Digitalization has changed our lives in many ways, and this also applies to the education sector. One of the most notable developments is the increased digital distribution of service processes across different parts of the university. In this context, the vision of a common one-stop store for services at TU Wien has emerged, with the needs of students and other university members at the center. This vision is currently being implemented as part of a .dcall project at TU Wien with selected pilot partners.

The one-stop-shop idea: simplified access to services

The idea of a joint "University Service Management (USM)" aims to create the simplest possible access to various services at TU Wien. The aim is to create a common point of contact where students and employees can clarify all their questions about services at TU Wien. The original idea for this came from a .dcall 2021 project. After the initial considerations and the prototype were promising, a follow-up project was approved to develop and test concrete application scenarios for USM.

The vision of holistic University Service Management

University Service Management (USM) is more than just the sum of services. It includes the comprehensive planning, organization and continuous improvement of services for students and staff. The aim is to design and use the necessary processes, structures and systems in such a way that the satisfaction of customers - i.e. students and staff - is continuously increased. The basis for this is the effective and efficient provision of services, which is continuously improved through regular user feedback.

The one-stop store for significant time savings

Searching for information about services and interacting with service points can be time-consuming. Especially at a large university like TU Wien, it is not always easy to keep track of everything. A modern service management platform can help to digitize service processes and better meet the needs of customers for high availability and fast response times. Self-service options make it possible to respond flexibly to individual customer requirements. This allows the platform to be continuously developed in order to adapt to changing requirements.

Advantages for employees

But it's not just students who benefit from USM. For TU Wien employees, the bundling and clear structuring of inquiries via service portals ensures more efficient communication. This leads to improved transparency in processes, even in times of staff absences - without the need for shared mailboxes. Processes can be customized and routine tasks automated. In addition, all processed requests are documented in knowledge bases, which reduces the number of requests and supports cross-team and cross-departmental collaboration.

Future prospects

There are already concrete service portals and workflows with JIRA Service Management at TU Wien that enable the optimization of services for students. Current and successfully implemented examples include projects for the International Office, the Dean's Office for Architecture and Spatial Planning and the Student Support department. These portals have been successfully put into productive operation and have received a great deal of positive feedback from both staff and students. Discussions are already underway for further service portal applications at TU Wien.

If you have any questions about the project or are interested in a service portal yourself: Please contact Nicole Schüller-Buczolich directly. And for a first impression and questions on the topic, you are also welcome to drop by the Digital Survial Café, opens an external URL in a new window on 05.10.2023 at 14h.