Case Study: University of St Andrews achieves three-star SDI accreditation and 100% customer satisfaction with TOPdesk

How the University’s IT Services Department Changed Its Culture

The University of St Andrews’ IT Services supported a complex community of 2,200 staff, 8,000 students and ~35,000 annual visitors but struggled with isolated teams, limited visibility and inconsistent customer communication. To professionalize service delivery and pursue SDI accreditation, the university partnered with TOPdesk and combined organizational changes (ITIL training, a Business Relationship Manager and rebranding) with improved self‑service and feedback channels.

Working with TOPdesk, the university implemented a centralized service management platform, revamped its homepage and self‑service tools, and introduced one‑minute surveys and other feedback mechanisms. The changes helped St Andrews earn a three‑star SDI accreditation (the first European university to do so), delivered a January 2014 overall customer satisfaction score of 100%, an 8% survey response rate for service calls, no complaints and multiple compliments/suggestions, and reinforced strong student satisfaction in the i‑Graduate survey.

University of St Andrews

Lorraine Brown

IT Service Desk manager