A Guide to Service Desk Concepts, Third Edition Chapter 5 p
A Guide to Service Desk Concepts, Third Edition Chapter p 5 The Technology Component: Service Desk Tools and Technologies g j Objectives In this chapter p yyou will learn: Common technologies found in service desks The tools used by service desk managers The relationship between processes and technology h l The steps involved in selecting service desk technology 2 A Guide to Service Desk Concepts, Third Edition How Technology Benefits the Service Desk D k A service desk can use technology to Gather, organize, and use information 3 About its customers About IT assets and how theyy are configured g To charge customer – where applicable Monitor critical components and proactively detect incidents Eliminate manual, repetitive functions Empower customers to identify and potentially solve routine ti incidents i id t Manage costs, optimize staffing levels, and provide excellent customer service A Guide to Service Desk Concepts, Third Edition How Technology Benefits the Service Desk D k Technology can be Costly A detriment when implemented without the benefit of well-designed g processes p and welltrained staff 4 A Guide to Service Desk Concepts, Third Edition How Technology Benefits the Service Desk D k One-time O ti Costs C t 5 Ongoing O i Costs C t Consulting fees Requirements definition, definition design, and development activities H d Hardware and d software ft purchases, including licensing fees Education, awareness, and training programs Additional staff Maintenance fees Upgrades and enhancements Consulting fees, such as for i iimprovements t ongoing Ongoing education, awareness, and training Ongoing system administration and support System integration activities A Guide to Service Desk Concepts, Third Edition Selecting and Implementing Service Desk D k Technologies T h l i Service desks choose tools based on Size Company goals Nature of business Customer expectations All service desks can benefit from technology gy An effective approach is to implement technology—even if only simple technology— while the service desk is small More sophisticated technology can be p e e te as tthee service se v ce desk es grows g ows implemented 6 A Guide to Service Desk Concepts, Third Edition Selecting and Implementing Service Desk D k Technologies T h l i Tools and technologies used in most service desks include Telephone, e-mail, fax, Web-based systems Service desks must carefully manage customer expectations of target response times for each of these contact channels Service desks also use tools to record customers’ incidents and service requests Most use incident management systems that g with knowledge g management g systems y integrate 7 A Guide to Service Desk Concepts, Third Edition p g and Services Telephone Technologies Telephone is primary way most service desks communicate i t with ith their th i customers t Telephone will always play a role During a typical telephone call, analysts 8 Some customers do not have access to e-mail or the Web Some may be temporarily unable to access e-mail or the Web Some prefer to interact with a human being Ask questions E Enter responses into i a computer Assist the customer, often while using information from a computer system A Guide to Service Desk Concepts, Third Edition Telephone Technologies Voice over Internet Protocol Voice mail Fax Announcement systems 9 Automatic call distributor Voice response unit Computer telephony integration Recording systems A Guide to Service Desk Concepts, Third Edition p g Telephone Technologies Voice over Internet Protocol ((VoIP)) – systems translate voice communications into data and then transmit that data across an Internet connection or network Voice mail – an automated form of taking messages from callers Fax – an electronic device that sends or receives printed matter or computer images 10 A Guide to Service Desk Concepts, Third Edition p g Telephone Technologies Announcement system y – ggreets callers when analysts are busy and provides information when customers are on hold Automatic call distributor (ACD) – answers a call and routes routes, or distributes, distributes it to the next available analyst 11 A Guide to Service Desk Concepts, Third Edition p g Telephone Technologies ACDs determine what calls analysts y receive An ACD console enables analysts to Log on at the start of a scheduled shift Log off 12 Available state means the analyst is ready to take calls When leaving desk for an extended period of time At the end of a scheduled shift Answer eachh callll within A i hi the h number b off rings i specified ifi d in the service desk’s policy Correctly use wrap-up wrap up mode A Guide to Service Desk Concepts, Third Edition p g Telephone Technologies Automated attendant – an ACD feature that routes calls based on input provided through a touch-tone touch tone telephone Skills-based routing (SBR) – an ACD feature that matches the requirements of an incoming call to the skill sets of available analysts or analyst groups Voice response unit (VRU) – integrates with another techn l technology, ssuch ch as a database orr a network net rk management