Making better choices: using a costing model

Jo James, Library Administration ManagerMike Hallas, Project & Development Manager

Michelle Blake, Academic Support Services Manager

23 August 2011

Ice-breaker: decision making approaches

Decision making approach Match Task

Random choice Buying a computer

Following tradition Going on holiday

Going by the book Deciding where to hold a conference

Going by experience choosing a supplier for work

Gut feelings Where to get your car serviced

Making a systematic comparison of the options

Recruiting staff

TASK: In groups you must decide which approach to use for each task – you can use each approach as many times as you like (5mins)

Background to Cost Model

Designed activity costing spread sheet to answer questions below and inform decision making process:

• What is the cost of providing a particular service now?• What is the cost of investment in software to automate

certain services and is it cost effective to introduce?• How should staff resources be deployed to maximise

service/value?• Should additional project/s be undertaken, and what is the

cost of undertaking it/them?

How it works

• An activity to be evaluated is determined, e.g. ‘taking a study space booking at the library helpdesk’

• Estimate the average time taken for a transaction to occur

• Calculate hourly rate based on grade of staff/resource carrying out activity

• This calculates a cost per transaction• Number of transactions measured then multiplied

against cost to provide overall costing

How it worksProject Name: Study Space

Booking

Service Owner: User Services

Service Description: Staff on the Helpdesk 1 & 2 process requests from students to book a study space for a given date and time. This process is currently manual and requires staff to complete a spreadsheet and XXXXXX.

Activity Staff Process# of enquiries

Staff Grade

Average Hourly Rate

Av. Time taken (mins) per transaction

Transaction Cost

Total Time taken (mins)

Activity Cost

Taking a space booking at the helpdesk

staff checking and manually entering on to a spreadsheet 63 SB04 £17.24 1.5 £0.43 94.5 £27.15

TOTAL 63 94.5 £27.15

How it works

Total Cost to Employer (Basic / NI / SA / USS)

Aug-09 Aug-10 Aug-11 Aug-12 Aug-13

Band/Step 7 8 9 10 11

Please select… Please select… 0.0 £0 £0 £0 £0 £0

Band 4 Step 13.5 Band 4 33.0 £28,281 £28,396 £28,979 £30,167 £31,403

Band 4 Step 14.0 Band 4 34.0 £28,710 £28,828 £29,419 £30,625 £31,879

Band 4 Step 14.5 Band 4 35.0 £29,147 £29,265 £29,865 £31,089 £32,362

Band 4 Step 15.0 Band 4 36.0 £29,589 £29,711 £30,320 £31,562 £32,853

Band 4 Step 15.5 Band 4 37.0 £30,039 £30,162 £30,780 £32,040 £33,351

Band 4 Step 16.0 Band 4 38.0 £30,494 £30,619 £31,246 £32,525 £33,855

Band 4 Step 16.5 Band 4 39.0 £30,956 £31,083 £31,719 £33,017 £34,367

Band 4 Step 17.0 Band 4 40.0 £31,426 £31,554 £32,199 £33,517 £34,887

Band 4 Step 17.5 Band 4 41.0 £31,903 £32,033 £32,688 £34,025 £35,415

Band 4 Step 18.0* Band 4 42.0 £32,386 £32,517 £33,182 £34,539 £35,950

Band 4 Step 18.5* Band 4 43.0 £32,876 £33,010 £33,685 £35,061 £36,493

Band 4 Step 19.0* Band 4 44.0 £33,373 £33,510 £34,195 £35,592 £37,045

Band 4 Step 19.5* Band 4 45.0 £33,879 £34,017 £34,712 £36,130 £37,604

Band 4 Step 20.0* Band 4 46.0 £34,392 £34,532 £35,237 £36,676 £38,172

Case Study:

Library Helpdesk

Background

• Staffed by members of the Library carrying out 2 duties:

• Help desk 1:

– A first point enquiry service for users with straightforward questions;

– More detailed enquiries are passed to Help Desk 2. – Help Desk 1 is staffed by SB04 grades , and is open between

12.00noon and 5.00pm Monday to Friday.– Exclusively SB04 staff;

• Help desk 2:

– Help Desk 2 is staffed by SB06 and SB07 grades.

– Handles more detailed enquiries;

– The service is open between 9.00am and 8.00pm Monday to Friday, and 11.00am and 6.00pm Saturday and Sunday;

– Staffed by a 50/50 mix of SB06 and SB07 staff.

• When the Help Desk is not busy, the Help Desk 1 member of staff is sent back to their office by the Help Desk 2 staff member.

