Leveraging resources: Best practices

for professional support

Copyright 2002, Texas Association of School Boards

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Three key measuresof professional support

Cus

tom

er

Satis

fact

ion

Cost

Staff

Satisfaction

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Customer satisfaction

• What are your customers asking you to do?

• How well are you doing it?– Surveys– Anecdotal evidence– Statistics

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Staff satisfaction

• What is your staff asking of you?

• How well are you doing it?– Surveys– Anecdotal evidence– Statistics

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Cost

• How much is your company willing to pay for customer satisfaction and staff satisfaction?

• Does your operation pass the outsourcing test?

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Cus

tom

er

Sat

isfa

ctio

n

Cost

Staff

Satisfaction

How do you ensure high customer and staff satisfaction . . .

and still control your costs?

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Leveraging key resourcesfor professional support

• People• Processes• Tools

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People

• Job factors• Training• Physical environment• Management support

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People:Job factors

• Variety• Flexibility• Responsibility• Fair pay

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People:Training

• Skilled generalists versus narrow specialists• Avoid information silos• Training alternatives

– outside the box– high impact– indirect

• Anticipate organization’s future needs

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People:Physical environment

• Arrange work space for collaboration and privacy

• Automated Call Distribution (ACD) System• Provide good tools

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People:Management support

• Be patient; be persistent• Run interference• Set job targets• Monitor service levels• Share information – up and down! • Celebrate successes

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Processes

• Software standardization• Software rollout methodology• Hardware standardization• Work process mapping• Root cause analysis• Crisis management

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Processes:Software standardization

• Leverages user training• Reliable installs• Can use imaging tool to build machines

quickly• Easier, faster to support

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Processes:Software rollout methodology

• Develop hands off, “silent” software installs• Push delivery• Pull delivery• Phase rollouts whenever possible

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Processes:Hardware standardization

• Specify high quality, reliable PCs, laptops, and printers

• Can use imaging tool to build machines quickly

• Easier, faster-to-service machines• Results in lower total cost of ownership

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Processes:Work process mapping

• Leverage brain power – don’t waste it• Powerful knowledge transfer tool• Achieve consistent, high quality outcomes

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Processes:Root cause analysis

• To eliminate unnecessary or repetitive calls• Must document all requests• Contributes to end-user productivity• Lowers stress

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Processes:Crisis management

• Slow down• Appoint a point person to coordinate internal

communications• Intercept incoming calls with status message• Communicate status• Inform users of the outcome

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Tools

• Service request management system• Automated call distribution (ACD) • Remote control• Build machines from images • Automated software installations• Anti-virus measures• “MyCompany Toolbox”• Two-way radios

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Tools:Service request

management system• Document service requests, assignments and

status• Searchable database of your solutions and

commercial knowledge base(s)• Log every request• Key component of quality initiatives

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Tools:Automated call distribution

• From chaos to control• Monitor your call volume• Are all requests documented?• May be cheaper than you think

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Tools:Remote control

• Avoid working blind• Excellent for unique or hard to describe

problems• Faster, more accurate solutions• Reduced need for desk side visits• May be cheaper than you think

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Tools:Build machines from images

• Reduce cost of hardware deployment• Reduce cost of operating system upgrades• Deliver high quality, reliable PCs and

laptops

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Tools:Automated software

installations

• Make installs “silent” using the answer files• Faster rollouts – eliminate “walk arounds”• Cheaper rollouts – requires half the people

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Tools:Anti-virus measures

• Automate signature updates to desktops and servers

• Protect your remote users• Scan e-mail messages before they enter user

message stores

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Tools:“TASB Toolbox”

• Central point to access installs, utilities, etc• Use network rights for license control• Include user and technician tools

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Tools:Two-way radios

• Someone is always available• Many heads are better than one• Huge time saver

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Case study:Texas Association of School

Boards

Will this Help Desk be outsourced?

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Customer satisfaction• Are we doing what they ask us to do?• Starting point:

– Inconsistent service delivery– Too long to resolve requests – Too long to install new hardware

• Goal: Provide consistently high quality service on all requests

• Outcome?

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Staff satisfaction• Starting point

– Technical staff had long tenure– Information silos and skill gaps– Poor physical environment

• Goal: Develop and retain staff in highly competitive market

• Outcome?

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Customer satisfaction:Help Desk Calls

• Starting point: Closed 70% within 1 business day

• Goal: Close 85% within 1 business day.• Success: 92% of all SM Help Desk calls are

closed within 1 business day.

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Calls Closed Within 1 Business Day

70%

76%

82%

88%86%

89%

92% 92% 92%

50%

55%

60%

65%

70%

75%

80%

85%

90%

95%

100%

Starting 1st half 1998 2nd half 1998 1st half 1999 2nd half 1999 1st half 2000 2nd half 2000 1st half 2001 2nd half 2001

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Customer satisfaction:New hardware installs

• Starting point: 61% installed within 3 weeks• Goal: Install 85% within 3 weeks • Success: Averaging 90% installed within 3

weeks

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New Hardware Installed Within 3 Weeks

61%

78%

91%

93%

87%87%

66%

50%

55%

60%

65%

70%

75%

80%

85%

90%

95%

Starting 1st Half 1999 2nd Half 1999 1st Half 2000 2nd Half 2000 1st Half 2001 2nd Half 2001

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Customer satisfaction

• Survey says: successful Windows 2000 upgrade

• My boss’s boss’s phone doesn’t ring• Keep those cards and letters coming• End-user productivity

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ACD Calls Received by WeekAugust 1998 through December 2001

0

100

200

300

400

500

600

700

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Staff satisfaction

• Gave them training, tools and variety – and they stayed

• Information silos are gone, skills way up• Benefit from higher levels of respect from

other MIS departments

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Cost

• New CFO asked – can we get the same services less expensively by outsourcing?

• Outcome?

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Cost

Total fully burdened costs• 28% less than the lowest outsourcing bid• 45% less than the outsourcer we thought

could provide comparable quality

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Case Study:Will this Help Desk be

outsourced?

• No way!• Vendors across the board asked, “Why would

you do this?”

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ResourcesDownloads, newsletters and more:

www.ksasystems.com/prolink/www.techrepublic.comwww.supportindustry.comwww.thinkhdi.com www.bruton.win-uk.net/www.philverghis.com/resources.html

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Resources (cont.)

• Helpdesk-L Listserv

Send e-mail to SUBscribe HDESK-L; blank subject line; SUBSCRIBE HELPDESK-L <your name> in message body

• The sky is NOT falling:

www.symantec.com/avcenter/hoax.html

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Resources (cont.)

• Technical and tactical research:

www.gartnergroup.com

www.techrepublic.com - click on “Research index”

Leveraging resources: Best practices

for professional support