1 Vision/2 Approaches: Customer Expectations - University &

Research Institute Perspectives

Allison WeberDirector, Gov’t & Non-Profit Grants/Contracts, Los Angeles Biomedical Research InstituteOffice of Research Administration

Patti ManheimDirectorUniversity of California, Los AngelesOffice of Research Administration

Region VI/VII Spring Meeting 2011

Customers/Clients

Who are the customers of Research Administrators?

What are the expectations of these customers ?

How have those expectations changed in the last 5-10 years?

IS IT EVEN POSSIBLE TO MEET

CUSTOMER EXPECTATION???

Customer Service

What is the purpose of customer service? Is it really necessary?What skills are necessary?

◦ The “standard skill set”◦ The “new and improved” skill set

Environment

How does environment influence customer expectation?

◦ The University Environment

◦ The Research Institute Environment

University Environment

Elements affecting Customer ServiceAn institution of higher education and

research, which grants academic degrees…Research Universities (RU/VH) 96 in the USResearch Universities (RU/H) 103Doctoral Research Universities (DRU) 83

UCLA

University

Customer Service Challenge / Solution

Communication – Developed defined procedures

Contract Negotiation Challenges – develop alternative

Streamlining a procedure

Research Institute Environment

Elements affecting Customer ServiceAn establishment endowed for doing research

Research Institute

Customer Service Challenge / Solution

Communication

Facilitating procedure – dividing responsibilities

Subcontracting

Meeting Customer Expectation

General Guidelines: (Adapted from J M 51 business errors)Focus: Pay more attention to your service model,

office organization and pay less attention to the external factors – lack of federal funding, state resources, campus politics. Keep your eyes on the road, and not the landscape.

Don’t throw the Hail Mary: Don’t make dramatic changes in haste. Work on the service tactics already in front of you. Keep moving and keep working at the tasks that have worked in your office. Don’t count on one change/element as a source of instant salvation.

Don’t Fret: tune up systems, make investments in training and education programs – investments that pay over time.

Meeting Customer Expectation

Meeting Customer Expectation

Check your model – what can you learn from your internal and external customers/clients: What is working and what can be improved. (e.g. Can you simplify what has become too complex?)

References

Jim Muelhausen, CPA, JD The 51 Fatal Business Errors, and how to avoid them, 2008 Mulekick Publishing 3rd Ed

Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education, 2007

Thank you!

Allison WeberDirector, Gov’t/Non-Profit Grant& Contracts, Office of Research AdministrationLos Angeles Biomedical Research InstituteResearch Administration Office301-222-3621aweber@labiomed.orghttp://www.labiomed.org

Patti ManheimDirectorOffice of Contract and Grant Administration (OCGA)University of California, Los Angeles11000 Kinross Avenue, Suite 102Los Angeles CA 90024310-794-2644patti.manheim@research.ucla.edu http://www.research.ucla.edu/ocga/