OHIO Business Service Center open house draws strong turnout

The Ohio University Business Service Center (OHIO BSC) welcomed colleagues from across the University to its open house on Oct. 7.

Faculty and staff from academic and administrative units came to meet the team, tour the space and see how the OHIO BSC supports OHIO's mission.

The turnout was strong throughout the event, and visitors asked questions and swapped ideas with BSC team members.

Efficiencies on display

During the event, the BSC team set up stations that showed how centralized, standardized processes save time and cut down on rework for departments. Highlights included:

• Streamlined transactions. Staff demonstrated how consolidating routine business tasks in one team creates consistent, accurate processing. Some examples include reducing audit findings by 79%.  
• Faster turnaround. Standard workflows and clear handoffs reduce back-and-forth and shorten the time it takes to complete requests. This work has been instrumental in keeping a customer satisfaction rate of 96%.
• Better tools and self-service. Attendees saw the resources available to help them submit requests correctly the first time. Utilizing simple Team Dynamix forms and Live Chat, the OHIO BSC is able to keep the human aspect customers appreciate while still standardizing work and simplifying the process. This approach has led OHIO BSC to improve efficiency by over 200% in purchasing while keeping customer satisfaction high.
• A single point of contact. Departments can rely on a dedicated team of experts instead of handling these tasks on their own. That frees employees to focus on teaching, research, student support and other core work directly attributing to the University’s mission.

Image

Meeting the team

Guests also met the people behind the service. Many said they appreciated putting faces to the names they know from emails and help tickets.

“I really appreciate everyone who came out to meet the team and learn more about the OHIO BSC,” stated Heather Krugman, executive director of the OHIO BSC. “The turnout was great, the questions were thoughtful, and there was a great energy around sharing ideas and celebrating successes. A big thank you to everyone who participated.”

Dr. Zaki Karuppalil, professor and chair of the Department of Engineering Technology and Management in the Russ College of Engineering and Technology, as well as primary faculty advisor to the BSC said, "I am blown away by what the BSC has been able to accomplish in less than four years. We (the Ohio University leadership) had a vision of what it could be, but this has exceeded my expectations. I believe every unit on campus should use the BSC." 

Looking ahead

The BSC thanks everyone who stopped by and shared feedback, which will help guide its continued improvement. Employees who couldn't attend can reach the team and find resources at ohio.edu/bsc. The new 2026 OHIO BSC report is also available on the website.