chapter 6: solving and preventing problems a guide to customer service skills for the help desk...
TRANSCRIPT
Chapter 6:Solving and Preventing
Problems
A Guide to Customer Service Skills for the Help Desk Professional
Second Edition
A Guide to Customer Service Skills for the Help Desk Professional, 2e 2
Objectives
• Use proven techniques to methodically solve problems
• Learn how to take ownership of ongoing problems and keep customers and management informed about the status of problem resolution activities
• Learn ways to manage your workload and maintain a positive working relationship with other support groups
• Understand the importance of focusing on problem prevention
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How to Solve Problems Methodically
• A high percentage of problems are recurring
• Plenty of information is available for finding solutions to problems
• As a help 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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Solving and Preventing Problems
• Problem - An event that disrupts service or prevents access to products
• Common problems include a broken device, an error message, a system outage
• Solving problems efficiently and effectively requires a methodical approach, or process
• Problem solving is a skill that you can improve with practice
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The Problem Management Process
• Process - A collection of interrelated work activities - or tasks - 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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The Problem Management Process (continued)
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The Problem Management Process (continued)
• Problem management - The process of tracking and resolving problems
• Symptom - A sign or indication that a problem has occurred
• Probable source - The system, network, or product that is most likely causing the problem
• Root cause - The most basic reason for an undesirable condition or problem, which, if eliminated or corrected, would prevent the problem from existing or occurring
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The Problem Management Process (continued)
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The Problem Management Process (continued)
• Problem management (also called incident management) includes answering questions and inquiries
• Problems, 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
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The Problem Management Process (continued)
• Request - A customer order to obtain a new product or service, or an enhancement to an existing product or service
• Trend analysis - A methodical way of determining and, when possible, forecasting, service trends
• Root cause analysis - A methodical way of determining the root cause of problems
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The Problem Management Process (continued)
• The problem management process describes the overall approach to be used when handling problems within a company
• Analysts need problem-solving skills to handle each problem
• Basic step to follow when solving problems:
1. Gather all available data and create information
2. Diagnose the problem
3. Develop a course of action
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Step 1: Gather All Data Needed to Create Information
• Data must be logged accurately and completely
• Data is used by managers, other help 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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Step 1: Gather All Data Needed to Create Information (continued)
• Customer data - Identifying details about a customer, including name, telephone number, department or company name, address or location, customer number, and employee number or user ID
• Customer record - All of the data and text fields that describe a single customer
• Record - A collection of related fields• Problem data - The details of a single problem• Problem record - All of the fields that describe a
single problem
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Step 1: Gather All Data Needed to Create Information (continued)
• Customer records are linked to problem records by a unique key field, such as customer name
• Many help desks capture two types of problem descriptions
• Short problem description – A succinct description of the actual results a customer is experiencing (sometimes called a problem statement)
• Detailed problem description – A comprehensive accounting of the problem and the circumstances surrounding its occurrence
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Step 1: Gather All Data Needed to Create Information (continued)
The detail problem 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 problem
– Does the problem occur every time the customer performs this step?
– Does the problem only occur in certain circumstances? What are those circumstances?
– Does the problem only occur intermittently? Under what conditions?
• Whether the problem is part of a larger problem
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Step 2: Diagnose the Problem
• When diagnosing a problem, you are trying to determine:
– The probable source of the problem
– Ultimately, its root cause
• Determining the probable source can be difficult when dealing with complex technology
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Step 2: Diagnose the Problem (continued)
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Asking Questions
• Techniques that are used to diagnose problems include:– Asking questions– Simulating the customer’s actions– Using diagnostic tools
• When asking questions:– Listen actively– Make sure your questions are appropriate to
the customer’s communication style
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Asking Questions (continued)
• 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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Asking Questions (continued)
• Problem-solving checklists may provide questions more specific to the actual problem
• Simple questions often reap the most information
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Simulating the Customer’s Actions
• Some help 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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Simulating the Customer’s Actions (continued)
• Some companies have strict standards that determine what technologies customers use
• The help desk is often involved in developing technology standards
• Without standards, customers may install equipment or software without the help desk’s knowledge
• As a result, the help desk cannot simulate problems
• When technology standards exist, whether and how strictly those standards are enforced will vary from one company to the next
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Simulating the Customer’s Actions (continued)
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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Using Diagnostic Tools
• Remote control system - A technology that enables an analyst to take over a customer’s keyboard, screen, mouse, or other connected device in order to troubleshoot problems
• Newer hardware and software systems have built-in diagnostic tools
• Using these tools may not always be an option
• Take the time needed to fully diagnose the problem 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 problem
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Step 3: Develop a Course of Action
To develop a course of action:
• Consult printed resources, online resources, coworkers, subject matter experts, or the team leader
• Determine if a workaround is available
• Escalate the problem to the correct level two service provider or subject matter expert
• Search a knowledge base
• Search the incident tracking or problem management system
• Use personal knowledge
• Use tools
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Step 3: Develop a Course of Action (continued)
• 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
• If the customer is dissatisfied, determine the customer’s preference and, if possible, accommodate that preference
• Or, determine if there is an alternate course of action that will satisfy the customer’s immediate need
• Record the customer’s preference in the ticket and when necessary, bring the problem to management’s attention
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Knowing When to Engage Additional Resources
• Most help desks strive to solve as many problems as possible at level one
• First, use resources such as online help, product and procedure manuals, or a knowledge base
• 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 problem resolution activities are proceeding at an appropriate pace
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Knowing When to Engage Additional Resources (continued)
Consider the following as the target escalation time approaches:
• Do I have sufficient information to clearly state the problem?