Survey Results

• Undertook a manual collection of statistics over a period of 2 months (April & May 2009);

• Staff required to log each enquiry that was made;

• Made for interesting reading…

Stats – part 1

• Total number of queries taken: 4,949

• Total number of Help Desk 1 queries: 4,453

 

• Total number of Help Desk 2 queries: 496

 

• 92% of enquiries were at Help Desk 1 level

Query by type Number

Alumni/Visitors 1354

Catalogue query/how to use catalogue 484

Copy shop / Photocopying 180

Data Library 259

Directions e.g. toilets 310

E-resources 213

ILL/IDD 29

IT 317

Other 547

Other libraries 65

Printed materials 937

Reading lists 13

Referrals 66

Research question 175

Total 4949

Enquiry Type Subtype NumberAlumni/Visitors how to login PC 792Alumni/Visitors IT (including printing, password problems) 277Alumni/Visitors What resources can be used 285Archives where 1

Catalogue query/how to use catalogue where/how to use catalogue 484Copy shop / Photocopying directions, adding money 180Data Library logging user on 206Data Library how/what to use 53Directions e.g. toilets Toilets, archives, study room 310E-resources what to use (research) 52E-resources how to find 91E-resources password query 21E-resources E-resources 49ILL/IDD ILL/IDD 29

IT JANET roaming, wireless, word, excel, value loaders 139IT referral 114IT paper replacement 64Other Stapler, paper, calculator etc 319Other Training 14Other Induction 0Other Additional Services 6Other Admissions 88Other Lost property 62Other Other (incl. complaints) 47Other Seat bookings (excluded these for May) 10Other libraries which other library to use 65Printed materials can't find item on shelf 414Printed materials missing items 61Printed materials location of classmark 125Printed materials how to use catalogue/where catalogue located 323Printed materials archives 14Reading lists Can't find reading/citation from Moodle 13Referrals IT 22Referrals Academic Dept 3Referrals Other support dept 18Referrals External library 20Referrals External non-library 3Research question research question 175Total 4949

Time of day

0

100

200

300

400

500

600

700

800

900

9:00- 10:30

9:00-9:30 9:30- 10:00

10:00- 10:30

10:30- 12:00

12:00- 1:00

1:00-2:00 2:00-3:30 3:30-5:00 5:00-8:00 Weekend 11:00- 12:30

Weekend 12:30- 2:30

Weekend 2:30-4:30

Weekend 4:30-6:00

Time of day

Number

Queries by length

Queries by enquiry length

0

500

1000

1500

2000

2500

less than 1min 1-2mins 2-5 mins 5-10mins 10-15mins 15-20mins more than 20mins Time taken

Number Help Desk 1 Help Desk 2

Weekdays SB04staffing

SB06staffing

SB07staffing

09.00 – 12.00HD1 level (664)HD2 level (79)

  

 £4.16£34.55

 £11.09£47.23

12.00 – 17.00HD1 (2,039)HD2 level (216)

 £1.59 

  £21.32

  £28.42

17.00 – 20.00HD1 (754)HD2 (94)

   £3.66£29.40

 £4.88£39.19

       

Weekends SB04staffing

SB06staffing

SB07staffing

11.00 – 18.00HD1 (996)HD2 (107)

   £3.55£32.75

 £4.80£45.13

Average cost per enquiryHD1 (4,453)HD2 (496)

 £2.17

 £3,07£27.61

 £4.10£36.81

Cost per enquiry. Number of enquiries is in ()

What happened next?• Based on the evidence we came up with a

recommendation to change how the service was staffed.

• A paper was taken to the Library’s senior management team where the proposal was mandated.

• Over a period of 6 months, change processes were

initiated and consultations with Library Assistants and other library staff began.

Issues we faced

• Library assistants believed that they were doing more service counter duties than before the changes

• Training implications – not all library assistants had traditionally worked on the HelpDesk;

• Some staff (both library assistant level and qualified librarians) believed that it was a ‘dumbing down’ of the service;

• Reassurance for staff that the backup librarian would be there quickly.

Lessons learned / outcomes• Importance of communication throughout the change process is key;

• Skills upgrade for Library Assistants;

• Collecting statistics is very important;

• Qualified staff have since been used on a number of newly developed service initiatives such as 1-2-1 research consultations and research postcards;

• Helpdesk: further changes now due;

• All projects undertaken within the Library use the costing model

It’s your turn

• Scenario based group exercise (30mins)• Must decide which option you will

recommend to management:– Do nothing– Introduce hybrid model – Introduce roaming help and close service counter– Do more investigation and analysis

• You must be able to justify your decision

Group feedback

• What option(s) did you choose?

• Why?