For assignment 1 I am planning on investigating the impact of change on a service delivery team in a UK university. The team consists of 28 posts and includes 5 sub-teams each of which has a first line manager. The current situation is the the university is going through major changes with a new Vice Chancellor coming into post early in 2014. The structure of the university is likely to change from the current 4 faculty structure. There has been a drive for student facing teams to develop into customer focused services. The team structure has just been subjected to a review and re-organisation with a realignment of overall line management. The aim of the change is to simplify the structure (previously half the team reported to a Head with the other half reporting to academic Heads and other posts. The new structure is being built from the point of view of a client:service team with demand from clients (academic departments) provided as needed.
More far reaching changes are planned for example the Head of Support Services would like to move the team from it’s current operating philosophy of operational delivery i.e. day-to-day silo based low-level customer involvement process design towards a service systems approach.
One definition of a service system is: A service system (or customer service system, CSS) is a configuration of technology and organizational networks designed to deliver services that satisfy the needs, wants, or aspirations of customers. (Wikipedia, accessed 03/11/2014). A number of key points can be derived from the definitions of service systems that have a practical impact such as:
- Integration of organisational networks and technology
- High degree of customer contact
- High levels of customer satisfaction
- The flow of services
- Degree of customer involvement
- Co-creation of services and value
- Outcomes in the customer space places a requirement on the provider to have much closer cooperation and coordination with the customer
- Co-creation is about join creation by the
company and the customer.
These are current ideas. To be revisited shortly.
