Help with Self-service (IBC)

Where to find help

• Step 1: look at the online guidance in IBC. and search for whatever it is you’re looking for (booking leave, recruiting a new member of staff, updating your team structure etc.). Use the search bar to find the guidance you need.
• Step 2: contact the customer support team – use webchat, online enquiry form or request a call back from an adviser.
• Step 3: help given by the support team – with a dedicated case manager handling your enquiry through to completion
• To support your self-service journey, there are more than over 250 online guidance pages.
• Guidance pages include videos and images to help you.
• Webchat is available hundreds of guidance pages, if you click on the icon you will get through to a specialist advisor.

If you can’t find what you need search for ‘Contact shared services’ which takes you to the page with more information in IBC.

More information about webchat

If you have an issue that you are struggling to solve using self-service and online guidance, it takes less than 20 seconds to get touch with Customer Support through webchat.

You can access webchat via the IBC guidance pages.

If you use webchat from the guidance pages (on the pages where it’s available) you get through to an expert in that area.

So if you’re looking at the online guidance about booking leave and you can’t find the answer to your question, click on the orange icon at the bottom right of the screen ‘need help chat now’ to get through to an expert adviser who can help you with your question about leave.

Webchat is available 8.30am to 5pm, five days a week.

Staff needing extra/upgraded access to the new system

If you need upgraded access levels ask your head teacher/manager to request access via the IBC access request form.

They should search for ‘IBC Portal Access’ in IBC self-service, read the guidance then follow the link (on the guidance page) to: ‘IBC Security Access Form’.

If you have any issues or queries about IBC self-service, which can’t be resolved by contacting IBC, you can get in touch with the School Improvement Team in Oxfordshire County Council: SchoolImprovementTeam@Oxfordshire.gov.uk

The team will be able to pass on your query to the relevant person in Oxfordshire or in Shared Services (IBC).

Headteachers

IBC access for new head teachers:

• Business manager/administrator requests IBC access for their head teacher in IBC. Choose: ESS, Shopping, Finance and HR Manager (HR Manager apps and reports)
• Help pages are available – search for ‘IBC portal access’ when you’re in the IBC system 
• At the same time headteachers needs to register with ESSLite (this can be done at home or in the school). Their personnel number will be given to them by their business manager/administrator
• Business manager/administrator will get the personnel number from IBC via a communication
• Any problems with getting/finding the personnel number, the business manager/administrator should contact IBC.

Here are some useful questions for head teachers to ask when talking to administrators/finance officers/business managers about HR and finance activities in your school.

HR

• Can we prepare a timeline for the recruitment process, so I know what you need and when?
• How long do all the recruitment checks take so we can build this into the timeframe?
• What information do you need from me to add a new member of staff to our payroll? (Schools could devise their own starter form so the head teacher can give this to the business manager (or other member of staff) with documents, so it all stays together).
• What are your deadlines for making changes to payroll each month?
• When do you need me to inform you of any changes?
• We need to decide who is going to monitor temporary contracts, so we know when we need to manage the ending of these.
• When I receive a resignation letter what information do you need to be able to end the contract for payroll etc.?

Finance

• We need to be clear about the governor-approved Internal Financial procedures and make sure they are being followed.
• I should have a budget monitoring report each month and we need to discuss the variances to budget. (It’s important this includes underspend as well as overspend variances. The finance officer should be able to explain what has changed since the last report).
• I need to sign off the monthly payroll reconciliation and discuss all variations to budget.
• We need to discuss affordability before committing to expenditure. This includes pay grades of staff in the process of be appointed.
• We need to have regular discussions about future plans and the effect on the budget, particularly long-term sustainability. This will include all updates on pupil numbers and staff changes. (Headteachers should be able to discuss all potential staff changes with the finance officer in confidence).
• Have you got enough time and undisturbed space to do all the work above? Working from home to produce reports and do reconciliations can be more effective.
• Don’t forget that officers need to find time to attend the twice-a-year finance briefings.