Active Projects
Target launch period: Jan-Dec, 2024
The Finance Future State Design initiative seeks to collaboratively redesign financial processes and services for the York community. The goals is to identify how effort can be reallocated across its new finance operating model to deliver better client services in faculties, divisions, USC, Finance, and Budgets & Asset Management.
Dedicated working groups that represent various service client and provider perspectives across York will work with the SEP to confirm their understanding of current state process and pain points. They will co-design what an improved client experience should look like, and determine the required underlying processes and allocation of effort across the new operating model to deliver it as intended. The initial working groups will focus on expense reimbursement, paying invoices under $25,000 (those that do not require a purchase order), and international wire payments.
Key benefits:
- Clarity about what improved processes and services should look like within the new operating model and the required reallocation of effort.
- Identification of additional process improvement opportunities to be scoped and delivered by the SEP as future projects.
- A repeatable approach to collaboratively redesign processes and services with the York community.
Target launch period: Dec, 2024
A comprehensive modernization effort is underway to eliminate invoice backlogs and revolutionize how purchasing and payment processes are handled at York. Sm@rtBuy’s Supplier Management and Optical Character Recognition (OCR) modules improve the procurement-to-pay process, reducing manual work and minimizing errors.
Once implemented, these separate but interconnected projects will make it possible for the community to request and receive goods and services quickly and easily. Suppliers will be able to independently manage their profiles, submit invoices, and update banking information—further streamlining the payment process and improving their experience working with York. Procurement at York will be faster, more efficient, and fully digitized from sourcing to paying for goods in a seamless experience.
Key benefits:
- Faster, more efficient, and error-free payment processing
- Process transparency supporting quality assurance
- Increased staff capacity for other critical tasks and priorities
- Improved satisfaction among Accounts Payable staff, the community, and suppliers
Completed Projects
In collaboration with the Accounts Payable (AP) department, the Service Excellence Program has streamlined AP operations and established Standard Operating Procedures (SOP) to improve services. Standardized processes and guidelines for performing routine tasks promote consistency, minimize potential risk and hazards, and ensure that tasks are carried out in the most efficient and effective way.
SOPs also serve as a reference point for evaluating and analyzing existing processes and identifying opportunities for improvement. Alongside the new triage process described below, these changes are making the AP process faster and smoother.
Key benefits:
- More accurate and faster service delivery
- Process transparency supporting quality assurance
- Saves time and effort, freeing up staff time for other critical tasks and priorities
- Increased staff capacity for other critical tasks and priorities
- Improved satisfaction among AP staff, the community, and suppliers
A new triage process designed to align seamlessly with business rules and predefined criteria is allowing staff to assess, categorize, prioritize, and route invoices, inquiries, and payment requests faster and with greater accuracy. The new triage process also enhances transparency (a staff-identified priority) and supports the building and maintenance of strong relationships with vendors.
Key benefits:
- Improved accuracy and speed of service delivery
- Increased staff capacity for other critical tasks and priorities
- Improved satisfaction among AP staff, the community, and suppliers
Between 2020 to 2022, the Service Excellence Program partnered with colleagues from across the University to establish the University Services Centre (USC) - a single-point-of-access for solutions to routine, administrative service needs. This shared services centre was designed to address common pain points experienced by the community when seeking services across the University. Common challenges that needed addressing included difficulty figuring out how to request a service; challenges with service provider knowledge as well as slow turnaround times, and processes requiring significant user effort.
The USC works to address these pain points by changing how services are accessed. A service catalogue, featuring clear descriptions of services offered and directions to resources, offers self-serve resources while agents are available via email or phone to provide support and referrals. USC agents also help manage call duration and wait times and track performance metrics in support of continuous improvement efforts. The USC offers access to the following services:
- Client Services and Classroom Support (IT)
- Purchasing and Payments
- Expense Reimbursement
- Pension and Benefits
- Accounts Receivable (Finance)
- Payroll and Records (HR)
In time, the USC will be expanded to include a wider range of services, supported by a modern ticketing system that offers increased convenience and transparency. Visit the USC website to learn more and to access services.
With a Passport York ID, staff, faculty, and instructors can now use York's Self Serve Portal to:
- Check the status of submitted tickets
- Change and reply to open tickets
- View the communication history of a ticket
- Close a ticket
The hiring process at York is much more efficient after the Service Excellence team introduced the following features:
- The CPM Job Repository featuring 20 pre-rated job summary templates for Confidential Professional and Managerial (CPM) roles. Developed in collaboration with the Human Resources department, the job repository makes hiring easier and up to seven weeks faster.
