With this new initiative, the Administration and Finance division builds on its outstanding reputation with responses that are becoming more transparent, efficient, and connected to customer feedback.
When a light goes out, a pipe bursts, or a laboratory room needs an urgent repair, members of the UMB community rely on the Operations and Maintenance (O&M) division to respond quickly and effectively. Now, thanks to the A&F Service Excellence: One Interaction at a Time initiative, those responses also are becoming more transparent, more efficient, and more connected to customer feedback.
O&M was among the first cohort to complete its Service Excellence initiative, which was launched by UMB’s Administration and Finance (A&F) department in fall 2023. Built around UMB’s core values and A&F’s guiding principles, the program is designed to improve customer experiences across all 28 A&F divisions, whether those interactions happen in person, by phone, or online.
From Good to Great
For O&M, the initiative became an opportunity not only to measure performance, but to build on existing strengths and modernize how the department serves staff, faculty, and students.
“This work was driven by the A&F Service Excellence initiative,” said Reese Spindle, associate director, Facilities Administration and Operations. “While we were proud to be one of the only divisions without any red areas across the five service dimensions, our commitment to Service Excellence, Accountability, and Innovation pushed us to keep improving.”
To guide that effort, O&M created a cross-functional working group made up of representatives from multiple trades and management levels. The goal was to ensure that process improvements reflected the perspectives from across the department, especially from front line employees whose daily work would be directly affected.
“Our cross-functional group was intentionally composed of representatives from all trades/shops and multiple levels of management to ensure broad perspective and meaningful engagement,” said Melissa Moreland, executive director, Operations and Maintenance, Administration and Finance. “We felt it was critical that process improvement decisions not be driven solely by senior leadership or administrative staff.”
The team reviewed customer survey feedback and identified opportunities to strengthen communication, improve accountability, and streamline internal processes. Those insights led to a series of upgrades centered on O&M’s work management system.
Among the most significant changes was the design and implementation of nine Automated Business Processes, or ABPs. These automations now provide customers with clearer updates throughout the lifecycle of a request, including when work is assigned, when additional trades are added to a job, and when all phases of a project are complete. Technician completion notes also can be shared directly with customers, giving requesters more visibility into the status of their work orders.
“Customers will notice more transparent and meaningful communication throughout the lifecycle of their requests,” Spindle said. “They’ll receive clearer status updates such as when work is assigned, expanded, or fully complete, along with real-time visibility into technician comments.”
The department also worked to reduce unnecessary notifications while preserving important updates, helping customers stay informed without flooding inboxes.
Managing Change
Beyond system improvements, O&M launched a broad communication and change management campaign to make sure campus partners understood the new tools and processes. That outreach included management presentations, building manager information sessions, a town hall, newsletter articles, business memos, and updates through the facilities work request customer portal.
O&M also completed a full redesign of its website, making it easier for the campus community to find answers and connect with the right resources. The updated site includes service FAQs, billing guidance, emergency protocols, instructions for using the customer portal, and dedicated shop pages introducing technicians and managers with direct contact information.
The improvements have produced measurable results.
Since launching the enhanced processes Oct. 1, 2025, O&M has received hundreds of customer survey responses with an average satisfaction rating of 4.96 out of 5. Most responses were five-star ratings, with none below three stars.
That feedback has become a central part of O&M’s continuous improvement model.
For each job, a customer satisfaction survey is automatically sent five days after a work order is closed. Responses are reviewed three times each week by the administrative team, and any rating of three or below is immediately escalated to the appropriate trade manager for review and follow-up.
“This real-time feedback loop allows us to quickly address concerns, reinforce accountability, and enhance service delivery,” Moreland said.
Monthly survey results also are shared with managers, who are expected to recognize positive feedback, celebrate team accomplishments, and reinforce best practices.
For employees whose work often happens behind the scenes, that recognition has had a meaningful impact.
“Staff have really appreciated seeing the direct impact of their work through five-star ratings and comments that often recognize specific technicians or shops,” Spindle said. “In a field where much of the work involves responding to issues like leaks or outages, this kind of recognition is especially powerful.”
Moreland said the ability to quantify the team’s efforts and publicly celebrate strong service has been especially rewarding.
“We truly have an exceptional team of talented professionals who consistently put the customer first,” she said. “Their work is often demanding and, at times, thankless. Being able to recognize individuals and teams for a job well done is incredibly meaningful.”
O&M also partnered with Environmental Services to ensure continuity across their shared systems and implemented a dedicated survey process for those services as well.
For campus customers, the changes may be most visible in faster communication, easier access to information, and clearer expectations. For O&M, they represent something larger: a culture committed to listening, adapting, and improving.
One repair request at a time, Service Excellence is becoming part of the infrastructure, too.