BNU leads sector by joining Institute of Customer Service
Buckinghamshire New University (BNU) has become the first non-specialist university to partner with the Institute of Customer Service (ICS), the UK’s independent professional customer service body.
Professor Nick Braisby, Vice-Chancellor of BNU, said the University approached the ICS late last year because it wanted to improve the service provided to its students and learners even further.
He said that: “The University’s 2023 National Student Survey results are testament to the dedication and tireless efforts of University staff and Bucks Students’ Union to deliver the best student experience. We were delighted to rank 4th in the UK for overall student positivity, averaged across all questions, but continue to target the very best outcome in the sector.”
Professor Braisby added that “students responding to the NSS are likely to have reflected on our award-winning response to the cost-of-living crisis, and their university experience during the COVID-19 pandemic when, together with the Students’ Union, we ensured that students were at the heart of everything we did.
“At BNU we recognise the significant financial investment our learners make in their education and we strive to always do what’s right by them. But we know there’s always room for improvement and look forward to learning from the findings of the visits and surveys the ICS will conduct. We’re working with ICS because we know they will get ‘under the bonnet’ of our institution, diagnose any issues they may find, and deliver robust feedback to help us make things even better for our students.”
Membership of the ICS will mean that BNU can boost its training on customer service and help develop different ways to communicate with its customers through their channel of choice.
Embedding customer service excellence is a key focus of the University’s Thrive 28 strategy, which also includes a commitment to implement a customer service charter and ensure that all BNU’s departments have effective mechanisms for eliciting customer feedback and responding to it effectively.
Rachael Cornwall, Director of Human Resources at BNU said: “We look forward to working with the Institute of Customer Service to promote a customer-centric culture across BNU, developing our customer insight through the latest research and thought leadership. We are passionate about empowering all colleagues to deliver excellent service to our students so that BNU remains a great place to both study and work.”
