An employee working with travel-related requests noticed that users were frequently submitting documentation through the wrong request types within the Shared Service Center portal. In particular, P-card receipts and other travel-related documents were often submitted through travel request forms that were not intended for those purposes.
The issue stemmed from a lack of clear guidance on the Travel-Related Request page. While other areas of the Shared Service Center portal provide descriptions and explanations for each request category, the travel request page offered limited information to help users determine which option best fit their needs. As a result, staff members regularly had to follow up with submitters to obtain missing information or redirect requests, creating additional work and delays.
After evaluating the request, the team agreed that providing additional guidance directly on the Travel-Related Request page would help users make more informed selections and improve the overall submission process. To address the issue, a new category-and-description table was added to the Travel-Related Request page, similar to the format already used on other SSC service pages. The enhanced guidance explains the purpose of each request type and helps users identify the appropriate submission path before creating a ticket.
The result is a more user-friendly experience that reduces confusion, improves submission accuracy, and minimizes the need for manual follow-up by the Travel team.
Fellow Change Agents:
- Amanda Ostrander
- Jessica Chilcoat
Impact of idea:
- Reduced Incorrect Submissions - Providing clear descriptions for each travel request category helps users select the appropriate request type the first time, reducing misrouted and incomplete submissions.
- Less Manual Follow-Up - Travel staff spend less time contacting users to clarify requests, obtain missing information, or redirect submissions, allowing more time to focus on processing and customer service.
- Improved User Experience - Employees now have clearer guidance when navigating travel-related services, making the process easier to understand and reducing frustration when submitting requests.
