PST Satisfaction Survey 2020

Introduction

The PST Satisfaction Survey ran from 19 October to 2 November 2020 and was designed to measure and baseline end user satisfaction across Finance, HR and Research Administration. Representation was wide with 541 responses received in total from across the College. Questions were asked in the form of positive statements, with responses on a 'strongly agree' to 'strongly disagree' scale, in addition to open text questions asking for suggestions for improvements.

You told us ...

Below is a summary of the responses to the survey questions: 

  • The main challenges reported were around timeliness of process and responses to queries which had very high dissatisfaction across the board (with the exception of Finance Expenses and Finance Logistics).
  • HR Staff Hub and Contract Changes service quality was perceived to be low and this was tied to turnaround time and accuracy. There is room for improvement in Finance Invoicing, Income, Purchasing and Recruitment too. Highest for Finance Expenses and Logistics.
  • Feedback on Finance Expenses, Finance Logistics, HR Recruitment and Research Administration fairly positive overall (timeliness issues aside).
  • Many processes required frequent use for users to feel the process was clear or the information was readily available.
  • Views of the service from within the process owning Departments more positive than views from outside.

Finance

This chart illustrates satisfaction summarisedby the five Finance activities covered by the survey, and responses to the question regarding overall satisfaction with the services and support for Finance activities. Satisfaction for each Finance activity is underpinnedby four separate questions, in the form of a positive statement.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

PST Survey: Finance (2)

This chart illustrates satisfaction by the individual question asked in the survey across the five Finance activities.

 

You told us...

 

Below is a summary of the free text comments that were recieved related to Finance. The summary is based on an independent interpretation of the free text comments that were provided in the Survey: 

  • Slow responses via any of the helpdesks were common (particularly non-standard queries) and there were views that the helpdesks were under resourced
  • More readily available guidance, better signposting and information is needed
  • The expenses process is considered okay if you use it often, but could be simplified
  • Related to purchasing, the new supplier process is slow, complex and needs to be simplified
  • You want the ability to track invoices and be notified if they are ‘stuck’
  • The goods in service is variable between buildings and campuses
  • Systems (current implementations of ICIS and ServiceNow) are seen as core issues
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

HR

This chart illustrates satisfaction summarised by the four HR activities covered by the survey, and responses to the question regarding overall satisfaction with services and support for HR activities.  Satisfaction for each HR activity is underpinned by multiple questions, in the form of a positive statement. 
 

 

 
 
 
 
 
 

PST Survey: HR (2)

This chart illustrates satisfaction by the individual question asked in the survey across the four HR activities.

You told us...

 

Below is a summary of the free text comments that were recieved related to HR. The summary is based on an independent interpretation of the free text comments that were provided in the Survey: 

  • The Staff Hub system and wait times are frustrating and responses are inconsistent.  There were requests for features that would enable staff to be able to indicate/escalate urgency.
  • Contracts are issued too late, and contract changes are slow to be processed. Contract changes requested are often prone to errors.
  • There is appetite for more online forms, to replace emailed word documents; and more end-to-end process should be made available online. More automation would be welcomed. 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Research Administration

This chart illustrates satisfaction by the individual question asked in the survey across the three Research Administration activities and responses to the question regarding overall satisfaction with the services and support for Research Administration activities.  

You told us...

 

Below is a summary of the free text comments that were recieved related to Research Administration . The summary is based on an independent interpretation of the free text comments that were provided in the Survey: 

  • Staff resourcing should be increased to improve timeliness and address staff retention to ensure continuity of knowledge
  • Grant holders need direct access to up-to-date accurate grant balances, and this should include pending transactions
  • There is appetite for increased process and role clarity; Quick ‘How to’ guides would be welcomed 
  • There should be a reduction in the number of forms and increased automation 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Next Steps

Following the PST satisfaction survey, the Finance, HR and Research Administration Process Owners are developing Action Plans in response to your feedback. PST will run a similar survey next year to measure progress.
 
If you have any further comments or questions regarding the survey outcomes, please contact pst@imperial.ac.uk.