Inside Iowa State

Aug. 14, 2008

HRS opens new service center

by Paula Van Brocklin

Got a human resources question? A quick call to 4-4800 will connect you to the new Human Resource Service Center. Human resource services launched the service center Aug. 6 in 3810 Beardshear with two goals in mind: to better serve ISU employees and to better utilize its staff.

"We're trying to be more responsive and to get clients answers as soon as possible," said Carla Espinoza, associate vice president for HRS. "We're trying to short-circuit delays and also triage so our experts are focused on their areas of expertise and not the rudimentary questions."

The service center is open weekdays from 7:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. during the summer, and 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. during the academic year. Employees are encouraged to call or stop by with their questions, and to use the service center as their first point of contact with the department.

An idea is born

The concept of a service center was first discussed during an HRS work retreat six months ago.

"The goal was to serve our customers the best we could with the staff and resources we had," said Lea Henderson, administrative specialist and manager of the service center. "We had to think outside the box."

The solution was to physically group together the existing HRS clerical staff (currently three employees; five when fully staffed), and cross-train them to answer basic questions like:

• How do I change my W-2 exemptions?
• How do I change my family status?
• How do I update my position description?

Staff were trained to identify HRS issues that require special attention, putting employees in touch with the appropriate person when necessary.

Time will tell

Henderson said service center employees must cycle through a year's worth of issues and experiences to measure the center's impact. In addition, HRS will install software later this fall that will record calls and responses to help determine the center's success.

While the data are important, Henderson's best measure of success will be superior customer service.

"I hope we can better use the talents of our staff to better serve our clients," Henderson said.

"We're trying to be more responsive and to get clients answers as soon as possible. We're trying to short-circuit delays and also triage so our experts are focused on their areas of expertise and not the rudimentary questions."

Carla Espinoza, associate vice president for HRS