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A number of technologies are available to assist the Service Desk, each with its advantages and drawbacks. It is important to ensure that the blend of technology, process and Service Desk staff will meet the needs of both the business and the User. Selecting the latest - and often unproven - technology based on interesting, but less valuable, 'wow' features is to be avoided.
Technology investment is a long-term decision and your understanding of what is really important will increase your success in selection and implementation. Technology should be used to complement and enhance service, not replace it. The technology needs to support business processes, adapting to both current and future demands. It is also important to understand that with automation comes an increased need for discipline and accountability.
Service Desk technologies include:
It is important to appreciate that some Customer requests do not need 'live' Service Desk staff, while others need the personal touch.
Many support functions start as paper-based systems, with individuals recording and updating details and solutions. However well defined the processes, procedures and documentation are, though, it is not possible to do more than log Incidents and track them until they are completed. The use of a computerised Service Desk tool is essential for the modern support operation. Electronic management allows for improved efficiency, accuracy, and fast access to past solutions, Known Errors, call histories and management information. However, a great deal of effort is required in order to be able to access information that was not previously available.
Today's advanced Service Management systems will manage, track and monitor service requests, contractual obligations, staff resources and workflows. These systems will also integrate with the other essential service components (e.g. the management of Change control, Assets and Configuration, Cost, Business Continuity, Capacity Planning and a variety of automation and Network Management tools).
Computerising the Service Desk will provide additional benefits, namely:
When deciding whether to build your own support tool or buy a commercial package, the most important thing to identify is who and what the tool is to be used by and for. While it is fairly straightforward to build a call-logging tool, capturing and updating the solutions may not be as straightforward. Some of the issues that will help you decide on build versus buy include the following.
Unless your business requirement is very specific and unique, then the 'build your own' option is very expensive and will not deliver benefit in the short and medium term.
When selecting a software tool for use within a multiplatform environment, a number of key points require careful consideration:
Many of the tools available will operate effectively over a Local Area Network (LAN). However, when the tool is required to operate over a WAN, several key points should be considered:
Ensure that part of your system acceptance criteria includes proven operation over your own network.
The use of intelligent phone systems, voicemail and email can greatly benefit your Service Desk. It should however, not be used as an electronic barrier. The careful set-up of Interactive Voice Response systems is required so as to prevent the Customer being passed around. If voicemail and email are used, it is imperative that they are reviewed regularly and responses sent promptly to those leaving messages.
Put Service Level Agreements in place to maximise these technologies and ensure a consistent and high-quality service is maintained.
Self-service offers Customers a strategy that deploys tools to obtain support services without direct intervention from a support professional. It can be used as a method of reducing operating costs and improving Customer satisfaction by allowing them greater control over the transaction, especially out of normal support hours and for non-critical activities. Technologies such as the Internet, Interactive Voice Response systems, and mobile and wireless communications make self-service operations possible.
The primary characteristics of this model are:
How self-service is implemented can vary significantly, depending upon what the organisation wants to achieve and the range of services it plans to offer. Examples of self-service include:
A successful self-service strategy depends on several important factors:
There will always be Customers and Users who either need to, or prefer to, talk directly to a support specialist. The key is to provide choices in how to communicate with the support group. By incorporating self-service techniques into the traditional service model, companies add value in being more efficient and cost-effective, along with improved levels of Customer service.
Implementing new technologies and the supporting processes can represent major Change, and it is all too easy to underestimate the scale of work required. Support staff, Users and Customers will have to adopt new working practices. An important consideration is the key role that management has in avoiding the 'silver bullet' lifecycle, where new tools, processes and increased accountability are introduced and then abandoned at the first sign of difficulty.
When any new technology or process is introduced, if the introduction and awareness of the Change has been successful, then there is an initial enthusiasm for the new approach. However, once installed, there is a learning curve, unfamiliar working practices, potentially parallel running and teething troubles. The initial result of this is that, far from providing an immediately deliverable benefit, there is often a negative effect where the costs and additional workload appear to outweigh the benefits. This drop in benefit is soon matched by a fall in enthusiasm.
As familiarity with the technology or process begins to deliver visible benefits, enthusiasm for the Change rises too. It is essential for the management team to 'stick with it', and to encourage their staff to persevere and to work through any drop in enthusiasm. This progression is depicted in Figure 4.10.
Figure 4.10 - The 'silver bullet' lifecycle
Source: BSI Code of Practice
Careful consideration should be given to outsourcing your Service Desk, for viewing the Service Desk function purely as an overhead to the organisation is damaging. The Service Desk should be the 'window of service and professionalism offered by your organisation'. The intellectual capital in supporting your Customers is a valuable business asset and should not be discarded without a clear understanding of the business requirement.
Service Desk outsourcing considerations are as follows:
You are buying a total solution and you should want your vendor to be a business partner. Utilise the vendor's expertise to help you implement any service-improvement project. A sign of a good working relationship between yourselves and a supplying organisation is that it is hard to tell the contracted staff from the full-time employees, in terms of their commitment and understanding of the Customers needs.
A professional vendor will seek a long-term relationship and repeat businesses in the form of additional product's upgrades, training and consultancy. Often buying the tool is the easy part; the costs of the software or other tools are generally the minority of the costs associated with an implementation project. Do not underestimate the cost of retraining your staff, the costs of changing procedures to maximise the benefits of the new tool, and the impact on Customers or secondary support organisations of the cost of expansion and additional software licenses.
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