As the coronavirus pandemic continued to pose challenges for the UVA community throughout 2020 and the spring of 2021, Educational & General (E&G) Custodial Services developed new ways to support customers’ changing priorities. In addition to enhancing its cleaning and disinfecting protocols, the department adjusted its evaluation tools and strengthened partnerships with customers and other UVA teams.
In July 2020, E&G Custodial Services launched its new electronic Customer Focus Report Tool with the help of the Technology & Innovation team. Given that large-scale disinfection of most touch points was critical in the COVID climate, the tool adjusted the department’s inspection conditions to focus on whether customers would feel confident that surface dirt and contaminants had been effectively removed. By December 2020, the tool had generated 3,600 inspections across Grounds, helping E&G Custodial Services maintain customer care, confidence and comfort during a most challenging year.
Throughout the fall 2020 and spring 2021 semesters, the department’s leadership team worked closely with UVA Procurement to ensure that adequate supplies of disinfectant and personal protective equipment were available. With the need to provide almost round-the-clock disinfection of surfaces, custodial staff members prepared and placed disinfection toolkits in all classrooms, allowing faculty and students to disinfect their own desks, chairs and tables as needed to ensure core aspects of the community were ready and safe for learning.