Cambridge
Academy
In London

Introduction

Administrative Services leaders ensure essential workplace and support services run smoothly, consistently, and cost-effectively—while meeting compliance requirements and rising stakeholder expectations. This program equips leaders with practical frameworks to design an operating model, establish governance and controls, and deliver service excellence through clear standards, performance metrics, and continuous improvement.

 

Course Objectives

• Design an Administrative Services operating model with clear roles, services, and accountability

• Establish governance, policies, and controls to reduce risk and improve consistency

• Build service excellence standards using SLAs, KPIs, and customer experience practices

• Improve request management, workflow efficiency, and service delivery performance

• Strengthen vendor and budget governance to optimize cost-to-serve

• Create a 90-day action plan and 12-month roadmap to mature Administrative Services

 

Target Audience

• Leads and managers in Administrative Services and Administrative Affairs

• Office operations, workplace services, and facilities support leaders

• Service desk and request management supervisors

• Procurement/vendor management professionals supporting admin services

• Quality, compliance, and performance reporting professionals supporting service functions

 

Course Outlines

Day 1: Administrative Services Strategy & Operating Model Design

• Defining Administrative Services scope: service lines, stakeholders, and outcomes

• Operating model options: centralized, distributed, shared services, and hybrid

• Service catalog design: services, channels, service levels, and ownership

• Roles and responsibilities: RACI, decision rights, and escalation paths

• Activity: Operating model health check + service catalog gap assessment

 

Day 2: Governance, Policies & Controls for Reliable Service Delivery

• Governance structure: steering, service review forums, and approval workflows

• Policies vs. procedures vs. SOPs: documentation standards and ownership

• Controls in admin services: approvals, segregation of duties, and evidence trails

• Records, confidentiality, and access controls for administrative documents

• Workshop: Build a governance charter + policy framework + control checklist

 

Day 3: Service Excellence, SLAs/KPIs & Customer Experience

• Service excellence principles: reliability, responsiveness, and consistency

• Designing SLAs/OLAs: response times, resolution targets, and escalation rules

• KPIs that matter: volume, cycle time, quality, satisfaction, and cost-to-serve

• Complaint handling and service recovery: communication and expectation management

• Practical activity: Create an SLA/KPI dashboard + monthly service review pack

 

Day 4: Request Management, Workflow Optimization & Digital Enablement

• Request intake and triage: channels, categorization, prioritization, and queues

• Process mapping and bottleneck removal: reducing handoffs, rework, and delays

• Standardization: templates, checklists, and knowledge base development

• Digital enablement: ticketing/workflow tools and self-service concepts

• Case study: Redesign a high-volume admin process (current → future state + metrics)

 

Day 5: Vendor & Budget Governance + Continuous Improvement Roadmap

• Vendor governance: SLAs, performance reviews, and corrective actions

• Contract and spend oversight: cost drivers, forecasting, and value-for-money checks

• Continuous improvement routines: audits, lessons learned, and service optimization

• Capability building: team skills, coaching, and performance culture