| Implementing a service management software tool, | | | | the service value chain can quickly make decisions |
| getting the facts over time primarily will give you an | | | | based on live data, although the view can be different |
| excellent ITIL service desk implementation. Tracking | | | | depending on responsibilities. |
| and resolving incidents is one of the major goals of a | | | | This capability is very important because the team |
| service desk software solution. However, what you | | | | leader will want to see their team's current workload |
| measure, the way you measure, the reports you | | | | and they might have to adjust that workload for each |
| create and how you interpret the results can bring you | | | | person. People on the front line might have a different |
| help desk best practice. | | | | view as well, depending on your process. You may |
| The first priority is to map out your business | | | | have a closed loop process where an incident comes |
| processes from an incident being reported - where it | | | | into a customer service representative person, is |
| goes to, who it goes to, what do they do and then the | | | | resolved by many, but comes back to same |
| various paths that are taken depending on the incident | | | | representative to deal with the customer. The |
| and what happens after that. The companies with | | | | customer service rep needs to see whether service |
| best practices have a lot of up to date documentation | | | | levels may be breached and will have a graph or an |
| available whereas others without the documentation | | | | alert so that escalation procedures need to be invoked, |
| still know what to do with an incident once it is logged. | | | | priorities changed. |
| However, does this make the best use of the available | | | | Escalation Procedures |
| information? Are there other opportunities to get more | | | | Part of managing your service levels is to have |
| value from the investment made in people and | | | | escalation procedures in place. Many service desk |
| technology? | | | | software systems have these in built and customer |
| It is very possible that well thought out business | | | | service staff and management follow these |
| processes will help develop staff measurement | | | | procedures based on alerts. These alerts are different |
| indicators, create real time, in depth dashboard | | | | for various organisation levels. For example, your |
| reporting that give the immediate facts and help make | | | | dashboard should give you the first idea of the |
| business decisions and respond to critical situations | | | | progress of incident resolution. However, if a service |
| with clear escalation procedures. | | | | level may be breached, a customer service |
| Staff Measurement | | | | representative might be alerted, if it continues an |
| Performance measurement is fundamental to getting | | | | automatic notification goes to customer service |
| best practice. Often, incident resolution is achieved | | | | management and then possibly to the business. |
| quickly, but with the help of many of your staff. How | | | | Often, a customer service representative waits for the |
| do you measure the value each staff member | | | | customer to provide additional information to resolve |
| contributes? For example, if you were running statistics | | | | an incident. For example, if a screen shot of an error |
| on closure rates, the person who opens and closes | | | | has been requested and the customer does not |
| the incident might get all the closure rates, but the | | | | respond, then having the ability to "stop the clock" until |
| resolution might have actually come from other people. | | | | the information is received gives a more correct |
| You need to look at how the system is tracking who | | | | indication of how quickly the incident is being resolved. It |
| has worked on what and which piece of data you're | | | | also allows service desk staff to escalate to the |
| going to report on. Knowing this gives you a much | | | | business when the required information has not been |
| clearer way of understanding how well your staff are | | | | given. |
| performing. | | | | To get the best return on your service management |
| Dashboard Reporting | | | | software, mapping your business processes so that |
| Dashboard reporting is a growing trend as companies | | | | they are well defined and understood will give you the |
| want to understand in real time how they are | | | | best chance of achieving best practice. While |
| progressing against their performance benchmarks. | | | | customer satisfaction with fast and accurate incident |
| Today's systems allow you to develop graphs and drill | | | | resolution is the goal, your business processes will help |
| down to see what are the underlying records | | | | you better define staff measurement, dashboard |
| immediately. Dashboards can be made available to | | | | reporting for great customer communication and |
| service staff, call centre managers and business unit | | | | escalation procedures to deal with potential service |
| management. For example, a graph can show the | | | | level breaches quickly and decisively. |
| currently logged, active or waiting incidents. Everyone in | | | | |