Tool-kit: Your Ticketing Systems Powered by KT Resolve SM

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1 Tool-kit: Your Ticketing Systems Powered by KT Resolve SM After successful use of KT Resolve SM on the job, many service and support clients have asked, What if our ticketing systems could emulate KT Resolve?

2 Whether thinking strategically, tactically or both, most KT Resolve clients seek the following benefits: A job aid to guide technical support personnel in KT Resolve process use A mechanism to improve KT Resolve process compliance A highly structured knowledge search repository An integrated approach to manage customer care operations Depending on your role in the organization, any one of these benefits might justify the time and effort needed for you to integrate or emulate KT Resolve in your ticketing systems. In fact, benefits have resulted from KT client-initiated emulation projects that ranged from weekend or evening hobbies to organization-wide implementations. KT has supported many of these initiatives before, during, and sometimes after-the-fact. Best practices have emerged for maximizing results as well as some issues to avoid. First, the pitfalls The creativity of overenthusiastic engineers is the most common concern faced by center managers and project sponsors. Invariably after attending the Resolve session, these engineers start developing handy tools which range from simple KT process worksheets in Microsoft Excel or Word to complex applications involving intelligently coded software. While many are independently developed with the best intent to encourage or support process use, these tools often compete with the organizational ticketing system for quality of information. Much of the process use happens outside the main system and is not shared organization-wide. Multiple tools within an organization further exacerbate integration problems. Other common pitfalls include: Lack of a common understanding among team members for the need and use of KT Resolve process emulation within the ticketing system Lack of a holistic perspective on workflow complexity and associated decision making and potential problem analysis Absence of a supportive performance system that promotes use of the tool-kit once it is developed Stop and think about your original question, What if our ticketing systems could emulate KT Resolve? Now, ask yourself: (1.) Why do I want to emulate the KT Resolve process? (2.) Will it help my customers? (3.) Will it add strategic value to my support organization? (4.) Do I want to include a full or partial reference? (5.) Who will be impacted within my team and beyond? (6.) Who will do it, when and what cost? (7.) What about copyright issues, quality control and future changes? A pretty simple question has generated more questions and work. But with proper management, the emulation project can provide real competitive advantage and result in strategic value for your organization. Manage tool-kit development like a project The activities associated with systemic referencing of the KT Resolve process within your ticketing system will impact multiple tiers, including your customers. It will consume resources and take time. Therefore, it should be managed as a project, with attention to: Definition Planning, and Implementation Copyright 2007 Kepner-Tregoe, Inc. All Rights Reserved P269707B.2

3 Definition why are we doing this project? During the definition phase, the tool-kit project sponsors and managers will work with coaches and team leads and consider the following questions: What is the overall purpose of the project? Why do we want to emulate KT Process within the ticketing system? Will it help our customers? Will it help the customer support engineer community? Will it help the team leaders, coaches and managers? What are the threats and opportunities that are driving this thinking? Have we secured a license or permission to use the KT Resolve process and any other third-party content? Answering these questions will provide your team with a framework for further discussions with your KT Business Relationship Manager and for project planning and implementation. Project team members, potential power users and contributors, such as your IT department, should participate in this discussion. In many instances, seeking facilitation help from your KT Business Relationship Manager will lead to an objective assessment of your project needs. Licensing Kepner-Tregoe intellectual property--securing the right of use If the questions in the definition phase result in a common understanding that referencing process within the ticketing system will have multiple benefits, you should contact your KT Business Relationship Manager. From Definition to Planning: Defining your project will help you develop: A project statement A set of objectives A high-level work-breakdown structure (WBS) Key resource requirements Management and other stakeholders who could include product development and engineering, field service engineers, and reference customers should also be consulted. Obtaining their involvement helps build commitment, harnesses their knowledge, and increases the probability of successfully implementing the project. Objectives check list Your specific situation will guide your objectives, but here is a list of thought starters with specific measures and standards: At the end of this project we will have a KT process tool-set integrated into our ticketing system that will ensure graded process use for all tickets The process tool-set will minimize time to capture information from the customer to no more than 15 minutes The process tool-set will maximize quality of first instance data capture as measured by count of transactions per ticket P269707B. Copyright 2007 Kepner-Tregoe, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

4 We will have maximized the transparency of information during handovers across geographies, as measured by quality and quantity of resolutions for tickets opened in one center and resolved by other centers We will have maximized information flow for ticket escalations across multiple support levels as measured by reduced count of internal communication System tools will maximize the value of coachable moments as measured by immediacy of coaching System tool-set will maximize the transparency of information to customers as measured by the responses in customer surveys System tool-set will maximize use of our knowledge management system as measured by access count launched test phase by (date) launched system tool by (date) customized product-specific template by (date) In addition to the leading indicators outlined above, including some lagging indicators measures the strategic performance of the project for the medium- to long-term. These include: Maximized return on investment as measured by reduced cost per incident Minimized mean time to resolve as measured by reduced time duration for cases Maximized employee satisfaction score as measured by internal surveys Maximized customer satisfaction score as measured by customer surveys Minimized unnecessary escalations as measured by escalation count Work Breakdown Structure The WBS communicates the how part of realizing project objectives. It identifies the major components that must be produced, the major accomplishments that must be achieved, and the logical groupings of activities. With a WBS in place, the project team will have a firm basis for defining resource requirements, budgeting, assigning responsibilities, sequencing, and timing the activities for monitoring. WBS activities for referencing the KT Resolve process vary greatly from organization to organization. For example, if a change to the ticketing system in your organization requires the approval of the IT department or can only be handled by an external IT services provider, then it will require creation of a major deliverable to accomplish process emulation. However, if the customer care team has retooling rights, changes can be created internally. Similarly, the life cycle of the ticketing system and supporting platform such as a mainframe or package software from a CRM software vendor will require specific activities. Typical WBS elements are: Integration Plan Configuration: Leadership Team Development and link to CRM project plan Design Phase: Process Mapping AS IS and TO BE process, analysis and redesign, developing a CRM system with standard out- of-the-box functionality Configuration of Proof of Concept: sand-box to emulate KT Resolve functionality in the CRM solution Implementation Phase: Delivery of KT Resolve process integration with the CRM solution Copyright 2007 Kepner-Tregoe, Inc. All Rights Reserved P269707B.4

5 Integration Process Institutionalization: Support and coaching Project Closeout and Evaluation Things to Watch It is important to understand the ticketing system life cycle prior to initiating the project. If a plan is in place to replace the ticketing system in the near future, it is better to find a temporary KT Resolve process emulation and include process referencing in the design phase of the new system. If the troubleshooting process workflow is weak or broken, then it is highly advisable to remove process disconnects first and then bolt on the process reference. Our experience suggests that prior to a full-blown implementation in a live environment; the process emulation should be vetted in a test environment and assessed rigorously by power users. Before going live, screen shots should be submitted to Kepner-Tregoe to confirm accurate process use and ensure that appropriate KT copyright permissions are in place. Conclusion Every organization has a unique configuration and infrastructure set-up, but there are common elements and best practices that provide a baseline for developing a project plan. Implementing well, most teams can emulate basic KT Resolve process steps and go live within one or two months. Integration of KT Resolve process in your ticketing system can ensure a high degree of compliance in process use, support coaching activities, and most importantly, positively influence your leading and lagging indicators of success P269707B. Copyright 2007 Kepner-Tregoe, Inc. All Rights Reserved.