In April 2024, faculty, academic and university staff, limited appointees, graduate assistants, and post-docs/post-degree had the opportunity to complete the Administrative Quality Satisfaction Survey (AQSS). This survey is used to gather insights about employee experiences with administrative services, at both central and local/departmental units.

Overall, the s urvey had a response rate of 13.9% and received more than 15,000 qualitative responses. The overall satisfaction rating increased to 3.90 out of 5, up from 3.81 in 2022. The local units received higher ratings, averaging 3.97, compared to the central-level units, which scored an average of 3.83. This trend is consistent with the 2022 AQSS survey.

The results showed a meaningful increase in service satisfaction in the areas of finance, human resources, information technology, communications and general administration. Although there has been an increase, the survey results also show a highly variable perception of customer service across campus and the seven different focus areas included in the survey.

"One of the university's ongoing commitments is the improvement of customer service and we are working on ways to enhance consistency and reduce complexity, including with the transition to Workday in July," said Rob Cramer, vice chancellor for finance and administration. "This survey remains a vital tool to track our efforts to continuously improve administrative services."

Survey respondents reported seeing positive improvements in Institutional Review Boards, travel, and purchasing processes as well as additional resources around training and professional development available to employees.

Potential areas of focus for further improvements include clearer communication around benefits, career paths, reimbursement policies, and large initiatives, such as Wisconsin RISE and Workday.

"This initiative supports a more effective and responsive environment, aligning administrative services with the essential work that drives our institution forward", said Charles Isbell, provost. "By pinpointing areas for administrative improvement, we can focus on changes that make a meaningful difference-providing our faculty and staff time to concentrate on their vital research and teaching responsibilities".

Since July 2024, the project team held meetings with representatives from over 20 schools, colleges, and divisions. These tailored sessions were designed to present unit-specific findings, enabling leaders to understand their results more deeply and see areas with potential for improvement.