chapter 6: solving and preventing incidents and problems a guide to customer service skills for the...

CHAPTER 6:SOLVING AND PREVENTING INCIDENTS AND PROBLEMSA Guide to Customer Service Skills for the Service Desk Professional

Third Edition

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OBJECTIVES

In this chapter you will learn:

• How to use processes to solve incidents and problems

• Proven techniques you can use to methodically solve incidents

• How and when to take ownership of ongoing incidents

• How to keep management and customers informed about the status of incident resolution activities

• Ways to manage your workload and maintain a positive working relationship with other support groups

• How to use the problem management process to focus on problem prevention

Ch. 6: Solving & Preventing Incidents

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SOLVING AND PREVENTING INCIDENTS

• Incident – An unplanned interruption to an IT service or a reduction in the quality of an IT service

• A broken device, an error message, a system outage

• Problem – The cause of one or more incidents

• Chronic hardware failures, corrupt files, software errors or bugs, human error

• Solving incidents and problems requires a methodical approach, or process

• Problem-solving skills, effective questioning skills, superior listening skills, and persistence are also importantCh. 6: Solving & Preventing Incidents

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TOPIC 1:PROCESSES TO SOLVE INCIDENTS & PROBLEMS

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USING PROCESSES TO SOLVE INCIDENTS AND PROBLEMS

PART 1 OF 3

• Process - A collection of interrelated work activities that take a set of specific inputs and produce a set of specific outputs

• Procedure - A step-by-step, detailed set of instructions that describes how to perform the tasks in a process

• Flow chart - A diagram that shows the sequence of tasks that occur in a process


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6Ch. 6: Solving & Preventing Incidents


PART 2 OF 3

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Basic incident and problem management activities include:

• Identification

• Logging

• Investigation and diagnosis

• Resolution

• Closure



PART 3 OF 3

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SOLVING INCIDENTS METHODICALLY

PART 1 OF 5

• A high percentage of incidents are recurring

• Plenty of information is available for finding solutions to incidents

• As a service desk analyst, you can:

• Draw from your experience

• Access available knowledge bases

• Use tools

• Engage other analysts or level two service providers


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• Incident management

• Is one of the most common service desk processes

• Involves logging, tracking, and resolving incidents

• Symptom - A sign or indication that an incident has occurred

• Probable source - The system, network, or product that is most likely causing the incident



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• Incident management includes answering questions and inquiries

• Incidents, questions, and inquiries represent varying degrees of impact and speak differently to product and company performance

• Distinguishing between them enables companies to:• Determine which types of contacts are most

common

• Put in place processes and technologies for resolving each type of contact in the most efficient, cost-effective way possible

• Many companies also distinguish between incidents and service requests



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• The incident management process describes the overall approach to be used when handling incidents within a company

• Analysts need problem-solving skills to handle each incident

• Basic step to follow when solving incidents:1. Gather all available data and create information

2. Diagnose the incident

3. Develop a course of action



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STEP 1: GATHER ALL DATA TO CREATE INFORMATION

PART 1 OF 5

• How well you gather data and create information influences how quickly you find a solution or workaround

• Data must be logged accurately and completely

• Data is used by managers, other service desk analysts, level two service providers, and customers

• Data is used to create the information needed to:• Justify resources• Increase customer satisfaction• Enhance productivity• Improve the quality of products and services• Deliver services more efficiently and effectively• Create new products and services


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• Customer data - Identifying details about a customer

• Customer record - All of the data and text fields that describe a single customer

• Record - A collection of related fields

• Incident data - The details of a single incident

• Incident record - All of the fields that describe a single incident



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• Customer records are linked to incident records by a unique key field, such as customer name

• Many service desks capture two types of incident descriptions

• Short incident description – A succinct description of the actual results a customer is experiencing

• Detailed incident description – A comprehensive accounting of the incident and the circumstances surrounding its occurrence



PART 3 OF 5

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The detail incident description includes:

• The result the customer expects

• The actual result the customer is experiencing

• Steps the customer took to get the results

• The history or pattern of the incident• Does the incident occur every time the customer

performs this step?

• Does the incident only occur in certain circumstances? What are those circumstances?

• Does the incident only occur intermittently? Under what conditions?

• Whether the incident is part of a larger incidentCh. 6: Solving & Preventing Incidents


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• Status data - Details that are used to track incidents throughout their lifecycle

• These data are:• Stored in fields in the incident record

• Continuously updated as new data becomes available

• Used to report on the status of outstanding incidents and to monitor SLA attainment

• Resolution data - Details that describe how an incident was resolved

• Typically, after required customer and incident data have been collected, you can begin diagnosing the incident



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STEP 2: DIAGNOSE THE INCIDENT

PART 1 OF 2

• When diagnosing an incident, you are trying to determine:

• The probable source of the incident

• A corrective action that can be used to restore service

• Determining the probable source can be difficult when dealing with complex technology


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STEP 2: DIAGNOSE THE INCIDENT

