University of Salford streamlines support services

Business management software will join up several merged units of the university

Staff and students will eventually have a 24/7 IT support service

The University of Salford has rolled out business managment software to provide a single contact point for 21,000 staff and students using its IT support services.

The implementation follows the merger of several units within the university's information services division, which also provides a range of other services to a total of 116,500 staff, students, associates and alumni across 138 countries.

The new system, from supplier Touchpaper, will eventually provide 24/7 support as the user base grows.

The software is freeing up staff time that can be spent in key areas, said service desk manager Satish Patel.

“The introduction of a new system was always going to be a big culture shift for the department, but the benefits we’ve seen mean that changes are being experienced across the whole university,” he said.

“Now, we have more time to focus on strategic activities because we’re not constantly servicing ad-hoc requests.

"Not only can we keep our customers better informed about the status of their requests through automated reminders, but we also have complete transparency into the running of IT, which enables us to provide better reports to the board illustrating the success of our division.”