Service Desk 3.0, the ideal solution

Transcription

1 Service Desk 3.0, the ideal solution

2 Service Desk 3.0, the ideal solution Contents 03 Introduction 04 Service Desk Service Desk Service Desk Conclusion Service Desk 3.0, the Ideal Solution - white PAPER - 02

3 Service Desk 3.0, the ideal solution Introduction Technology is more vital than ever before for companies of virtually all sizes, industries and locations. Organizations that are able to leverage the most advanced technological solutions available inevitably gain a tremendous advantage over their less technologicallysavvy counterparts. For firms ranging from international commercial enterprises to large-scale public sector institutions, one critical tool for gaining the most out of technological solutions is the service desk. The service desk is essential for both external and internal purposes. Externally, service desk solutions are a key component of the overall customer experience. A high-quality service desk can help firms to eliminate poor customer service experiences and increase satisfying interactions. On the internal side, the service desk is vital for ensuring that employees have access to the technical expertise needed to effectively utilize the technologies at their disposal. Businesses are increasingly making advanced technology available to their workers, including customer Service Desk 3.0, the Ideal Solution - white PAPER - 03

4 While Service Desk 1.0 and Service Desk 2.0 were wellsuited for their times, the most sophisticated, effective solution currently available is Service Desk 3.0, developed by Bell Techlogix. relationship management (CRM) solutions, big data analytics and more. Whenever such technologies are deployed, training, implementation and maintenance issues will inevitably crop up. At these times, workers will turn to the service desk for solutions. As technologies have evolved, so too have service desk solutions. And, as with cloud computing, big data analytics and others, businesses must take advantage of the latest advancements in service desk solutions to remain competitive. While there have been consistent advancements in service desk deployments, three phases have defined the solution. While Service Desk 1.0 and Service Desk 2.0 were well-suited for their times, the most sophisticated, effective solution currently available is Service Desk 3.0, developed by Bell Techlogix. This new paradigm presents innumerable advantages for its clients, including cost-savings, efficiency improvement and more. To appreciate the improvements featured in Service Desk 3.0, though, it is first important to understand the phases that came before it. Service Desk 1.0 A number of features defined this first phase of the service desk. These deployments were highly customized to meet the specific needs of the company, ensuring that the solutions in place could handle the demands of companies clients and internal users. Service Desk 1.0 was also typically featured on-site, which has the obvious benefit of improving communication within the organization. Consequently, the bulk of customer support workers employed for Service Desk 1.0 deployments were domestic. In all of these ways, Service Desk 1.0 provided tremendous benefits for those companies deploying such solutions, filling a need that had been growing for many years. Before the development of Service Desk 1.0, organizations were forced to reroute valuable internal resources to handle these issues. Service Desk 3.0, the Ideal Solution - white PAPER - 04

5 However, this model featured numerous shortcomings. Tools tended to be poorly integrated, or not integrated at all. The delivery model itself was also non-integrated. Because the solution was so recent, best practices had not yet been developed. There was a general lack of standardized practices throughout the industry, which damaged the potential return on investment for these solutions. Quality varied tremendously from organization to organization and deployment to deployment. This undermined the user experience, leading to frustrated employees and dissatisfied customers. ROI was further weakened by a lack of automation. Instead, Service Desk 1.0 relied largely on manual processes, which were both timeconsuming and less effective. Cost was also an issue for Service Desk 1.0. Solutions were not particularly streamlined, which caused a variety of inefficiencies and drained organizations resources. The problems inherent to Service Desk 1.0, particularly the high costs associated with these solutions, led directly to the development of its successor, Service Desk 2.0. Service Desk 2.0 The primary focus of Service Desk 2.0 solutions was delivering performance at a low cost to the organization. To a significant degree, it was successful. Service Desk 2.0 was defined largely by offshoring. Organizations began to move their service desks to India and the Asia-Pacific region. The lower cost of labor in these locations helped to significantly drive down the total cost of service desk solutions. Additionally, the technology utilized by service desk solutions provided numerous other benefits. Service desks in this phase had more varied tools at their disposal, thereby expanding offerings. These tools were also more sophisticated than those used in Service Desk 1.0 configurations, which improved adaptability and, to an extent, efficiency. Service Desk 3.0, the Ideal Solution - white PAPER - 05

6 When employees need help with a new technology, the service desk needs to be available and capable of providing support. In Service Desk 2.0, this was not always the case. However, as with its predecessor, Service Desk 2.0 configurations also featured numerous disadvantages that compromised the effectiveness of these solutions. Most notably, offshoring service desk operations often created native language communications complexity and quality of service issues for many users. This complexity created a major impediment when it came to providing an exceptional end-user service experience, given the critical importance of communications. Due to language barrier issues it is often a struggle to efficiently and effectively address the user s support request. This problem was exacerbated by the fact that service desks must be able to resolve complex technical problems, particularly on the internal side. When employees need help with a new technology, the service desk needs to be available and capable of providing support. In Service Desk 2.0, this was not always the case. As a result of this communication breakdown, many organizations experienced a decrease in resolution rates and an increase in call times. Additionally, user frustration became a more common problem. Time also became an issue. In a Service Desk 2.0 configuration, employees will likely be located halfway around the world from callers, and therefore in a different time zone. This issue can be somewhat mitigated through simple scheduling, but communication between the offshore service desk center and the organization s management becomes inconsistent and delayed, which undercuts efficiency. Further undercutting the value of Service Desk 2.0 deployment was the fact that costs often did not remain as low as organizations anticipated. To make up for the lower degree of experience among employees, organizations would be forced to invest in additional training, as well as more staffing and a generally larger workforce. Organizations would also often face remediation costs, which can add up extremely quickly. Additionally, Service Desk 2.0 solutions often struggled to retain staff. High turnover rates forced organizations to continually spend money on recruiting and training new employees. This also caused a regular loss of institutional knowledge, which diminished the overall quality of service provided by these solutions. Service Desk 3.0, the Ideal Solution - white PAPER - 06