mana ement system, to obtain information or to perform a function 13 Also known as an interactive voice response unit (IVRU) A VRU obtains b i information i f i bby hhaving i the h caller ll use the h keys k on their touch-tone telephone or, when speech recognition is available, speak their input into the telephone A Guide to Service Desk Concepts, Third Edition p g Telephone Technologies Computer telephony integration (CTI) – links computing technology with telephone technology to exchange information and increase productivity Screen pop – a CTI function that enables information about the caller to appear, or “pop” up, on the analyst’s monitor, and is based on caller information captured by the telephone system and passed to a computer system 14 A Guide to Service Desk Concepts, Third Edition Telephone Technologies 15 If customer should be transferred, a simultaneous screen transfer transfers the call as well as all the information p to that point p collected in the ticket up A Guide to Service Desk Concepts, Third Edition p g Telephone Technologies Recording systems – record and play back telephone calls Enable companies to Monitor calls Evaluate analyst performance Record calls for security purposes 16 Companies typically inform customers calls are being recorded A Guide to Service Desk Concepts, Third Edition p Telephone Services 17 Automatic number identification (ANI) – service provided id d by b a long-distance l di t service i provider id that th t delivers the telephone number of the person calling Caller identification ((caller ID)) – service pprovided by a local telephone company that delivers the telephone number of the caller Dialed number identification service (DNIS) – provides the number called when a toll-free number or a 1-900 service is used Information indicator digits (IID) – identifies the origin of a call from the type or location of the telephone used, such as a pay phone, cell phone, or hotel phone A Guide to Service Desk Concepts, Third Edition E-Mail at the Service Desk Used byy most service desks to communicate Internally Wi h other With h support groups 18 To communicate schedule changes, g , to promote p awareness of process or procedure changes, to notify staff of upcoming system changes To communicate the status of projects or changes to existing procedures With customers A Guide to Service Desk Concepts, Third Edition Using E-Mail to Communicate with Customers C t E-mail is often used to Provide status updates for outstanding incidents and services requests q Deliver solutions and workarounds from the KMS Conduct customer satisfaction surveys y Announce upcoming changes that might affect customers Distribute the service desk’s newsletter 19 A Guide to Service Desk Concepts, Third Edition Using E-Mail to Communicate with Customers C t Few service desks use e-mail as a pprimaryy wayy of communicating with customers Can be perceived as impersonal Typically doesn’t provide the immediate, interactive feedback customers want Does D not provide id many off the h capabilities bili i an incident management system provides Cannot be used to automatically create trend reports Cannot be used as a knowledge management system 20 Sometimes prolongs the problem-solving process A Guide to Service Desk Concepts, Third Edition Using E-Mail to Communicate with Customers C t Techniques q service desks use to ensure that emails are handled efficiently and effectively include Providing analysts with e-mail etiquette training and guidance g Integrating e-mail packages and incident management systems Using forms and templates Using g e-mail response p management g systems y 21 A Guide to Service Desk Concepts, Third Edition The Web Has been embraced by the support industry 22 Provides an invaluable source of information Is an excellent vehicle for communicating with coworkers, k vendors, d and d customers t Has brought many companies new customers Gives the service desk an alternative and less expensive way to support customers Enables the service desk to empower customers to support themselves Functionality and ease of use are keys to success A Guide to Service Desk Concepts, Third Edition The Web 23 A Guide to Service Desk Concepts, Third Edition g y Incident Management Systems Used to log and track customer contacts Prevents contact from being lost or g forgotten 24 A Guide to Service Desk Concepts, Third Edition g y Incident Management Systems Many companies integrate systems with channels (telephone, (t l h e-mail, il fax, f the th Web) W b) to t Others require analysts to log all incidents, regardless of how the customer reported the incident Enables the use of features 25 Consolidate incident data Log incidents automatically Status reminder alerts Access to a service asset and configuration management or knowledge k l d managementt system t Access to the information or systems used to manage SLAs such as target response and resolution times A Guide to Service Desk Concepts, Third Edition g y Incident Management Systems Logging all incidents provides the data needed to Analysts y must ensure 26 Track (and when necessary, escalate) outstanding incidents P f Perform trend