PART 2 OF 2

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ASK QUESTIONSPART 1 OF 3

• Techniques that are used to diagnose incidents include:• Asking questions

• Simulating the customer’s actions

• Using diagnostic tools

• When asking questions:• Listen actively to what is being said, and

how it is being said

• Make sure your questions are appropriate to the customer’s communication style


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• Condition your mind to run through problem-solving questions as the customer is relaying information

• Basic questions can help you isolate the probable source



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• Problem-solving checklists may provide questions more specific to the actual incident

• Simple questions often reap the most information



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SIMULATE THE CUSTOMER’S ACTIONS

PART 1 OF 3

• Some service desks:• Provide analysts access to the systems or software

packages that customers are using

• Have lab areas where analysts can access systems that match customers’ hardware and software configurations

• Analysts use these systems to simulate a customer’s actions

• The usefulness of this technique depends on:• The access that analysts have

• The policies of the company


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• Some companies have strict standards that determine what technologies customers use

• The service desk is often involved in developing technology standards

• Without standards, customers may install equipment or software without the service desk’s knowledge

• As a result, the service desk cannot simulate incidents

• When technology standards exist, whether and how strictly those standards are enforced will vary from one company to the next



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Benefits of establishing standards include:

• A less complex environment

• Improved ability to share data and exchange information

• Effective training programs can be developed

• Proactive support can be provided

• Costs are controlled

• The company is positioned to take advantage of state-of-the-art technology



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USE DIAGNOSTIC TOOLSPART 1 OF 2

• Remote control system - A technology that enables an analyst to take over a customer’s keyboard, screen, mouse or pointing device, or other connected device in order to troubleshoot incidents

• Newer hardware and software systems have built-in diagnostic tools

• Using these tools may not always be an option

• The network is down

• A hardware failure has occurred


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USE DIAGNOSTIC TOOLSPART 2 OF 2

• When diagnostic tools are not available, ask questions and simulate the customer’s actions to determine the probable source

• Take the time needed to fully diagnose the incident and identify the correct probable source

• When an incorrect probable source is identified, you can waste time developing a course of action that will not permanently solve the incident


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STEP 3: DEVELOP AND EXECUTE A COURSE OF ACTION

PART 1 OF 3

To develop a course of action:

• Consult resources

• Search a knowledge management system

• Search the incident management system

• Use personal knowledge

• Use tools

• Determine if a workaround is available


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Actions may involve:

• Escalating the incident to the correct level two service provider or subject matter expert when a solution could not be identified or the service desk is unable to deliver the solution

• Logging a change record to have the corrective action performed via the change management process

• Delivering a solution by directing the customer to perform a procedure or series of procedures

• Directing the customer to a Web site where the solution can be obtained

• Taking remote control and performing the repair



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Review the course of action with the customer

• Ensure the customer understands it and the time frame within which it will be executed

• Let the customer know if the course of action or the time frame is dictated by an SLA

• Obtain the customer’s approval to proceed



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KNOWING WHEN TO ENGAGE ADDITIONAL RESOURCES

PART 1 OF 2

• Most service desks strive to solve as many incidents as possible at level one

• First, use resources such as online help, product and procedure manuals, or a knowledge management system

• If unsuccessful, turn to a coworker or level two service provider for help

• Target escalation time - A time constraint placed on each level that ensures incident resolution activities are proceeding at an appropriate pace


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Consider the following as the target escalation time approaches:

• Do I have sufficient information to clearly describe the incident?

• Have I determined the probable source?

• Have I gathered the information that is required by level two?

• What is the incident priority?


KNOWING WHEN TO ENGAGE ADDITIONAL RESOURCES

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TOPIC 2:TAKING OWNERSHIP

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TAKING OWNERSHIP

PART 1 OF 2

• Customers expect someone to take responsibility for a reported incident

• Incident owner - An employee of the support organization who acts as a customer advocate and ensures an incident is resolved to the customer’s satisfaction

• The customer shouldn’t have to initiate another contact

• Approaches to designating the owner include:• The person who initially logs the incident is the owner

• The service desk is the owner (anyone can serve as owner)

• The incident owner changes as the incident is escalated


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TAKING OWNERSHIPPART 2 OF 2273

Level 1 Service Desk

Level 2 Field

Services

Level 3 Vendor

INCIDENT OWNERLevel 1 Analyst

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INCIDENT OWNER RESPONSIBILITIES

PART 1 OF 2

• Tracks the current status of the incident

• Proactively provides the customer regular and timely status updates

• When possible, identifies related incidents

• Ensures that incidents are assigned correctly

• Ensures that appropriate notification activities occur

• Ensures that all problem-solving activities are documented

• Verifies the customer is satisfied with resolution

• Closes the incident ticket


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Analysts sometimes share ownership by:

• Helping other owners when they can

• Updating a ticket if a customer contacts the service desk to provide additional information

• Updating a ticket if a customer contacts the service desk for an up-to-date status

• Negotiating a transfer of ownership for any outstanding tickets if the analyst is going to be out of the office for an extended time


INCIDENT OWNER RESPONSIBILITIES

PART 1 OF 2

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PROVIDING STATUS UPDATES

PART 1 OF 7

• Notification – An activity that informs all of the stakeholders in the incident management process about the status of outstanding incidents

• Notification can occur when:

