Information Services offers cash for survey

By NIKKI COLLINS

As part of Information Services' efforts to improve service to the campus community, a Customer Satisfaction Project Team is conducting a survey to help them better understand what services need improvement.

"We're not only looking at the satisfaction of services, but the degree to which people are using the services and whether or not services are valuable to people," University Librarian Liz Salzer said. "We're trying to compare use with satisfaction."

The Customer Satisfaction Project Team is comprised of six members: David Armstrong, Nancy Cutler, Marian Fricano, Leanna Goodwater, Shay Paddock and Chair Lai-San Malmquist. There are two members from each branch of Information Services: Information Technology, Orradre Library and Media Services. The team members report to Salzer.

This year's survey will allow IS to compare results with its benchmark data gathered in the winter of 1998.

"In general, the level of satisfaction in 1998 was quite good," Salzer said. The 1998 survey was a little different from this year's survey.

The former consisted of two separate surveys: one for undergraduates and graduates and one for faculty and staff. Similarly, this year's survey will have an undergraduate and graduate survey, but there are separate surveys for faculty and staff. This was done because certain questions apply more to faculty members than to staff members.

"Each survey is customized for a particular audience," Salzer said.

The three different surverys are located at http://www.scu.edu/is_survey/student, http://www.scu.edu/is_survey/faculty and http://www.scu.edu/is_survey/staff. Each takes approximately 10 to 15 minutes to complete.

The 1998 survey was completed on paper rather than electronically, as this year's survey is.Information Services will pay particularly close attention to the number of graduate students that complete the survey, because they are unsure as to how many consistently use their Groupwise e-mail accounts, according to Salzer.

They hope that the on-line survey they have developed will be simple to complete on the participant's part and speed up data gathering on their part.

The survey is located at http://www.scu.edu/is_survey, and takes approximately 10 to 15 minutes to complete. The survey is completely confidential.

Information Services is offering the opportunity to win one of two $100 Santa Clara University Bookstore gift certificates if the survey is submitted by March 3 as an incentive to complete the survey.

"I don't think people respond just for the prize," Salzer said. "I think people see it as frosting on the cake."

Names will be drawn randomly from those submitting the survey. To maintain confidentiality, email addresses of those completing and submitting a survey will be removed from actual survey data. Winners will be notified after March 3.

"Surveys may be conducted more frequently in the future, perhaps annually," Salzer said.

For more information call the Information Technology Service Center at (408) 554-5700.