t d and d roott cause analysis l i Pass needed data to level two and level three groups Provide management the data needed to create reports and analyze trends Data is accurate, complete, timely Data is captured in real time A Guide to Service Desk Concepts, Third Edition g y Incident Management Systems Incident management systems fall into two distinct categories S t Systems oriented i t d to t service i desk d k type t External support Internal support Systems that consider 27 Enable service desk to verify entitlement, capture information needed to create invoices Processes to be P b managed d Volume of incidents and service requests to be processed Number of expected system users (includes level one, level two and level three management and staff and customers) two, A Guide to Service Desk Concepts, Third Edition g y Incident Management Systems Types of incident management systems include Homegrown incident tracking systems Commercially developed incident management systems Integrated g ITSM solutions 28 A Guide to Service Desk Concepts, Third Edition g y Homegrown Incident Trackingg Systems 29 Developed in-house, tend to be relatively simple Homegrown incident tracking systems – typically support only incident management and offer basic trouble ticketing and reporting capability May not be able to support a high number of users or a high volume of data Often used by smaller service desks or medium service desks looking for a system they can implement quickly Requires a good design and ongoing support to meet service desk’s needs Can be used to collect the data needed to justify a commercially d l developed d system t Downside – tend to be poorly documented and so difficult to maintain and enhance A Guide to Service Desk Concepts, Third Edition g y Incident Management Systems 30 Commercially developed – offers enhanced trouble ticketing and management reporting capability May support processes such as request fulfillment, change management service asset and configuration management, management, management service level management Often compatible with ITIL Provide the automated escalation and notification capabilities A Guide to Service Desk Concepts, Third Edition g y Incident Management Systems 31 Provide more advanced diagnostic capabilities and knowledge management systems Offer some customization and integration capability (e.g., e-mail, telephone l h systems)) Support a higher number of users and a higher volume of data May be used by Small or medium service desks that anticipate considerable growth A larger service desk looking for an interim system A Guide to Service Desk Concepts, Third Edition g Integrated ITSM Solutions 32 Sometimes called enterprise solutions Suite of systems used to manage incident, incident problem, problem knowledge, knowledge change, and service asset and configuration management and request fulfillment processes Typically compatible with ITIL Integrate with network and systems management tools, asset management tools, and knowledge management systems Can be customized comprehensively p y Provide advanced features Support a high number of users and volume of data (e.g., global companies) p ) Used by medium to large service desks that require an integrated tool suite A Guide to Service Desk Concepts, Third Edition g Management g y Knowledge Systems 33 A set of tools and databases that provide the ability to store, manage, and presentt information i f ti and d knowledge k l d Support the data-information-knowledge-wisdom (DIKW) hierarchy Data – raw facts that are not organized in a meaningful way Information – data organized in a meaningful way Knowledge – the application of information along with people’s experiences, p ideas, and jjudgments g Wisdom – the judicious application of knowledge A Guide to Service Desk Concepts, Third Edition Knowledge Management Systems 34 KMSs capture human knowledge and make it available to others involved in solving problems and making decisions Access may be restricted Solutions are typically approved by a knowledge engineer Customers are often able to access portions of a company company’ss KMS by clicking a Support link Widely used in the support industry Most incident management systems and integrated ITSM solutions can be purchased with embedded knowledge management systems Some companies do purchase and implement standalone knowledge management systems A Guide to Service Desk Concepts, Third Edition Knowledge Management Systems Rule-based system – made up of Case-based system – made up of Cases A set off question and answer pairs that can be used to confirm f the solution Case – a unit of information, such as an online document, a d t b database record, d or the th solution l ti to t a common incident i id t 35 Rules R l Facts A knowledge base or engine that combines rules and facts to reach a conclusion Indexed so an analyst can easily locate it when needed A Guide to Service Desk Concepts, Third Edition Search Retrieval Techniques Allow users to enter p y search to specify criteria, which is then used to retrieve similar cases 36 Search criteria – the h questions i or symptoms entered by a user Case-based