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Checkit Jan 27, 2025 11:12:40 AM 3 min read

Case study spotlight: University of Exeter's success with Checkit

The landscape of higher education is ever-evolving and operational efficiency plays a pivotal role in being able to deliver a high-quality student experience. The University of Exeter, a leading institution in the UK, recognised this need and sought innovative solutions to enhance its operational capabilities. By partnering with Checkit, Exeter has transformed its approach to facilities management and student services, reaping significant benefits in the process. This spotlight explores the university’s journey, the specific challenges it faced, and the measurable outcomes achieved through Checkit’s implementation.

The challenge: Addressing operational complexity in a growing university

As one of the UK’s top universities, the University of Exeter faces a complex set of operational challenges. With multiple campuses, thousands of students, and a wide range of services to manage, ensuring that everything runs smoothly is no small feat. The university was encountering issues in several key areas:

  1. Facility management: Monitoring and maintaining campus buildings, including student accommodations, posed a constant challenge. Issues such as temperature control, equipment malfunctions, and general wear and tear required proactive management to avoid disruptions.
  2. Reactive maintenance: Many operational issues were being handled reactively, which, as studies suggest, is 3-4 times more expensive than proactive approaches. This led to delays and downtime, negatively impacting student satisfaction.
  3. Data visibility: The university lacked real-time visibility into key operational data, making it difficult to prioritise maintenance and respond quickly to potential issues before they escalated.

These challenges not only put pressure on staff but also affected the overall student experience, particularly in areas such as housing comfort and the availability of well-maintained study spaces.

The solution: Checkit’s platform

To address these challenges, the University of Exeter adopted Checkit’s platform for digital monitoring and automation. This solution provided the university with the tools it needed to track, manage, and optimise its operational processes more effectively. Specifically, Checkit offered:

  • Real-time monitoring: Checkit’s IoT sensors and digital dashboards gave the university real-time insights into key areas such as temperature control in student accommodations, food safety in dining services, and the condition of campus facilities. Research shows that organisations using real-time monitoring are more likely to prevent failures and meet service level agreements.
  • Proactive maintenance: Rather than responding to issues after they occurred, the university could now monitor conditions continuously and address problems before they became disruptive. For instance, monitoring room temperatures helped ensure that accommodations remained comfortable throughout the year.
  • Improved data visibility and reporting: The university could now access detailed reports on operational performance, which allowed them to prioritise tasks, allocate resources more efficiently, and communicate outcomes to key stakeholders.

 

The outcome: Enhanced operational efficiency and student satisfaction

Since implementing Checkit’s platform, the University of Exeter has seen a significant transformation in its operational processes, leading to a more efficient and responsive campus environment. Key outcomes include:

  1. Reduced downtime: By moving from reactive to proactive maintenance, the university has minimised downtime across campus facilities, addressing the cost inefficiencies associated with reactive strategies. This has improved the overall experience for students, particularly in high-traffic areas like student accommodations and lecture halls.
  2. Increased student satisfaction: Real-time monitoring has allowed the university to ensure that student accommodations meet comfort standards, while dining services operate at peak efficiency. This has resulted in higher student satisfaction scores in feedback surveys.
  3. Data-driven decision making: The detailed insights provided by Checkit have empowered the university to make data-driven decisions, helping to optimise resource allocation, reduce energy consumption, and improve sustainability. Checkit’s research notes that digital monitoring can be a key driver for sustainability, helping institutions meet compliance targets and lower their environmental footprint.
  4. Streamlined compliance: Checkit’s platform also aided the university in meeting compliance requirements for food safety and environmental standards, ensuring that all operational processes meet regulatory guidelines.

 

Unlocking operational excellence to boost student satisfaction

The University of Exeter’s experience with Checkit demonstrates the value of embracing digital solutions for operational excellence. By improving its monitoring, reporting, and maintenance processes, Exeter has created a more responsive and efficient campus environment—one that enhances both staff capabilities and student satisfaction. The combination of real-time insights and proactive strategies has not only reduced operational costs but also helped future-proof the campus, ensuring a high standard of service for years to come.

For higher education administrators seeking to boost operational efficiency, the University of Exeter case study highlights how a digital monitoring platform like Checkit can deliver measurable improvements in both the management of campus services and the student experience. With the ability to proactively address issues and streamline operations, universities can enhance student satisfaction and build a more resilient operational framework.

Explore how Checkit can help you predict, prevent, and scale. Get started with Checkit today.