1. EDConnect: an introduction and update
SASSPA Conference
Maria Claudia Romero, Executive Director, Shared Services
Carmel Senese, Director, Customer Experience and Account Management
5th August 2016
© NSW Department of Education | EDConnect
Thank you for having us.
My name is Maria Claudia Romero and I am the Executive Director, Shared Services.
And my name is Carmel Senese and I am the Director of Customer Experience and Account Management for EDConnect.
Before we get going, we’d like to ask you:
QUESTION 1: 1. Are you aware of EDConnect? Yes/no
(MC and CS to respond accordingly:
“OK, we’ll move quickly through our introduction to EDConnect then.”
OR –
“Well let’s give you a good introduction to EDConnect then. In this room, you are some of our most important customers/colleagues.”
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2. Introducing EDConnect
EDConnect is a new shared services directorate encompassing finance, business services and IT support. On October 4, we will expand our services to include HR and Procurement support (including DETBuy).
You can reach us on or online.
Business Services IT HR
Finance
Procurement
© NSW Department of Education | EDConnect
EDConnect is a new shared services directorate encompassing finance, business services and IT support. On October 4, we will expand our services to include HR and Procurement support (including DETBuy).
These services used to be completely autonomous units.
But we came together and formed EDConnect in April. Where we had many numbers, now we have one, and one online query form if you’d rather contact us this way. (MC could show the EDConnect homepage)
Question 2: Do you know when and how to contact EDConnect? Yes/no
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3. The intent of EDConnect
EDConnect will allow schools to focus on delivering quality education.
Shared Service agenda
Streamline five shared corporate service areas for a better service experience
Establish a single call centre with better online services
Become a trusted advisor
Support the realisation of benefits from major reforms
Measure and manage the cost to serve
Align to Government priorities
Streamline five shared corporate service areas
Finance IT HR
Business Services
Procurement
Simplify & Automate
Standardise
& Improve
Prepare for Growth
Integrate
A single phone number
© NSW Department of Education | Document title
Not an easy journey
Requires leadership and cross- organisational collaboration
Industry experience shows that when shared services work they can transform an organisation
Providing a clearer picture of those services that are least competitive with the market and either improving them or changing the delivery model.
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4. EDConnect service list: through 2016
What EDConnect is not:
Schools Finance
Legal Services
Health and Safety Directorate
© NSW Department of Education | EDConnect
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5. EDConnect: a snapshot of what we do each month
6 offices
645 EDConnect staff (4/10/16)
Supporting
2200 schools
&
90K DoE and TAFE colleagues
Support 406 schools transitioning to LMBR systems (so far)
27,000 enquiries
32,000 calls
128,000 vendors and suppliers
22.5K invoices
Reconcile 3 bank accounts with 20 clearing accounts across 2000 profit centres of $1.25 billion
30,000 customers and
business partners

6. OUR PURPOSE: How might we empower and support school staff to fulfil their operational tasks so that they can focus on improving educational outcomes for students?
OUR PURPOSE:
© NSW Department of Education | EDConnect
Fundamentally we are here for you: our vision is to make life easier for you so you can get on with the most important job of all: focusing on our schools.
So this is our purpose. And we’re pretty sure if we asked you right now – do we do this? – your answer might be, sometimes, no etc.
But we’ve got a big hairy audacious goal. We’re going to do this. It’s going to be a journey but we’re going to get there.
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7. What you told us
Video
We spent a year doing customer research - talking to some of you in this room and many more colleagues – about how we need to change and how we can really support you.
QUESTION: hands up, how many people in this room took part in the research?
We’ve got a short video – here’s what you told us in your own words.
Video is available here:
AFTER VIDEO:
We’re interested to know:
QUESTION 3: What is your current experience of our service on a scale of 1-5, where one is ‘great’ and 5 is ‘could be improved’? 1-5 answer
QUESTION 4: How likely is it that you would recommend us to a colleague on a scale of 1-5, where 1 is very likely and 5 is not at all likely?
QUESTION 5: Does EDConnect deliver services your school needs? Yes/no

8. In the future, EDConnect is a trusted partner of school and department staff.
Let’s dream for a moment. Close your eyes….
In the future, you see us as trusted partners.
This is because over time, you have experienced consistent and intuitive services designed to best meet your needs and expectations.
Through our virtual IVR (interactive voice response), we know who you are, including your profile, service history and experience level.
Using your computer, mobile or desk phone you self-serve because we have invested in technology, and also because time and again, EDConnect has supported and shown you how to do so.
We have learned about your unique workplace. Our customer experience team have captured this and used it to inform new service innovations and continuous improvement.
In the future, as an EDConnect customer you see us as trusted partners. Because through our help, you have been supported to become more knowledgeable, capable and self-sufficient.

