The Facilities Department is attempting to improve its services, ranging from building repairs to room key replacements, through a new system that allows students, faculty, and staff from Tufts' three campuses to submit work orders via the Internet. Through an online link on the department's website, Facilities hopes to respond to requests for repairs more quickly and efficiently.
The site is the first in a series of steps that Facilities is taking toward bettering its handling of work order request forms. The online system provides a direct link between those requesting repairs and facilities personnel, which allows work orders to be clearly spelled out and eliminates potential confusion. The people fixing the problems receive a copy of the request as written, which means they know exactly when service was requested and the nature of the repair.
Students on the Medford campus responded positively to new system, saying it afforded them much convenience. "At least you don't have to worry about calling and not getting someone. You can put in your request after hours and know that it'll get through, especially if all the requests are being handled by the same desk," freshman Rebecca Goettsche said.
"There can't be a down side to the Internet method because you can always call in," freshman Davor Zgaljic said.
In an increasingly high-tech world, creating an online work order system seemed like a natural next step, according to Director Ron Esposito. "Providing web service is standard good business practice now, and this decision was supported throughout our division," he said.
Once requests are entered into the computer, the Work Control desk for each campus receives them, which is also the same place that handles call-in work orders. Those who would rather speak to a Facilities employee will continue to have the option of calling the Work Control desk.
This was music to the ears of a few students apprehensive about what would happen to their requests after they hit the submit button. "I would keep calling until I was sure that the whole Internet thing was working," sophomore James Lambropoulos said. "I would rather speak to someone to make sure they understood exactly what the problem was."
Freshman Nikoletta Stagias dealt with Facilities early this year and was impressed with how rapidly they responded to her phone call. "The current system is pretty efficient - they were very responsive," she said. "I would probably call before using the on-line form."
The Facilities website can be accessed by a link under "Administrative Services" on the Tufts University home page or by going directly to www.tufts.edu/central/facilities. The site was created and will be maintained by Gloria Riccobono, Manager of Space Planning within the Facilities Department.
