Customer Driven Transformation: Download the first two chapters
Creating a vision and strategy for the curated workplace experience or Barclays campuses
Piloting a new approach to customer service and information delivery
When pricing came under pressure for Sainsbury’s and mobile technology-enabled wide-scale diversification of shopping habits, the super-grocer needed to shift the focus for customer experience design from tactical deployment to a strategic capability.
The Engine Service Design team worked with Unite Students to define an ambitious vision for a student-centred proposition and experience to be designed, developed and delivered through a three-year programme. Together we created and modified twenty-eight new service experiences, spanning people, technology and campus design. Engine also created a ‘Service Style’ training programme, which has now seen over 1000 staff trained.
The Unite Students team had completed a brand positioning exercise; next, they needed to understand how to translate the refreshed brand into a value proposition and service strategy. The Engine Service Design Team worked with them to define a vision for service and a singular view of the target customer journey (student journey), around which they could plan and mobile colleagues and partners. Critically, we were able to create a compelling case to secure board-level buy-in and commitment to implementation.
To help young people looking for student accommodation get a sense of what Unite Students accommodation has to offer, we created the new role of Student Ambassador; recognising that the best salespeople are the students themselves. Engine developed the role, created and delivered the training to a pilot group of Ambassadors at the Bristol campus before being rolled out. To make the experience accessible to students overseas thinking of studying in the UK, we also piloted several new digital products, including a Virtual Tour platform, allowing prospective student tenants to ask questions and book video tours with Ambassadors around the facilities.
‘Through the three years, Engine helped us engage with senior stakeholders and build momentum to deliver the experience and helped us build our own internal service design capacity, which eventually took over their role.’
DIRECTOR OF CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE, UNITE STUDENTS
Those employed in Unite’s properties are there to look after the building, but more importantly, the students, with many living away from home for the first time or having travelled from overseas.
Delivering a consistently excellent service, with evolving roles and across a diverse range of properties, required the elevation of staff from building caretakers to student advocates; this needed a clear framework, communications, training and on-going support and coaching from leaders. The Engine Service Design Team developed ‘Service Style’ and comprehensive training for campus staff, which included a clear description of how to deliver a game-changing Unite Student experience and, importantly, how to spot students who may require support.
‘Engine were engaged for the long-term, working with Unite Students to execute a three-year roadmap of new product and service offers, while growing our client’s internal customer experience capabilities’.
‘The Engine team are great. Smart, responsive, energetic and highly flexible; focusing on getting the job done and making a difference.’
DIRECTOR OF CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE, UNITE STUDENTS
3 year roadmap
Signed off and commercial case agreed
28 service solutions
For enhancing the student experience implementation or in pan
All front-line staff trained
In the Unite Service Style developed by Engine
28 service solutions to enhance the student experience implementation or in pan
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