• Have I determined the probable source of the problem?
• Have I gathered the information that is required by level two?
• What is the problem severity?
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Taking Ownership
• When a problem cannot be solved immediately, customers expect someone to take responsibility for ensuring it is resolved in the time frame promised
• Problem owner - An employee of the support organization who acts as a customer advocate and ensures a problem is resolved to the customer’s satisfaction
• The customer shouldn’t have to initiate another call
• In many companies, the person who initially logs the problem is the owner
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Taking Ownership (continued)
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Problem Owner Responsibilities
• Tracks the current status of the problem
• Proactively provides the customer regular and timely status updates
• When possible, identifies related problems
• Ensures that problems are assigned correctly
• Ensures that appropriate notification activities occur
• Ensures that all problem-solving activities are documented and the customer is satisfied with resolution
• Closes the problem ticket
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Problem Owner Responsibilities (continued)
• Analysts sometimes share ownership by:
– Helping other owners when they can
– Updating a ticket if a customer contacts the help desk to provide additional information
– Updating a ticket if a customer contacts the help 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
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Providing Status Updates to Customers and Management
• Notification – An activity that informs all of the stakeholders in the problem management process about the status of outstanding problems
• Notification can occur when:– A problem is reported or escalated
– A problem has exceeded a predefined threshold
– A problem is resolved
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Providing Status Updates to Customers and Management (continued)
• Management notification is appropriate when:
– The problem 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
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Providing Status Updates to Customers and Management (continued)
• Management notification ensures that:– Management knows the current status of problems that
are in an exception state
– Management has the information needed to oversee problems 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 problem record so that everyone affected knows what decisions management has made or what steps they have taken
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Providing Status Updates to Customers and Management (continued)
• 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 problem’s status
– The target resolution time will not be met
– Customer resources are required to implement a solution
– The problem has a high severity and justifies frequent status updates
– The customer was dissatisfied with earlier solutions
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Providing Status Updates to Customers and Management (continued)
• Customer notification ensures that:– The customer knows the current status of
the problem
– Customer comments or concerns are recorded in the problem record and addressed
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Providing Status Updates to Customers and Management (continued)
• Help desks add value by:(1) Making it easy for customers to report
problems
(2) Delivering solutions
(3) Taking ownership and ensuring that problems that cannot be resolved immediately are addressed in the required time frame
• Even bad news is better than no news
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Providing Status Updates to Customers and Management (continued)
• The help 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 tracking and problem management system
• How notification occurs and who is notified varies based on conditions such as:– The severity of the problem
– Who is affected by the problem
– When the problem occurs
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Providing Status Updates to Customers and Management (continued)
Closeup - Levels of learning:• Unconscious incompetence
– Customers typically cannot articulate their problem
• Conscious incompetence– Customers know what they don’t know
• Conscious competence– Customers use correct terminology and clearly and
correctly articulate the problem
• Unconscious competence– Known as “power users.” Customers feel they know more
than analysts and resent being asked “basic” questions
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Building Good Relationships With Other Support Groups
• 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 a problem is escalated– Seek assistance only after using all other available resources
• Level two service providers must:– Respect the help desk’s role as a front-line service provider– Acknowledge that the help desk’s efforts are freeing them
from the need to answer the same questions or solve the same problems over and over again
– Be willing to impart their knowledge to the help desk
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Building Good Relationships With Other Support Groups (continued)
• Review and understand your company’s SLAs
• Provide mutual feedback• Job shadowing• Review incident tracking system
information• Communicate• Give praise
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Focusing on Prevention
• Once a solution has been identified and implemented, there are still questions that need to be asked and answered:
– Did the resolution solve the problem?
– Is the customer satisfied?
– Has the root cause been identified?
– Was the corrective action permanent?
• If the answer to any of these questions is “No” the problem cannot be considered resolved
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Focusing on Prevention (continued)
• If all of the answers are “Yes” the problem 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 help desk team can:
– Identify and analyze trends
– Suggest ways that problems can be eliminated
– Go beyond the quick fix and take the time to resolve problems correctly the first time
– Engage the resources needed to determine and eliminate the root cause
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Chapter Summary
• Help desk analysts must be able to solve problems efficiently and effectively
• Most help desks develop processes and procedures in an effort to ensure that problems are handled quickly, correctly, and consistently
• The goal of problem management is to minimize the impact of problems that affect a company’s systems, networks, and products
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Chapter Summary (continued)
• Analysts use their problem-solving skills to handle each problem
• The best problem solvers condition themselves to:– Gather all available data
– Create information
– Methodically diagnose the problem before developing a course of action
• Effective diagnostic techniques include:– Asking questions
– Simulating the customer’s actions
– Using diagnostic tools
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Chapter Summary (continued)
• Customers expect someone to take responsibility for ensuring the problem is resolved in the time frame promised
• The problem owner assumes that responsibility
• Ownership ensures that everyone involved in the problem management process stays focused on the customer’s need to:– Have the problem solved in a timely fashion
– Be informed when the problem requires more than the expected time
• Ownership is critical to the problem management process
• Without it, problems can slip through the cracks and customer dissatisfaction invariably occurs
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Chapter Summary (continued)
• Do not hesitate to suggest ways that problems can be eliminated and prevented
• Be persistent and act on your hunches
• An understanding of your company’s problem management process and strong problem-solving skills are essential to your success
• These processes ensure that problems are handled efficiently and effectively
• Ultimately, however, customers prefer that problems be prevented