• An incident is reported or escalated

• An incident has exceeded a predefined threshold

• An incident is resolved


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Management notification is appropriate when:

• The incident is extremely severe

• The target resolution time has been or is about to be reached

• Required resources are not available to determine or implement a solution

• The customer expresses dissatisfaction



PART 2 OF 7

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Management notification ensures that:• Management knows the current status of incidents

that are in an exception state

• Management has the information needed to oversee incidents that involve multiple support groups

• Management has sufficient information to make decisions, follow up with the customer, or call in other management

• Management actions are recorded in the incident record so that everyone affected knows what decisions management has made or what steps they have taken



PART 3 OF 7

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Customer notification is appropriate when:

• The analyst has told the customer they will provide a status at a given time, even if there has been no change in the incident’s status

• The target resolution time will not be met

• Customer resources are required to implement a solution

• The incident has a high priority and justifies frequent status updates

• The customer was dissatisfied with earlier solutions



PART 4 OF 7

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Customer notification ensures that:

• The customer knows the current status of the incident

• Customer comments or concerns are recorded in the incident record and addressed



PART 5 OF 7

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• Service desks add value by:

1. Making it easy for customers to report incidents

2. Delivering solutions

3. Taking ownership and ensuring that incidents that cannot be resolved immediately are addressed in the required time frame

• Even bad news is better than no news



PART 6 OF 7

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• The service desk can notify management, customers, and others by:• Telephone, in person, with an e-mail or instant

message

• Through a paging device, automatically via the incident management system

• How notification occurs and who is notified varies based on conditions such as:• The severity of the incident

• Who is affected by the incident

• When the incident occurs



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BUILDING GOOD RELATIONSHIPS

WITH OTHER SUPPORT GROUPS PART 1 OF 3

Level one analysts must:

• Strive to continuously increase their knowledge and the efficiency and effectiveness of their problem-solving skills

• Ensure that all available information has been gathered and logged

• Ensure that all checklists have been completed and logged before an incident is escalated

• Seek assistance only after using all other available resources


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Level two service providers must:

• Respect the service desk’s role as a front-line service provider

• Acknowledge that the service desk’s efforts are freeing them from the need to answer the same questions or solve the same incidents over and over again

• Be willing to impart their knowledge to the service desk


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• Review and understand your company’s SLAs, OLAs, and contracts

• Provide mutual feedback

• Job shadowing

• Review incident management system information

• Communicate

• Give praise




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CLOSING INCIDENTS

PART 1 OF 2

• Once a solution has been identified and implemented, there are still questions that need to be asked and answered:

• Did the solution resolve the incident?

• Is the customer satisfied?

• Have all pertinent data been recorded?

• If the answer to any of these questions is “No” the incident cannot be considered resolved


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• If all of the answers are “Yes” the incident can be closed once all pertinent data is captured

• Without data, trend and root cause analysis cannot be performed

• Any or all members of the service desk team can:• Identify and analyze trends

• Suggest ways that incidents can be eliminated

• Go beyond the quick fix and take the time to resolve incidents correctly the first time

• Engage the resources needed to determine the correct solution


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FOCUSING ON PREVENTION

PART 1 OF 2

• Until the root cause of a problem is identified and eliminated, it is likely that incidents will recur

• The problem management process identifies that root cause

• The service desk contributes to and uses the problem management process

• Detecting problems

• Capturing incident-related data

• A problem Manager coordinates problem management activities


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• Problem diagnostic techniques include:• Brainstorming

• Five Whys

• Cause and effect analysis

• Pareto analysis

• Kepner-Tregoe problem analysis

• Codes can be used to record the root cause

• Without accurate data, problem management is not possible


FOCUSING ON PREVENTION

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SAMPLE CAUSE AND EFFECT

DIAGRAM


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Software Hardware

PeopleProcedure

s

What is causing

the failures?

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SAMPLE PARETO CHART


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CHAPTER SUMMARY

PART 1 OF 3

• To be successful, analysts must be able to resolve incidents efficiently and effectively

• Process and procedures ensure incidents are handled quickly, correctly, and consistently

• The goal of the incident management process is to restore service as quickly as possible

• Effective diagnostic techniques include:• Asking questions

• Simulating the customer’s actions

• Using diagnostic tools


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• When incidents cannot be solved immediately, customers expect someone to take responsibility for ensuring the incident is resolved in the time frame promised

• The incident owner assumes that responsibility

• Ownership ensures that everyone involved in the incident management process stays focused on the customer’s need to:

• Without ownership, incidents can slip through the cracks and customer dissatisfaction invariably occurs


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• Do not hesitate to suggest ways that incidents can be eliminated and prevented

• Be persistent and act on your hunches

• An understanding of your company’s incident management process and strong problem-solving skills are essential to your success

• These processes ensure that incidents are handled efficiently and effectively


CHAPTER SUMMARYPART 3 OF 3292

CHAPTER 6 QUESTIONS

chapter 6: solving and preventing incidents and problems a guide to customer service skills for the...

Documents

incidents incident

incidents problems

inquiries incidents

incidents symptom

company performance

high percentage of incidents

incidents proven techniques

ownership of ongoing