La Trobe’s Service Commitment

Introduction

This marks my 5th year of being a student at La Trobe University, and through that time La Trobe's warm and people-centred approach has always stood out to me. I feel very proud to be a student here, and am excited to see the University continue to pave the way in delivering the best experience for us, its students.

I am fortunate to be involved in a new initiative in the tertiary education sector, pioneered by La Trobe: Student First – La Trobe's Customer Experience Improvement Program.

This program furthers the people-centred culture at La Trobe with a commitment of putting students at the heart of everything the University does. With input from across the university, and through my role as Student Representative, the project stays connected to the very core of its purpose.

I have been most impressed with the empirical basis of the Student First program. Importantly, this project is driven by research conducted by an external organisation to most accurately capture the sentiments of students. This ensures a genuine representation of the La Trobe community from which to gain insights.

Student First comprises a variety of elements developed in partnership with leading customer service providers. These include specialised training for staff, mechanisms to track and receive feedback, as well as ongoing measures to ensure accountability in maintaining the key areas of our student experience. You can view La Trobe's new Service Commitment below, or in your Student Handbook.

Giulia Portelli, Student Representative to Student First

Background

In early-2015 La Trobe commenced the Student First internal program, which is the first of its kind in the higher education sector. With the Student First program, we aim to consistently give you a better student experience which reflects the essence of La Trobe. We'll make changes based on student feedback, and in some cases the changes might be subtle as we continue to improve.

To help you let us know how we're doing, we want to make a commitment to you about our service. As your expectations move, we'll aim to keep the Service Commitment updated and relevant.

Student First–Customer Service Commitment

We want your La Trobe experience to be the best it can be. We're committed to meeting your needs with high quality service and communication.

You can expect us to:

• respect and consider your and your fellow students' needs
• respond to your questions and concerns quickly
• have the skills, knowledge and responsibility required to help
• be approachable and professional
• make it easy for you to give us feedback
• listen to your feedback and make changes to improve your student experience whenever possible.

This is our commitment to you.