Hal's Corner
A New Human Resources Service Model
In Human Resources, we are working hard to improve our service to the campus community for our on-campus employees, off-campus employees, retirees, applicants, and visitors. The results from our recent customer satisfaction survey demonstrate our hard work is paying off. You like our new model of service delivery and give Human Resources high marks for customer satisfaction.
Without a doubt, our new Human Resources Service Center is a big part of the improvements you have observed. If you used our services in the last few months, you may not have even realized we met your needs through the new Service Center. If you walked in, called us, or e-mailed us, chances are one of the members of our Service Center took good care of you.
To create the Human Resources Service Center, we put together a team of individuals representing several functions within the department including recruitment, benefits, and employee administration. Having a cross-functional team helped the Service Center develop an extensive knowledge base to resolve the variety of questions and issues which would need to be addressed. By putting together a team of existing employees, we built on a foundation of experience.
HR Service Center:(back row) Sarah Castle, Kellie Ross, Sherri Jackson, Melissa Ball
(front row) Gloria Smith, Ginny Murphy, Melissa Dahir(not pictured)
In preparing for the new assignment, the team worked through several months of training before opening for business in April of last year – just in time for open enrollment for benefits. The cross-training paid off. From day one, the team successfully handled a large volume of walk-in traffic and a high number of e-mail and phone calls. We are achieving our goal of delivering personalized service through a highly effective and efficient delivery model.
We track incoming calls and e-mails, both to assess volume and to gauge turn-around time for issues we are unable to address through our initial interaction. There are areas of specialized expertise the Service Center is not equipped to address. In those cases, team members refer the question to a specialist in Human Resources. We track the referrals as well so we can insure the customer receives a timely response within our standards for service. It truly is a team effort because our success depends on the follow through and talents of every individual in the department.
Have you tried the Service Center chat feature? We find some of our more tech savvy customers like the interaction of a live text-based session to address their questions in real-time. The combination of personalized service through knowledgeable staff members who know when to assist and when to refer, tracking technology, service standards for timely response, and interactive chats helps us do a better job in serving you. Without you, we wouldn’t be here!
And now, we are here more hours than ever. Several of our Service Center team members work an alternative work schedule, four ten-hour days, which allows our doors to be open from 7:30 AM to 5:00 PM. The alternative work schedule works beautifully. The employees love the flexibility and our customers are the beneficiaries.
We look forward to more comments, more suggestions, more innovations, and more improvements to service as we gain experience with this new service model. The Service Center team (pictured above) appreciates the opportunity to serve you as they work to improve service quality to the Virginia Tech community in the months to come. Team members can be reached by phone at (540) 231-9331, by e-mail at perserv@vt.edu, or by live chat.
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About Hal Irvin
Hal Irvin has been Virginia Tech's associate vice president for human resources since March 2008.
Before coming to Virginia Tech, Hal worked for 14 years at Georgia Tech. In his last assignment, he served as executive director of organizational development – reporting to the executive vice president for administration and finance and was responsible for employee learning, change management, and internal consulting services. He played a central role in Georgia Tech’s successful efforts to improve administrative services and transform its service culture.