- A streamlined CPM Job Summary and Evaluation Form (JSEF), which has reduced the amount of written content required to create a job summary by up to 75%.
- A 12-step accelerated hiring process making it easier for hiring managers to post and fill vacant roles.
There is a simpler, faster way to process non-purchase order invoices, except for PCard purchases and international payments. Under the new and simpler process all invoices are sent directly from the vendor to Accounts Payable (AP) then electronically routed to the relevant department or Faculty for review and approval prior to payment. This change minimizes the effort of purchasers, eliminates paper usage, and enables faster payment of vendors. Learn more.
Launched: Feb 9, 2024
To allow the University Services Centre contact centre to serve high-volume requests, the Service Excellence Program is improving workflows for Pension & Benefits and Payroll & Records in Halo. These changes will give Contact Centre staff enhanced capabilities, empowering them to efficiently address the majority of the community’s queries and issues related to Pension & Benefits and Payroll & Records.
The long-term vision is that users will be able to view the full catalogue of USC services and submit requests using the Halo ticketing system, instead of calling or emailing. The ticket status will also be visible online, so users can independently track the resolution of their issues. Halo enhancements will deliver valuable analytics to permit more precise matching of resources to serve the long and short-term needs of the community.
Key benefits:
- Progress tracking and faster processing time
- Improved convenience and accessibility
- More efficient use of University resources
- Seamless collaboration between the Contact Centre and functional teams across the University
- Enables data-driven decision-making and continuous improvement
- Improved satisfaction among the community and Contact Centre staff
Launched: Feb 9, 2024
York’s first Contact Centre will serve as a central hub for staff inquiries concerning University Services Centre (USC) services. A dedicated team of customer service agents will be readily available to resolve inquiries and help users access support from the right team(s). For quick solutions, users will also have the option to access self-serve resources.
During the pilot launch of the Contact Centre, service agents will focus on helping users with inquiries about Pension & Benefits (P&B) and Payroll & Records (P&R). Agents can be reached by phone or email and will be equipped with the necessary knowledge to efficiently resolve routine issues. For more complex inquiries requiring specialized expertise, Contact Centre agents will expertly redirect users to the most appropriate PB and PR teams for resolution.
Key benefits:
- Consistent high quality service
- Improved convenience and accessibility
- Faster responses to administrative inquiries
- More efficient use of resources
- Increased capacity for specialized teams to resolve complex inquiries
- Improved community satisfaction
Launched: Mar 8, 2024
York's existing source-to-pay process is characterized by manual, time-consuming tasks and a lack of transparency. In response, the Service Excellence Program is working to streamline and digitize the Purchase Requisition (PR) to Purchase Order (PO) and change order process (PRPO) to consolidate source-to-pay activities within a single system - Sm@rtBuy - and enhance transparency throughout the process.
Digitizing the PRPO workflow will reduce manual effort, minimize errors and duplication, and make it easier and faster for clients to submit requests and change orders. Users will be able to easily track the progress of their requests and new compliance features will ensure that all requests align with the Signing Authority Register, eliminating the need for email approvals.
Key benefits:
- Streamlined and more user-friendly procedures
- Greater processing accuracy and speed
- Enhanced transparency and quality assurance
- Increased staff capacity for other critical tasks and priorities
- Improved satisfaction among staff, the community, and suppliers
Launched: April 12, 2024
International wire money transfers are among the most complex and labour-intensive payment channels at York. The Services Excellence Program is working to minimize the time and effort involved in processing incoming and outgoing wire payments by enabling the School of Continuing Studies (SCS) to receive and refund international student tuition payments through online portals offered by Convera or CIBC.
A secure pathway for collecting student banking information via Convera is also being introduced to offer a better, faster and more secure way for students to receive refunds. This enhancement will substantially expedite the refund process, increase operational efficiency, and enhance the experience of international students.
Key benefits:
- Enhanced accuracy and speed of refunds
- Convenient direct-to-source refunds
- A streamlined and more efficient refund process
- Adhere to best practices and standards for the payment of international wires
- Increased staff capacity (particularly within Accounts Payable), to address other critical tasks and priorities
- Increased satisfaction for staff, community members and suppliers