Royal College of Art: Digital transformation in the education sector

The education sector faces staff shortages, high administrative workloads, and budgetary pressures, according to The Guardian. Technology can support organisations dealing with this pressure to help them achieve more using fewer resources to deliver the best possible experience for staff and students alike.

One organisation with first-hand experience in driving digital transformation in the education sector is the Royal College of Art (RCA). Once focused solely on the arts, today the college is at the forefront of science, technology, engineering, arts, and maths (STEAM) research and education.

To find out more about the RCA’s digital transformation journey with ServiceNow, we sat down with Jacqui Lipinski, the college’s chief information officer and director of digital and technical services.

Tell us about your digital transformation journey.

Over the past 10 years, we’ve seen the number of RCA students rise from around 800 to over 3,000. We needed a way to support this growth trajectory and digitise processes that were no longer adequately supported by traditional methods like email or paper documents.

Digital transformation was a key priority, but one of the biggest challenges we faced was convincing the executive team to invest in the technology. With tight budgets, there’s pressure to justify the return on investment of any project, so that took some work. As we moved through the process, it became clear that work was paying off.

We’ve replaced our ticketing tools with ServiceNow IT Service Management and have adopted Customer Service Management across all student-facing areas. We also employed virtual agent technology to better support a large number of students, many of whom require service across multiple time zones.

Why prioritise digital transformation in education?

In the face of economic challenges, it can be tempting to focus on keeping the lights on, but education is a competitive sector. If you’re not working to deliver a top-tier experience for both students and staff, you’re not going to stand out.

Organisations that focus on keeping the lights on won’t see the success they need to thrive within the sector. Yes, digital transformation is an investment, but it can also completely change your organisation for the better in the long term—which makes it worthwhile.

What role does change management play?

Within the RCA, the challenge was never the technology itself. The challenge was navigating the business and cultural change within the organisation.

As with any change, there will be resistance, and it may take multiple efforts to deliver a successful result. The most important thing organisations can do is to set out a clear roadmap for this change and make sure that everybody in the ecosystem is supportive.

How did you approach change management at the RCA?

It was extremely important for us to make sure that organisational outcomes were at the forefront of the conversation from the start. I consider myself a business leader, not a tech leader. By that, I mean I need to understand exactly what technology can do before moving ahead with implementation.

It was about asking ourselves: What can this tech offer? What is the direct impact of this specific solution?

These kinds of questions were crucial—not just for securing initial buy-in, but also for making sure that everybody from the board and senior leadership to new-starters or entry-level staff were on board with the project and working towards one, unified goal.

What advice would you give to other organisations?

When making a case for digital transformation in the education sector:

• Establish business outcomes first and secure buy-in across the organisation early on
• Set out a clear, concise roadmap
• Be prepared to modify the change management strategy based on feedback
• Remember it’s a journey that requires time and education. Don’t try to do everything at once—take it steady

Any final thoughts?

It’s possible to solve many problems, however large, with effective support and advice. On the flip side, you can’t do anything without the right people.

For other education organisations planning a digital transformation programme, keep seeking advice and consultancy. It’s a learning curve, but it’s definitely possible with the right support.

Find out more about how ServiceNow supports organisations in the education sector on their digital transformation journeys.