Communicating With Users - UWE

Slide 1: Communicating with users Derek Norris IT Customer Service Manager UCISA February 2008

Slide 2: Inherent problems with IT Communications Students are very difficult to reach They don’t read e-mail regularly as they are not desk based. They change their mobile providers regularly. effectively en mass. They are not operating in core hours a lot of the time. They are not good at spotting alerts on VLE pages either. Generally staff/students don’t look at web pages to find out about their systems problems. Single point communications have limited effectiveness and annoy those even more who didn’t see it. IT staff don’t see communication as part of their role. IT staff don’t want to say anything until they know what the problem is, Its already too late and no one understands it. All users are stupid! Is still sometimes Text is uttered in IT functions. expensive Customer service does exist with IT staff as they worry about user down time

Slide 3: Getting started IT 1. Someone in IT needs to own the communication process for all sections. IT IT IT 2. The messages need to be interpreted from IT speak to “The TCPIP understandable user language, short and concise without jargon. protocol 3. The delivery mechanisms need to be accessible and understood. failure…” Bulk e-mail may have implications on your mail servers or be disallowed by policy. 4. Timing is of the essence!. Too late, too early all detract from the effectiveness. Most importantly - Communicate

Slide 4: The message strategy Immediate problems Advance warnings General awareness Objectives: Objectives: Objectives: Instant response from Prepare users for the Keep everyone IT to identify and planned systems down informed about new acknowledge a problem time or impact. initiatives, recent issues exists. At least 1 weeks notice. and developments. Message: Message: Message: Brief details of the Relevant details about Brief details of the impact, via e-mail, and their IT provision and impact, via e-mail, pop web. Likely duration what is happening up messages, (VB and affected systems. about known issues script) phone and web. and new activities. Bulletin format Follow up: Follow up: Reminders close to the Follow up: Give an indication of actual planned work. Provide some thread possible duration and Pop up message the between bulletins update accordingly. day before.

Slide 5: Measurement The very first thing to do before you start communicating, 1. Need to establish where you are currently with IT Communication. Existing data, views of staff and students, surveys etc 2. If possible, include questions in your staff/student surveys about communications. 3. Feedback from staff is usually instant, students don’t tend to come back to you at all. Style and appropriateness, or even timeliness 4. In theory, you can’t manage things you can’t measure!