9. EDConnect principles
You
empower me
You
support me
We learn
from each
other
I have access to the tools, training, knowledge and support networks to self-help
When I need support it is accessible and understandable. You help me and provide me with reassurance that you will resolve my enquiry.
You teach me how to solve my issue and adapt your service to better meet my needs in future
© NSW Department of Education | EDConnect
Based on your feedback, we’ve built a plan to transform the way we support you.
In summary, you are empowered, you are supported, and we learn from each other.
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10. EDConnect: the story so far
16 May
Group 1
(50)
2 June
Group 2
(147)
17 October Group 4
(406)
5 September
Group 3
(266)
Key LMBR deployments bring new customer services to EDConnect.
2013
Pilot 229 schools
Late 2015
Customer research and organisation design
4 April
EDConnect commences with Business Services, Finance and IT
4 October 2016
HRSS and Procurement join EDConnect
EDConnect 3.0
We are here.
So that’s the dream. Where are we now?
To get to what we’re calling EDConnect 3.0 – we have a journey.
We’ve taken the first big steps to get there. Since April we have:
Reorganised to bring IT, Business Services and Finance together into one team with one phone number (from 3).
Launched a concierge service. So far, our data tells us over 90% of our colleagues using the service are saying it’s a really helpful and it is a popular addition to our service.
Invested deeply to get LMBR support school ready. I know some of you here are from Group #4.
We are working on aligning and simplifying processes and working on bringing all the different types of service together so that you receive one consistent high standard of service across EDConnect. This is a big deal. (How many processes have we eliminated/brought together etc.? Cindy to send Carmel a table on improvements)
5) In October, we will take another huge step when some HR and Procurement services join EDConnect. This will significantly expand the number of things you can call EDConnect about.
So these are some of the big organisational bricks we have needed to lift and re-lay to set us up for success in the future.
And these are no small feat. We have learned a lot.

11. Now and through the medium term…
We will continue to move to a customer centred model. What will you see?
We will design our services around you, rather than the technology or what people in our office need.
We will carry on asking for feedback. And we will use data we’ve never had before to respond to your needs – to develop new services and fix problems.
Carmel Senese will be a dedicated director for customer experience.
We will launch an EDConnect User Council to guide us and ensure you are front and centre of the decisions we make.
© NSW Department of Education | EDConnect
We will continue to move to a customer centred model. What will you see?
We will design our services around you, rather than the technology or what people in our office need.
Ultimately, we will begin designing our contact centre of the future very soon using this very approach.
We will carry on asking for feedback. And we will use data we’ve never had before to respond to your needs – to develop new services and fix problems.
We’re already doing this. Example: kinetic form designed in 2 weeks??
New IVR – significant testing with colleagues from across the Department this month to get it right. (ARE ANY SASSPA COLLEAGUES TAKING PART?)
Carmel Senese will be a dedicated director for customer experience.
Carmel to give a few lines on her role.
We will launch an EDConnect User Council to guide us.
This council will include representation from key people who use our service in schools and corporate offices. We’ll be asking for their input into how we can improve our service performance to provide a better customer experience.
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12. How can you help?
Support us in this journey by using EDConnect whenever you need us and give us feedback – with your whole heart.
Have some patience please – as we move through this journey. It’s short term pain for long term gain.
Tell your network, friends and colleagues about us.
© NSW Department of Education | EDConnect
Support us in this journey by using EDConnect whenever you need us and give us feedback – with your whole heart.
Have some patience please – as we move through this journey. It’s short term pain for long term gain.
Tell your network, friends and colleagues about us.
And on this last point I really want to thank SASSPA for your incredible help when we launched. You helped us so much to communicate about the launch of EDConnect in April. And we will need to lean on you again.
We have put an EDConnect poster in your bags today. And we will update this poster again in October when HR and Procurement services join us. It would be great if you could take the old ones down and put the new ones up.
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13. Questions?
© NSW Department of Education | EDConnect
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14. A few questions for you
What time of the day are you most likely to call EDConnect?
Free text answer
If you could change one thing to improve our services, what would be?
Free text answer – in one sentence.
In your view, how might we maintain better understanding between our school users and our EDConnect team?
© NSW Department of Education | EDConnect
Now, I want to take this opportunity to thank you again.
Before we leave, as we are always keen to hear from our customers, we have a few questions for you.
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15. Thank you!
© NSW Department of Education | EDConnect
13 November 2018