UW-Madison relies on many administrative services to support our academic and research mission. The Administrative Quality Satisfaction Survey (AQSS) asks participants to provide important insights about their experience with these services. Questions relate to administrative activities at both the campus (such as the Office of Human Resources) and local level (such as human resources in your unit).
The 2022 Administrative Quality Satisfaction Survey is open February 3 – 27, 2022.
Survey results will be used to assess and improve overall satisfaction with UW-Madison’s administrative services. Improvements could include investments in resources, staffing, employee training and development, etc. Survey results will also serve as benchmarking tools for the Administrative Transformation Program. The survey is not being used to evaluate budgets or employee performance.
About the Survey
Translations: The survey will be available in English, Spanish, Chinese, Hmong, Tibetan, and Nepali.
Types of questions: The survey is a mix of open-ended response questions and questions that ask participants to rate their levels of satisfaction on a given scale.
Time: 10-15 minutes for the rating portion; more time may be required depending on the level of detail provided in the open-ended responses. Participants do not need to complete the survey all at once. They can return to the survey by clicking the link provided in the original email.
Topics: The survey asks participants to reflect on their experience with eight categories of administrative services:
- Communications
- Facilities
- Finance
- General Administration
- Human Resources
- Information Technology
- Research Administration
- Student Services
Confidentiality: UW-Madison has partnered with a third-party organization called HelioCampus to distribute the survey and keep survey responses confidential.
Frequently Asked Questions
Below are answers to frequently asked questions about the Administrative Quality Satisfaction Survey.
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How will the survey be delivered?
Employees will receive a unique link via email on February 3. Please look for an email from Provost Scholz & VCFA Cramer. This email will be sent via our partners at HelioCampus to keep your responses confidential.
Is the survey mobile-friendly?
Participants may complete the survey on their mobile or tablet device. However, we recommend using a desktop computer or laptop due to the length of the survey and the opportunity to provide written feedback. Laptops and computer stations will be available to employees who do not have regular access to a computer as part of their job duties. Employees may also visit one of the campus InfoLab locations to complete the survey.
Who is eligible to take the survey?
The survey is open to all faculty, staff, postdoctoral, and graduate assistant employees.
NEW: What do I do if I have not received my survey link yet?
A unique survey link was sent to all faculty, staff, postdoctoral, and graduate assistant employees on Feb. 3. Please check your junk and “other” email folders to ensure the email did not get filtered. If you do not find the email or your unique link, please send an email to adminqualitysurvey@vc.wisc.edu.
How will survey results be used?
Survey results will primarily be used to assess and improve overall satisfaction with UW-Madison’s administrative services. Improvements could include investments in resources, staffing, employee training and development, etc. Survey results will also serve as benchmarking tools for the Administrative Transformation Program.
The survey is not being used for evaluation of budgets or employee performance.
What if I can't finish the survey all at once?
If you cannot finish the survey all at once, you may return to it later. Simply exit the survey when you need to take a break and use the link in your email to pick up where you left off.
NEW: I can no longer access my unique survey link. Why does it say that my survey has already been completed even though I haven't completed it?
This can happen if you forward your email survey and the recipient uses your unique link to complete the survey. While there is no penalty for doing so, each unique link is connected to one survey submission. If this has happened to you, please send an email to adminqualitysurvey@vc.wisc.edu to request a new link.
Will the survey be available in multiple languages?
The survey will be available in English, Spanish, Chinese, Hmong, Tibetan, and Nepali.
I don't use a computer as part of my regular job. Can I still participate in the survey?
Laptops and computer stations will be available to employees who need computer access. Employees may also visit one of the campus InfoLab locations to complete the survey. Please contact your supervisor or human resources representative if you have additional questions.
NEW: What's the difference between "University staff" and "all other staff" on the survey?
The first screen of the survey asks you to select your employee status or classification. The options are faculty, instructional staff, research staff, postdoctoral and graduate assistant employees, all other University staff, and all other staff. This question refers to your employment category (or appointment type) at UW-Madison. For example, Academic Staff who do not fall into the other classification categories would select “All other staff”.
For more information, please review this page on the Office of Human Resources website.
NEW: What's the difference between campus and local units?
Campus-level units serve the broader university. For example, the Office of Human Resources and Madison Budget Office are considered campus-level units.
Local units serve the unit in which they immediately reside. To continue our example, the human resources team in the School of Business and the finance/budget team in Recreation & Wellbeing are both local units.
Will the survey be given again?
Yes, the survey is expected to be conducted every other year. The next opportunity to provide feedback using the Administrative Quality Satisfaction Survey will be in 2024.
What is HelioCampus?
UW-Madison joined the Academic Benchmarking Consortium (ABC –Insights) in 2017. The consortium consists of a growing number of universities who share anonymized wage and staffing data for comparison within and between similar institutions. There are currently 70 member institutions, including Ohio State, Illinois, Florida, North Carolina, and Texas. HelioCampus acquired ABC-Insights in 2020. Currently, UW-Madison has benchmark data for fiscal years 2014 –2020.
Additional Support
If you need help or additional support, including accessibility questions, please contact adminqualitysurvey@vc.wisc.edu.
For technical issues, please reach out to qualitysatisfactionsurvey@heliocampus.com.