learning outcomes and assessment tools.  Now our annual four-day training features differentiated instruction for each level and area of student employment – Help Desk, Hardware, and Tech Maintenance from new hires through lead consultants.  There is also opt-in training for those who are interested in specializing in specific areas of support. ITS full-time staff provide the training on-site and are also responsible for developing an alternate method of delivery for students who are not able to attend in person. To make sure the program continues to meet the needs of our staff and of campus, we instituted a process for annual review and revision of the program.