7 There was and continues to be major pressure on U.S.-based companies that outsource jobs to other countries, as the practice is generally seen as detrimental to the U.S. economy. The ultimate result of these factors is that the primary advantage of Service Desk cost-savings - was, when put into practice, severely undercut. Organizations deploying Service Desk 2.0 solutions also faced public relations problems. There was and continues to be major pressure on U.S.-based companies that outsource jobs to other countries, as the practice is generally seen as detrimental to the U.S. economy. One of the main goals of the service desk is to ensure that clients, customers and members remain loyal to the organization, and this objective is made more difficult if the firm faces a public backlash. Finally, Service Desk 2.0 s overwhelming focus on cost-savings meant that most organizations practicing this deployment were unable to devote themselves to improving practices and adopting industry standards. Consequently, the overall quality of service desk solutions did not improve much as could be expected and hoped. The shortcomings of Service Desk 2.0 have been a burden for organizations for several years. Now, however, Bell Techlogix has developed and refined the next stage: Service Desk 3.0. Service Desk 3.0 Service Desk 3.0 represents the most advanced and cost-effective service desk solution yet developed. It offers superior performance compared to both of its predecessors without draining companies budgets. Service Desk 3.0 is defined by an entirely market-driven approach. As noted earlier, businesses are constantly adopting new technologies, leading to ever-evolving user IT demands and organizational requirements. While Service Desk 1.0 was insufficiently developed to offer this level of flexibility and Service Desk 2.0 emphasized cost-savings over high-quality service, this phase is ideally suited to meet the IT needs of modern day businesses. This level of service is achieved through a combination of customization and self-service offerings. In the past, service desks were largely limited to offering off-the-shelf arrangements. These cookie-cutter solutions Service Desk 3.0, the Ideal Solution - white PAPER - 07

8 cover a broad swath of general service desk issues, but they will lack the specificity and flexibility needed to optimize performance for companies. Service Desk 3.0 allows firms to adjust their service desk features as needed. Additionally, by including a greater degree of self-service functionality, Service Desk 3.0 empowers users to resolve issues and create tickets independently. This reduces the personnel needed to run the operation, driving down costs. The quality of service in this model is also significantly improved thanks to a U.S.-centric delivery location strategy. Bell Techlogix has established service desk delivery hubs located throughout the country, which yields numerous benefits. The language, time zone and management issues engendered in Service Desk 2.0 are entirely negated, as are a number of the other shortcomings of that model. In this model, service desk agents are more highly trained and typically remain in their positions for multi-year tenures, which is far longer than most offshore service desk solutions. This allows individual agents to build up a greater body of knowledge, which improves the overall quality of service delivered. Consequently, resolution rates go up and average call times go down. Additionally, fewer workers are needed to serve a given user population, keeping costs near or below Service Desk 2.0 levels. Thanks to the overall improved service, companies using these solutions are able to offer a more satisfying customer experience. Organizations customers, clients and members will regularly require assistance for technical and other issues they encounter. For many firms, the service desk will be responsible for handling these interactions, which means the quality of the service desk will have a direct impact on customer service, which in turn will determine client satisfaction, loyalty and retention rates. In a September 2012 American Express survey of 1,000 Canadians, more than three-fifths indicated they had intended to buy a product or service from an organization, but then opted not to directly as a result of the business s poor customer service performance. Additionally, the study found that 54 percent of respondents said they would tell others about a good customer experience with an Service Desk 3.0, the Ideal Solution - white PAPER - 08

9 organization, while 63 percent would share details of a bad experience. Cultural and language barriers can serve as impediments in this regard, leading to user frustration. By relying on onshore deployments, Service Desk 3.0 avoids these problems. As these numbers demonstrate, companies must ensure the service desk can provide a satisfying experience to users. To achieve this goal, service desk agents must be well-trained and highly talented. A recent Robert Half Technology survey of more than 1,600 CIOs at North American companies found that technical support staff frequently receives strange requests and questions from customers, ranging from the silly to the bizarre. The wide range of issues demonstrates that service desk workers must have strong customer service skills and, as the executive director of Robert Half Technology noted, a sense of humor. Cultural and language barriers can serve as impediments in this regard, leading to user frustration. By relying on onshore deployments, Service Desk 3.0 avoids these problems. Furthermore, by relying on U.S.-based service desk workers, organizations utilizing Service Desk 3.0 the outsourcing controversies commonly associated with Service Desk 2.0. Service is further improved by the adoption and adherence to ITIL best practices. By emphasizing on these standardized practices, Service Desk 3.0 is able to offer improved service and greater efficiency when dealing with a wide variety of user IT issues. Conclusion While Service Desk 1.0 and Service Desk 2.0 represented satisfactory solutions in the past, they have been surpassed by the development of Service Desk 3.0. In virtually every regard, Service Desk 3.0 is the superior solution. It offers a far greater degree of refinement and effectiveness than Service Desk 1.0 and avoids the multitude of service and publicity problems resulting from reliance on Service Desk 2.0 while continuing to provide significant cost savings. These factors combine to make Service Desk 3.0 the best available solution for any organization looking to provide optimal service to its external and internal users without straining corporate budgets. The business benefits are tremendous, and the risk virtually nonexistent. Service Desk 3.0, the Ideal Solution - white PAPER - 09

10 Bell Techlogix 4400 W 96th Street Indianapolis, IN BELL (2355) All other brands or products are trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective holders and should be treated as such. Service Desk 3.0, the Ideal Solution - white PAPER - 010