reasoningg Decision trees Fuzzy logic Keyword searching Query by example A Guide to Service Desk Concepts, Third Edition Search Retrieval Techniques 37 A Guide to Service Desk Concepts, Third Edition q Search Retrieval Techniques Case-based reasoning (CBR) – a searching technique that uses everyday language to ask users questions and interpret answers Decision tree – a branching structure of qquestions and ppossible answers designed g to lead an analyst to a solution Fuzzy logic – a searching technique that presents all possible solutions that are similar to the search criteria, even when conflicting information exists or no exact match is present 38 A Guide to Service Desk Concepts, Third Edition q Search Retrieval Techniques Keyword searching – the technique of finding indexed i d d information i f i by b specifying if i a descriptive d i i word or phrase, called a keyword Query by example (QBE) – a searching techni e that uses technique ses queries, eries or questions, estions to find records that match the specified search criteria 39 Keywords must be indexed to be located and an exact match must be found Q Queries can include search operators, p , connectingg words such as AND, OR, and NOT Search operators may be called Boolean operators A Guide to Service Desk Concepts, Third Edition g Methods Storage Complement search-retrieval techniques Hypermedia – stores t iinformation f m ti iin a graphical hi l form f m Hypertext – stores information in a nongraphical form so users can access the information in a nonlinear li fashion f hi using i hhyperlinks li k Hyperlinks – colored and underlined text or graphics in a hypertext or hypermedia document that allow readers d to t “jump” “j ” to t a related l t d idea, id regardless dl off where that idea occurs in the document 40 May open a pop-up window with a definition, instructions, a diagram, diagram a still picture, picture or an animated picture May present audio or video streams Can jump to other Web pages A Guide to Service Desk Concepts, Third Edition g g y Configuration Management System Technologies that allow analysts to Access A information i f ti about b t the th components, t or CIs, CI installed i t ll d on a computer or network Access related information Managed via service asset and configuration management Typically one part of an integrated set of tools, rather than a single, i l standalone d l tooll Collects data and information from a variety of systems 41 Information about associated incidents, p problems, etc. Financial information such as license and warranty information Incident management systems I t Integrated t d ITSM solutions l ti Network inventory software A Guide to Service Desk Concepts, Third Edition pp Technologies g Remote Support Minimizes costlyy “jump j p and run” approach pp to diagnosing and solving incidents Enables support pp for customers who work remotely Common technologies g include Remote control systems Remote monitoring systems Self-healing systems Software distribution systems 42 A Guide to Service Desk Concepts, Third Edition pp Technologies g Remote Support 43 Remote control system y – a technology gy that enables an analyst to take over a caller’s y , screen,, mouse,, or other connected keyboard, devices to troubleshoot incidents, transfer g, and collaborate files,, pprovide informal training, on documents A Guide to Service Desk Concepts, Third Edition pp Technologies g Remote Support Remote control system accessing a remote PC 44 A Guide to Service Desk Concepts, Third Edition pp Technologies g Remote Support 45 Remote monitoring g system y –a technology that tracks and collects alerts ggenerated byy network,, system, y , or application pp monitoring systems and passes them to a central server,, where theyy can be automatically picked up, evaluated, and, when pp p , logged gg as an incident appropriate, A Guide to Service Desk Concepts, Third Edition Remote Support Technologies S Sample l service i status t t information i f ti 46 A Guide to Service Desk Concepts, Third Edition pp Technologies g Remote Support Self-healing g systems y – hardware devices and software applications that have the ability to detect and correct incidents on their own Software distribution system – a technology that allows an analyst to automatically distribute software to clients and servers on the same network 47 A Guide to Service Desk Concepts, Third Edition Service Desk Communication Tools Manual, electronic, and computer technologies that display di l or share h information i f m ti within ithi a service i desk d k or between a service desk and other support groups and customers P Promote t awareness with ith customers t and d within ithi the th service desk when Can display 48 Critical incidents arise Ch Changes are scheduled h d l d to occur System status information obtained automatically from a networkk management system Queue activity obtained from an ACD May integrate with handheld devices such as PDAs— Bl kb Blackberrys, T Treos, iPh iPhones—and d cellll phones h A Guide to Service Desk Concepts, Third Edition Service Desk Communication Tools Whiteboards – erasable panels on which analysts