Feel the Teal: What You Said, What We Did

“The single biggest problem in communication is the illusion that it has taken place.” This quote by George Bernard Shaw reminds me of the importance of communication and making sure that important information about Feel the Teal Service Excellence is shared with our Coastal Carolina University community.

Every month, I share an update or a point of focus about to service excellence at CCU to call attention to our successes and to engage our stakeholders with the vision and momentum of our university. It is vital that our community knows about the changes and improvements connected to Feel the Teal, many of which are generated through employee feedback collected during the seventh module of the Feel the Teal training program, the Service SWOT Workshop. We gather feedback, address concerns that affect service universitywide, and make appropriate changes to improve the CCU experience.

Below are examples of what employees have shared and the ways we have addressed their concerns. I value the opportunity to hear directly from you, and I look forward to sharing more updates in future editions of The Atheneum.

YOU SAID…
“There should be refresher courses for those who completed Feel the Teal.”

WE HAVE … created five new training sessions for Spring 2017, the Feel the Teal Service Mindset. This group of sessions focuses on CCU’s Servicescape, roundtable discussions, history and traditions with a campus tour, and lunch and learns. These are open to all employees, but it is encouraged that you complete the first eight training modules prior to attending.

YOU SAID…
“Student employees should have opportunities to participate in Feel the Teal.”

WE HAVE ... trained more than 600 student workers in service excellence through Fall 2016. These student workers have increased their service skill sets and University pride, enhanced their resumes, and developed lifelong learning habits for their future careers.

YOU SAID…
“Paperwork requires too many signatures and takes too long to complete.”

WE ARE … implementing an electronic form and workflow solution(s) to streamline essential document and form processes. The solutions will be implemented in phases, starting with key processes such as graduation applications, graduate admission, finance and human resources, then increasing in scope to include other processes and departments. The solutions will allow employees to track the workflow of documents and include a chain of custody. The implementation milestones for the solutions will be completed by July 2018. Thereafter, additional forms and processes will be automated and streamlined accordingly.

A great example of the call to be “faster, friendlier and easier” in regard to paperwork here at CCU is the implementation of an electronic contract management system called SciQuest. The Office of University Counsel uses SciQuest as a user-friendly, paperless system for contract management. Last year alone, CCU handled approximately 1,300 contracts that needed to be printed, sent to various departments via intercampus mail for approval, and then on to University Counsel for a legal review and preparation for my signature.

Procurement Services conducted a study and discovered the average time between the initiation of a contract and the time Procurement received the completed contract for further processing and payment was 40 days. With SciQuest, contracts have been initiated, approved, legally reviewed, and signed by both the vendor and me within days (some within the same day). SciQuest enables CCU to use DocuSign for electronic signatures, which speeds up the process to get contracts approved and signed by the University and the vendor. Additionally, we are using SciQuest as a retention tool, so we no longer have to keep copies of originals, allowing us to free up a lot of filing space.

The Office of University Counsel projects the entire University will be utilizing the electronic contract management system before the end of the spring semester. Coastal Carolina University is the first university in the state to implement an electronic contract management system. Appalachian State, one of our aspirant institutions used for comparisons and benchmarking, is also using SciQuest for their electronic contract management solution.

The electronic contract management system is being conducted by Katherine Brooks and Melissa Jarrard. Please direct questions regarding the system to Jarrard in the Office of University Counsel. 

I look forward to an exciting new year and spring semester with our Coastal community as we continue to grow together. Your voice is heard and has helped us improve and excel in all endeavors. Thank you for your continued feedback and support.

Sincerely,

David A. DeCenzo, Ph.D.
President