Procurement reforms launched to improve service for DSA customers
SLC discusses the launch of procurement reforms to improve service for DSA customers
At SLC, our customer vision includes providing an outstanding customer experience, helping customers to invest in their futures by providing an intuitive, supportive and trusted service.
We are making progress and one area in particular where we recognise improvements can be made is the journey for customers in receipt of Disabled Students’ Allowance (DSA). DSA provides support with study related costs and provides vital support to thousands of students with a disability across the UK. It’s hugely valuable in enabling opportunity and widening participation in higher education.
Our customers have told us that accessing this support has challenges, including too much onus on them to take action, it’s a lengthy process and that no organisation takes ownership of their journey.
This is why we have been working on significant reforms that will transform and improve the DSA service. It will remove key pain points in the customer journey, provide the customer with a single point of contact and support throughout the process, and introduce contractual control to ensure consistent quality of service. In addition, these changes will reduce the time taken to access DSA.
Enhancing the customer experience is a crucial element of the reforms and at a recent supplier day, we outlined that new suppliers will work with SLC, the UK Government’s Department for Education and Welsh Government to enhance and strengthen the quality standards to create a service that better meets the needs of our customers. The quality metrics will include agreed service levels, quality standards and processes for resolving exception complaints.
We also confirmed that we are engaging with our customers and non-commercial stakeholders, such as third sector bodies, in these discussions to ensure the quality framework best suits our customers. A DSA Student Finance Customer Panel has been established to hear first-hand experiences of customers in receipt of DSA and help to shape the reforms, building on the insight gathered from customer surveys and a number of in-depth one to one interviews with students with a disability.
Working together will ensure the best outcome for our customers and we look forward to collaborating to improve the journey for customers in receipt of DSA.