The document discusses the evolution of the liaison and customer support services at the University of Salford's Information and Learning Services (ILS) unit from 2003-2009. It describes how ILS initially organized its liaison function by faculty and outlines the tools and processes it developed over time, including a service desk, relationship management skills, and customer account planning. It also notes some lessons learned along the way and that the journey of improving liaison and support is still ongoing. The overall goal of the liaison and support unit is to ensure ILS services and resources meet customer needs and that customers have the knowledge and skills to make full use of them.

1. Customer Liaison
The Salford Journey
Carol Hughes
Acting Associate Director & Head of Liaison Services UCISA – 22nd April 2009
Information & Learning Services

2. Outline of Session
• Background Context - Information & Learning Services (ILS) at
Salford
what our services are
who our customers are
• How we initially organised to liaise with customers (2003 - 2008)
• Ongoing Development - tools we utilise
Service Desk (service catalogue)
Relationship Management skills
Customer Account Planning
• Lessons learned along the way
• Still on the journey – Liaison & Support 2009
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Transforming the experience through excellence

3. Corporate e Resources
CONTEXT Repository
PDP
Divisional External
Responsibilities Resources and
Collections
SIS VLEs
VIRTUAL
Finance
Identity
HR Learning
Manage-
Timetabling Repository
ment
CRM etc.
Faculty IS
Student Office Service
Office Desks
Learner
Centred
Business
Systems Peers
Office
External
Tutors
Clients
Learner
Research
Community
Buildings
AV and
Print
Physical
Services
Environment
Documents
Networks
Learning
Telephony PHYSICAL
Mobility
Materials
Books
IT Equipment
(h/w & s/w) Printed
Materials
Support
&
3
Training
Tony Lewis, Director, ISD Feb 07

4. ILS customers
*
V
I
Research for the Real World S
MISSION
* I
O
N
Finance
HR
Estates
*
Information
Services
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5. Internal Customers
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6. KEY AIM OF
Liaison and Support Unit
To ensure that ILS services
and resources meet the needs
of our customers and that they
have the knowledge and skills
to exploit them fully
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Transforming the experience through excellence

7. Evolving Structure
Liaison and Support (2003- 2007)
Associate Director
Research,
Faculty A Faculty B Faculty C Faculty D Administration
Enterprise and
Partnerships
Liaison Liaison Liaison
Liaison Liaison
Manager Manager Manager
Manager Manager
Liaison
Manager Training
3 Liaison Officers Liaison Officer IT Liaison
3 Liaison Liaison (Research) Officer
2.5 Liaison Officers Officer
Officers Learning advisor 1 X Skills Dev
1 IT Liaison
Manager
Officer
IT Liaison Learning Information IT Liaison (Enterprise & 3 Business
Officer advisor Assistant 4 x ICT Skills
Officer Partnerships) Systems
Trainers
Trainers
Information 1 Learning
Learning Assistant 1 x Information
advisor 0.5 Learning
advisor Skills Trainer
Advisor
0.5 x Training
Administrator
CS3
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8. Initial Relationship Management
Enabling and Facilitating
Any time, Any place, Anywhere
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9. Liaison Services
December 2007
RELATIONSHIP MANAGEMENT
Head of Liaison Services
Carol Hughes
(Offices of VC& Registrar ILS)
r
Liaison Manager Liaison Manager Liaison Manager Liaison Manager Liaison Manager
Dean A Dean B Dean C Dean D
Executive
Director of Director
PVC (Academic) Exec Director of Executive
Student Enterprise &
Finance, Director of
Information Development
Director of Estates &
Student Services Exec Director of Property
Director of Human Director of
Services,
Performance & Commercial
Director of OHSS Resources
Planning Services
Director of
Head of Change Governance &
PVC (Research),
Management Compliance
Services
ICT Liaison Officer
ICT Liaison Officer 1 ICT Liaison Officer ICT Liaison Officer
ICT Liaison Officer

10. Key Responsibilities
• Relationship management and customer account planning
Collation and action on Customer Feedback
Initial Requirements gathering
Communications & Liaison
• Training & User Support
Inductions (all staff and students)
Training (Business Systems and ICT)
• Information skills development & delivery
• Collection development (software, information resources)
Alignment with learning/research/enterprise strategies
• On-going support for programmes and learning
Validation, audit, accreditation visits
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Transforming the experience through excellence

11. Definition of Customer Plans
A series of actions designed
to achieve the efficient and
effective delivery of
information services which
satisfactorily meet
customers’ current and
developing needs.
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12. Holding up the mirror
• Here is what we are doing for you – is it what you want?
• What are you planning that will require our help?
• If you want our service changing – Request for Change
• Service Desk call reports – training issues?
• What are your long term strategic priorities? Impact of
longer term developments – larger projects and helping
with business case and establishment of Project teams
• What do you want that is new – Requests for
Development
• Why are you not using what we provide? (evidence with
Stats)
• Agreement on priorities for next period and review
quarterly by monitoring against plan
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13. Customer Planning Template
• Service Catalogue (Service Desk stats)
• Training stats –
• Info Lit stats & VLE usage stats
• Project progress reviews
• Info Resources budget
• NSS Issues & APR issues
• Agreement on University Drivers/strategic
objectives
• Your priorities (new developments)
• Our priorities
• Negotiation
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14. Issues with Liaison structure and
with Customer Plans
STRUCTURE
• Inequity of staffing
• Inequity of student experience
• Lack of resilience
SKILLS
• Relationship management skills
• Measuring Expectations
PROCESS
• Liaison Services not fully embedded in Service Desk
• Value of Value added
• Backing of all units
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15. Overarching Liaison Objective
--- Achieving Synergy
Business Model
People Process
Systems
INFRASTRUCTURE
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16. Questions?
• C.Hughes@salford.ac.uk (until 31st July 2009)
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