The department of Accommodation and Commercial Services (ACS) at the University of Sheffield has been awarded the nationally recognised Customer First Standard.

The standard provides a framework which ensures that outstanding customer service is delivered consistently across the business. To achieve the Standard, ACS was assessed for its compliance against 30 statements covering the following areas: building customer relationships; maximising market awareness; and developing your people.

ACS has diverse customer markets and offers a range ofproducts and services including, providing accommodation for 6,000 students, hosting corporate and private events and offering catering services throughtheir cafés, bars and delivered hospitality. An increasingly competitive commercial environment and the changes to university funding and tuition fees from 2012/13 has meant that ACS has sought to find new ways to differentiate itself from its competitors and ensure it delivers an outstanding customer experience.


Pat McGrath, director of ACS, said: “Being awarded the Customer First Standard is a fantastic achievement for the department. We’ve always been committed to providing an excellent customer experience, but wewanted to achieve the guarantee of quality that the standard offers. The standard lets our customers know that when they choose us, they’ll receive products and services that meet their needs, whether they’re students living in University accommodation or event organisers hosted conferences in our venues.”


ACS is the first Professional Services department at the University to be awarded the standard and hope to inspire others to commit to achieving it.