National recognition for excellent service to students

Northumbria University’s Student Support and Wellbeing Service have met the national accreditation for providing excellent customer service to its clients.

Customer Service Excellence (CSE) accreditation, the government standard which recognises exceptional customer service and quality, has already been achieved by the University Library, Ask4Help and the Careers and Employment Service. This further success means that all areas of Academic Services have not only met all 57 criteria which make up this prestigious accreditation, but have exceeded the standard in some areas of each service .

The assessor praised “the passion and commitment” of staff in Student Support and Wellbeing, stating that: “everyone displays tremendous empathy with your customer groups and all want your students to prosper and succeed.”

Student Support and Wellbeing often work in partnership with Northumbria Students’ Union, running joint campaigns and activities. Students’ Union President, Natalie Dawn Hodgson, knows the value of such services to students.

“It’s great to see that the hard work the Student Support and Wellbeing team put in has been recognised,” said Natalie. “University can be a challenging time for many people so the professional support they offer really is vital in ensuring all students are able to successfully complete their studies.”

The University Library and Ask4Help service were described in the last assessment as a “beacon of innovation and best practice and an exemplar of excellent customer service”.

The Careers and Employment service achieved CSE status last summer and also received high praise across the board.

Professor Jane Core, Director of Academic Services and University Librarian, said: “I’m exceptionally proud that Student Support and Wellbeing has joined the Library, Careers and Employment and Ask4Help in achieving Customer Service Excellence status. I think it reflects the hard work and commitment of all Academic Services staff to ensuring an outstanding student experience which is a hallmark of Northumbria’s approach.

“The next step for us is to apply for joint CSE accreditation for Academic Services in 2015/16. This will help drive our efforts to continually improve our offering in order to meet the needs and expectations of students.”

As a result of their individual accreditation, the Library, Student Support and Wellbeing and Careers and Employment are able to display the distinctive CSE logo. You can learn more about the accreditation and the process involved in its acquisition here.