write notes and communicate current and future events Dashboards – bright displays that send out visual and, in some cases, audible messages 49 Whiteboard systems allow two or more users on a network to view one or more user’s drawing, document, or application being projected on an onscreen whiteboard May also be called electronic reader boards Instant messaging systems – text-based forms of communication that enable two or more people to communicate in real time over the Internet Push technology – delivers information to Web-enabled PCs A Guide to Service Desk Concepts, Third Edition Tools Used by Service Desk Management M t Designed g to Help supervisors and managers optimize staffing levels Prepare schedules Monitor performance of service desk staff Tools include Staffing and scheduling systems ACD supervisor console Customer surveying systems 50 A Guide to Service Desk Concepts, Third Edition y Staffingg and Schedulingg Systems Work with ACD systems y to collect,, report, p , and forecast call volumes Used to Forecast future call patterns Schedule the optimal number of staff Track analyst productivity Prepare P budgets b d t 51 A Guide to Service Desk Concepts, Third Edition ACD Supervisor Console 52 Works with ACD systems E bl supervisors Enables i to monitor call volumes and the pperformance of individual analysts or groups of analysts Di l statistics Displays t ti ti th thatt are constantly updated A Guide to Service Desk Concepts, Third Edition y g Systems y Customer Surveying Used to Create and distribute questionnaires to customers Collect and tabulate the results of their feedback 53 Some can export tabulated results to statistical-analysis packages packages, word processors, spreadsheets, and presentation p packages g A Guide to Service Desk Concepts, Third Edition g g Processes and Technology gy Integrating Technology’s purpose is to support and enhance processes Should not be added simply to automate existing processes and d procedures d Should evaluate processes and procedures prior to selecting and implementing new technology 54 “If you’re doing things wrong and you automate them, you’llll only do them wrong faster” you faster Are new tools and technology needed? Is process improvement needed? A Guide to Service Desk Concepts, Third Edition p for Selectingg Technology gy Steps 55 A Guide to Service Desk Concepts, Third Edition p for Selectingg Technology gy Steps Sample vendor evaluation matrix 56 A Guide to Service Desk Concepts, Third Edition p for Selectingg Technology gy Steps Selection report p describes the selection process and how the final decision was made Introduction Summary of requirements Evaluation methodology Next steps Appendices 57 A Guide to Service Desk Concepts, Third Edition Summaryy A wide array of tools and technologies is available to service desks Availability depends on Telephone is a primary way customers contact the service desk Properly p y implemented, p telephone p technologies g and services route customers to the most appropriately skilled analyst E-mail is used to communicate internally, with other support groups, and with customers Th W The Web b iis hhaving i a profound f d iimpactt on th the supportt iindustry d t 58 Number and complexity p y of processes p beingg supported pp Funding on hand Companies that fail to establish Web sites appear inefficient and out of touch A Guide to Service Desk Concepts, Third Edition Summaryy Incident management systems are used to log and track t k customer t incidents i id t and d service i requests t 59 Logging ensures incidents and service requests are not lost or forgotten Knowledge management systems capture human knowledge and make it available to people involved in p and service requests q solvingg incidents, problems Configuration management systems, remote control systems, remote monitoring systems, self-healing systems, and software distribution systems extend the service desk’s reach and enhance its ability to resolve incidents and service requests, particularly remote ones A Guide to Service Desk Concepts, Third Edition Summaryy Communication tools ppromote awareness with customers and within the service desk g when critical incidents arise or when changes are scheduled to occur Staffing and scheduling systems, systems ACD supervisor consoles, and customer surveying systems enable supervisors and managers to optimize staffing levels, prepare schedules, and monitor the performance of service desk staff 60 A Guide to Service Desk Concepts, Third Edition Summaryy 61 The purpose of technology is to support and enhance processes Processes and procedures must be well defined, and then tools and technology can enable people to execute the processes and procedures more quickly and effectively Selecting, acquiring, and implementing technology can be challenging Goals and requirements must be clearly defined A methodical approach that involves all stakeholders must be used New product implementations go more smoothly when users are confident care was taken to select the best possible solution p A Guide to Service Desk Concepts, Third Edition
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