The Division of Information Technology is testing out new software that allows users to report their satisfaction regarding IT work requests.
Chief Information Officer Loretta Early said the IT staff will pilot the software, called HappySignals, until early March to collect feedback from the GW community and enhance IT services. The pilot is a “proactive way” to improve institutional culture, one of University President Thomas LeBlanc’s five strategic initiatives, she said.
“GW IT strives to create an environment of excellence, collaboration and openness, which are three GW values exemplified with this pilot program,” Early said in an email. “HappySignals is an example of listening to new ideas on how we can obtain the type of feedback necessary to make the most of every engagement with every person.”
Officials established seven values, including excellence, collaboration and openness; the three service behaviors of safety, care and efficiency; and a common purpose statement, “Only at GW, we change the world, one life at a time” as part of LeBlanc’s culture initiative, which has taken flak from some faculty for its cost and associated trainings. Early said the pilot is part of the Division of IT’s commitment to the common purpose statement and larger initiative.
She added that 1,061 people have submitted feedback through HappySignals as of last week. The software poses questions to users about the quality of service, timeliness and estimated loss of work time, and the software also allows IT staff to track customer requests to process all work tickets in a timely manner, Early said.
Early said the vendor that develops HappySignals has allowed officials to use the software for free during the pilot period.
“Feedback is being evaluated during the pilot to determine if the service would be beneficial for GW to continue and invest in for the future,” Early said. “Our final evaluation will explore whether the platform provided the type of feedback which leads to new opportunities to improve our services for students, faculty and staff.”
