Customer Service Excellence Award for Abertay Support Enquiry Zone (SEZ)

Abertay's Support Enquiry Zone (SEZ) team have become the first University department to achieve Customer Service Excellence accreditation from the Cabinet Office.

Following an external assessment, including interviews with Abertay students and colleagues, the standard of service provided by the team was deemed to be fully compliant in all 57 criteria including service delivery, timeliness and accuracy of information, professionalism and staff attitude with a particular emphasis on developing customer insight, and understanding the experience of its users.

"From the inception of the one-stop-shop the whole SEZ team has been keen to provide a quality service that was accessible to all students."

It was also noted by the Assessor that, as the team were continually seeking ways to improve the service, there were no further recommendations for development.

Sheila Whyte, SEZ Team Leader, said:

"From the inception of the one-stop-shop the whole SEZ team has been keen to provide a quality service that was accessible to all students. Last session, as part of the process of reflecting on our performance, we agreed that we would try to obtain the Customer Service Excellence award as we felt that this was the most fitting standard for us to aspire to and we were delighted to have been found fully compliant in all elements.

"CSE is not a one-off exercise though. We aim to refine and improve SEZ and continue to innovate to meet the changing needs of our students. An annual surveillance visit from the CSE assessment team will ensure our high standards don't slip and we aim to gain 'compliance plus' accreditation in the future."

A representative from the CSE assessment team said:

"We are satisified beyond any doubt that Abertay University's Support Enquiry Zone (SEZ) meets the requirements of Customer Service Excellence. The well established SEZ team are proud of their achievements in a relatively short space of time, offering a one-stop shop source for quality information. It was clear from the on-site discussions and observations that a professional approach is used when dealing with students and visitors, and there is a real desire to continually exceed student and university expectation.

"On behalf of the Centre for Assessment Ltd, the assessor would like to congratulate all the staff of the Support Enquiry Zone on their achievement."

The SEZ team pictured with Team Leader Sheila Whyte and Abertay Vice-Principal (University Services) Mark Batho