About SDC
SDI’s Service Desk Certification (SDC) programme is the only industry-standard based accreditation programme designed specifically to certify service desk quality. The ‘Global Best Practice Standard for Service Desk’ provides a set of clear and measurable benchmarks for IT service operations; some of which may not be found within other frameworks and standards such as ITIL® or ISO/IEC 20000.
To achieve Certification, the maturity level of a service and support operation is audited against the Best Practice Standard.
About Kings Service Centre (KSC)
King’s Service Centre has achieved an impressive 3 Star ‘Customer-led’ accreditation in their first Service Desk Certification audit. A 10-min drive from Cornwall Airport Newquay or stepping off the train at Quintrell Downs station (a few miles inland from Cornwall’s rugged north coast and a short walk) will bring you to Quintdown Business Park. Since 2015, this purpose-built office complex has been home to King’s Service Centre (KSC), the IT support operation of King’s College London. Here, a 250-strong team provide 24/7/365 days a year technical and operational support to more than 50,000 students and staff at King’s.
The Service Centre has evolved since its launch in 2015, taking KSC on an Enterprise Service Management journey that now offers support across a wide range of services. In addition to the IT Service Desk function, the team are responsible for the main university switchboard service alongside the Residences, Human Resources and Estates & Facilities Service Desks, with a vision to provide a one-stop shop for all staff and student enquiries at King’s.
KSC are currently in the process of onboarding the Student Services Frontline service which will support various enquiries from current students, alumni, and third parties, received through online forms, phone calls, and web chat.
SDI interviewed the team to find out more about their Service Desk Certification journey.
Why did you join the Service Desk Certification (SDC) programme?
“We had a good idea of how well regarded our service is by our customers. It is always nice to receive the high level of praise the team does, but how would our service compare to other leading organisations? This was the question we wanted answering and so to seek that external validation, we embarked on our SDI journey. Our aspiration was to use our accreditation and the improvements we made along the way, to encourage good working practices across other areas of the organisation as we work towards our Enterprise Service Management vision.“
What challenges did you face?
“The initial challenge was being able to understand the amount of additional work the accreditation scheme would put on the team. Whilst the amount of effort required was significant, observing the team coming together and delivering each and every piece of work required was immensely satisfying and fulfilling. We are delighted that the benefits of completing the first phase of work are being realised by the whole team and that they all had an active part to play. “
What key changes have been made since receiving feedback from your Certification Audit?
“The audit has transformed our attention to detail when it comes to objectives, key results and reporting. There were lots of measures required as part of the audit that we simply didn’t have. The SDI scheme prompted us to consider if these measures would bring benefit to the organisation and if they did, assess how we could record the data and attribute relevant measures. As an example, it has inspired us to look in greater detail at XLAs and work is already underway to fully understand them and what we can put in place. “
What benefits have you experienced from taking part in the SDC programme?
“The audit has empowered us to go and build better relationships with our customers. We have always had CSAT as a KPI and every customer is given the opportunity to give us feedback on how we did, but what this doesn’t give us is an insight into anything else that customers may be struggling with.
With this in mind, we created a SuperUser Forum which is comprised of key members of staff in the organisation who are given the opportunity to feedback on anything they want to regarding our service. Not only has this helped us to improve the direct service we deliver, but it has also acted as an enabler for positive change within the wider IT service.“
What aspect of your service are you most proud of, especially in light of this achievement?
“Whilst we were already aware of the team’s resilience and ability to cope well under pressure, no greater example can be found than the response we received when undertaking this audit. Having never taken part in a project of this type before, we never really knew what reaction we would get, but the team did themselves proud and demonstrated what an asset to the organisation they all are. Their reaction to the news that we had achieved our Customer-Led score was one of sheer joy (and relief!) And it was refreshing to observe them revel in their collective achievement.”
What’s Next?
The team will now reset and go again, this time working on some of the areas we need to improve to achieve ‘Business-led’ accreditation. Completing the relevant criteria will not only put us in a good position to increase our accreditation score, but also broaden our impact across more areas of the organisation.”
“We are immensely proud of our Service Desk team for their collective efforts during the audit. We are thrilled to have been awarded a Customer-led Certification in our first audit, which we believe is testament to the consistently excellent service we provide. While we recognise that there is more work to be done to improve our score, we are confident that with our team’s enthusiasm and commitment to continuous improvement, we will achieve even greater success. “ Gareth Wright, Managing Director, King’s Service Centre.
With thanks to Keith Hill, Service Desk Manager and Gareth Wright, Managing Director at King’s Service Centre.
SDI would like to congratulate the team at King’s Service Centre for this remarkable achievement. This accomplishment speaks volumes about the exceptional quality of service provided. The dedication and commitment to this milestone are reflected in this accreditation—truly something to take pride in.
