(From left to right: Ab Gehani, Steve Biordi, William (Bill) Pollex, Michael Briggs, Wisdom Tettey, Jason Romero, Mark McKee, Steven Rupchand)
At UTSC, the IITS Client Services team is a key element of providing outstanding service to the campus. From troubleshooting technical issues to ensuring that students, faculty and staff get a stable and efficient digital environment in which they can excel, the Client Services team is adopting a holistic approach that impacts every corner of the campus.
First point of contact for technology support
The Client Services team is often the first stop for anyone at UTSC needing technology assistance. Available through phone, email, in-person visits or portal requests, the team efficiently handles and triages a wide range of inquiries. Their expertise covers a significant portion of the technology services, including computer devices, Office 365 applications, classroom support, filming services and so on. ‘We make sure that most of the tickets that come in are triaged quickly and resolved as soon as possible depending on the complexity. About 90% of IITS tickets are addressed directly by the team. That said, we do not work in a vacuum. We collaborate with five to six teams within IITS that are specialized in various areas to ensure we provide comprehensive support across various platforms," says Abdulrauf (Ab) Gehani, Manager, Client Services.
The IITS Client Services team is split into two tiers. Tier 1 technicians are often the first point of contact and resolve simple issues quickly, giving Tier 2 technicians more time and space to take on complex tickets. Each day, the team tackles a wide range of challenges, starting with an early review of overnight issues to prepare for the day ahead. By 8:45 AM, they are fully engaged in ensuring that the frontline services are prepared for the day’s inquiries. This includes a daily scrum where the team discusses priorities, delegates tasks and identifies issues that require any escalation to specialized teams or higher-tier support.
With a significant on-campus presence, extended service hours and a proactive approach to problem-solving, the team ensures help is always at hand, exemplifying their dedication to accessibility and responsiveness.
Embracing change and innovation to enhance services
The Client Services team is constantly seeking ways to enhance their service offerings and efficiency. The team’s collaborative efforts with counterparts at the UTM and St. George campuses highlight their proactive approach at leveraging knowledge and resources across the university. While the team leads the charge in supporting transformative projects across the campus, the core mission is to ensure their clients navigate through these changes with ease.
Their commitment to innovation is also evident in their response to changing security needs, adapting services to meet stricter information security standards and ensuring the UTSC community benefits from a secure digital environment. “The complexities of our environment have changed drastically since the pandemic. When the university decided to go remote, the community needed a lot of assistance and handholding to get familiar with the new working model. From helping our clients work remotely to ensuring we have high security standards in place, our team has always been there from the very beginning to assist the community. We now look ahead for any issues that are on the horizon and build paths through and around them to solve problems that may occur in the future," says Samir Mehran, Technology Delivery Lead.
Current initiatives of the Client Services team include:
• Extending the Automated Recording Apparatus (AuRA) system to an additional 15 classrooms
• Operationalizing the newly opened Sam Ibrahim building classrooms and computer labs
• Refining macOS lifecycle management
• OneDrive data backup initiative
• Transitioning macOS devices from Kace to Addigy
• Retiring UTSCVPN and moving to UTOR VPN and admin VPN
• Interface change to DUO in collaboration with the Identity and Access Management group by central IT.
• Transitioning the UTSC community to M365 from Office 2021/2019 etc.
• Building community self-help portals, documentation and resources to foster self-empowerment at UTSC
The team is focused on significant projects to enhance the digital environment at UTSC and ensure the community stays connected and secure.
Impact of service on the UTSC community
The Client Services team lives up to the IITS core value of being accessible and visible to the community. “We are a customer-facing team. We see the impact of the work we do. We help our clients get on with their work. The fact that we interact and see how the technology is being used puts us in a very fortunate position and is very rewarding," says Ab Gehani.
With locations in high-traffic areas across the campus and by resolving over a thousand tickets monthly, the team plays a crucial role and goes beyond routine support in eliminating technology barriers, enabling the community to excel in their respective roles. “A lot of times, we are dealing with defined services, but we also come across exceptional cases all the time and it is the culture at UTSC to reach out to IITS for some solution. Some of these issues are easy to deal with, while others require a lot of discussion and decision-making on a larger scale. We try to be very flexible during those times and focus on being available to anyone across the campus to offer support or assistance. It is very rewarding to know your work is helping others and making a massive difference. The issues that come to us are not always IT-related; it could be consultation, advice or anything to make things run smoothly," pointed out Jason Holtz.
“Knowing that our team has the expertise to help clients navigate through their day-to-day challenges or even a crisis is very satisfying. The work we do enables our clients to do the work they need to do. This ties back to the University of Toronto’s mission and we take a lot of pride in this," says Samir Mehran.
Fostering growth and development within the team
Investment in professional development is key to the team’s success. With access to the UofT School of Continuous Studies, LinkedIn Learning and a focus on continuous training and development both as a team and as an individual, the Client Services team fosters an environment of growth, ensuring that their staff are well equipped to meet the challenges that come to them. The team members are also given opportunities to move on to other roles within IITS based on their skillset and the requirements of the campus. “We often lead by example. Our team members are encouraged and given the opportunity to present something new in the tech space during our team meetings. There is constant learning within the team and exceptional peer support to make sure everyone’s well informed," added Samir Mehran.
In a nutshell, by offering critical support, embracing change and fostering a culture of growth, the IITS Client Services team at UTSC is undoubtedly one of the foundational pillars in the university’s technology space. The team encourages the UTSC community to reach out with any technology-related inquiries, no matter how minor they may seem. The IITS service portal and the website offer a wealth of resources designed to empower users and enhance their UTSC experience.
If you’ve ever interacted with the IITS Client Services team and may have any concerns, feedback or suggestions, please write to Ab Gehani at a.gehani@utoronto.ca.
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