Although CITS has been on a leadership merry-go-round for awhile, improving our customer service has been an internal goal that each staff member has committed to work toward.

The world of technology, and that special breed of zany practitioners, has come out of the shadows of mystery and magic to become more social and user friendly than in the past. Gone are the days when the reigning technology masterminds sat in cold, windowless offices, peering out occasionally to glare and growl at helpless end users. Today’s tech gurus realize there’s much more satisfaction in sharing knowledge and empowering users (who then leave you alone to play with new toys in your technology sandbox).

Thus, excellent customer service is a high priority goal of CITS. When technology works, everyone is happy; when it doesn’t our role is to diagnose, repair and/or recommend a solution promptly and courteously. According to interim CIO Donna Hayden, “Technology is a means, not an end. It should work seamlessly and transparently, and when it doesn’t, it’s frustrating and inconvenient.”

“By making excellent customer service a high priority goal, we are recognizing that fact and tailoring our service and our service delivery to ensure a quality experience for our clients,” Hayden continued.  It means a concerted effort to be more sensitive to the plight of the user, to respond promptly, patiently and thoroughly to the service request, and to always provide the user with an agreeable resolution or recommendation (never leave’em hanging).

It seems to be working. Recently, the infirmary had to place multiple service requests within a two week span. Mrs. Edna Smith, infirmary director, was so pleased with the promptness and friendly helpful attitude of the user support technicians who provided assistance she sent two emails affirming the quality of service she received.

“We were pleasantly surprised to see a technician within 24 hours of placing our request. We had three different technicians come to assist us during that time, and each was extremely knowledgeable, helpful and friendly. They all willingly went above and beyond, even helping us with things which were not part of our original service requests!” declared Mrs. Smith.

Are we there yet? Hardly. But our journey to excellent customer service as a standard is well underway. For more on how CITS is working to improve technology services and customer service, visit our website at www.alcorn.edu/CITS.