A new team, the Cougar Access Control Services, was formed at the beginning of 2023 to create a one-stop shop for anything and everything related to access where keys or cards are required.
“What we wanted to do is create a better experience for our campus partners when it comes to any type of access, whether it’s card access, key access, or getting any of your physical hardware to function properly,” said Rudy Jimenez, Assistant Director of Cougar Access Control Services.
“So, anything involving a door, a knob, a lever set, a panic device, your cabinet box, if it requires a key or a card to get in so we created a one-stop shop.”
The Cougar Access Control Services team is comprised of three main areas, Key Access Services, Lock Shop, and Electronic Access Control.
Previously, each team operated independently from one other, sometimes creating a question when roles overlapped.
Now, the teams work as one to reduce any confusion to complete jobs. Each team focuses on an aspect of access but have even been cross-trained to help each other.
Key Access Services is responsible for handling keys and keeping a record of which UH employee has which mechanical key. The Lock Shop oversees the cutting and stamping of all the keys, performing maintenance on physical locks and maintenance of all the electronic access control hardware.
The Electronic Access Control team completes Department Access User training and all door hardware programming including for special events, building & class scheduling for the different doors on campus. The EAC team also supports Department Access Users and Building Coordinators with the process to grant Building Occupants the correct building access once a Cougar Card is activated by Cougar Card Services.
While the team is only three months old, it’s already proved to be a success.
“We have seen our overall number of work orders decrease significantly and our overall completion time on work orders has also improved,” said Jimenez.
The creation of the Cougar Access Control Services team was also well received by the campus community at large.
“We had a lot of folks reach out to share their excitement about this team being created,” said Jimenez. “I was able to speak at our Building Coordinators meeting, where we introduced our new team, and several of our campus partners said that it was great to have qualified leadership in our shops and a renewed commitment to our campus.”
Cougar Access Control Services is ready and willing to help with Building Futures, Maintaining Excellence. If you require assistance from the Cougar Access Control Services team, the best next step is to utilize the 4 Ways to FIXIT.