2 Autotask Proactive Dashboards to Drive Service Delivery Improvements

Project Management
June 09, 2021•5 min read

In the last article, we mentioned:

Here we are talking about a proactive widget that can indicate when Intervention is needed. By Intervention, we mean - a specific request is coming up on the Next SLA Event Due Date, with enough time for the Service Coordinator to look and see if the Ticket is in trouble. If so, they need to know:

  • Who is the Ticket on?

  • What is the workload on that Tech?

  • Is the Tech going to meet expectations?

  • …Or is Intervention needed?

If Intervention is needed:

  1. Is there another Tech with the right skill level available to take the Ticket?

  1. Can the existing assigned Tech’s workload be adjusted to make room for the request?

  1. Does the Service Manager have any ideas?

  1. Call the Customer and let them know:

  1. We have not forgotten about you or this request.

  1. Things are busy today, and we are not getting to all tickets as expected.

  1. You are on the list, and we will get to you asap.

  1. Thank you for your patience.

Note: All the SLA Summary widget responses are done without contacting a Tech. Now we will cover how/when we review the Service Coordinator Dashboard #2.

We now pause from talking about the KPIs directly to talking about a supplemental report that helps you leverage the KPI and apply it to the Service Delivery Operation.

When a ticket shows up on the SLA Summary widget as Next Event Due Date is in 2 hours for Tech Engagement, or 4 hours for Completion, here are the Service Coordinators expected Action Items:

  • Proceed to Service Coordinator Dashboard #2, where there is a duplicate SLA Summary widget

  • Click on the number in the SLA Summary widget and review:

  • Who is the Ticket on?

  • Who is the Customer?

  • What is the issue (title in the Ticket)

  • Determine if the Tech is working today (PTO widget) or in the building (Service Call widget).

  • If Yes/Yes respective,proceed to step 4

  • If Yes/No or No/No,proceed to step 6

  • Determine if the Tech is working on the Ticket coming up on the Next SLA Event Due Date

  • If Yes, stand down, go back to Service Coordinator Dashboard #1 and resume normal Service Coordinator duties (Note: if Tech Engagement is the Next SLA Event Due Date and the Tech is working on the Ticket, feel free to provide the Tech with a tongue lashing about wasting your time because they did not put the ticket status to “In Progress”)

  • If No, proceed to step 5

  • Sweep across the Service Coordinator Dashboard, looking to see if the Tech will be engaging on the Ticket in a timely fashion.

  • Determine how many tickets are on the Tech

  • Determine how many are past due

  • Determine how many are infront of this one in the Ready to Engage widget

  • Decided if everything is OK or if Intervention is needed

  • Everything is OK; stand down, go back to Service Coordinator Dashboard #1 and resume normal Service Coordinator duties

  • Intervention is needed;proceed to step 6

  • Take a second pass across the Service Coordinator Dashboard and determine if a Tech with the right skill set is available to take the Ticket

  • Yes, then proceed with the reassignment SOP

  • No, proceed to step 7

  • Inform the Service Manager that the Company is going to be disappointing the Customeron this Issue(missing a Next SLA Even Due Date), and ask them if they have any other ideas on what to do to keep from disappointing this Customer.

  • Yes, proceed with their advice

  • No, proceed to Step 8

  • Call the Customer and:

  • Apologize that the engagement is being delayed

  • The Company is having a very busy day

  • Let them know, based on the information available to you, when the Customer can expect the engagement to begin (Tech Engagement), or end (Completion)

  • Listen to what they have to say and respond with empathy, or action if their request is reasonable and doable

Note: notice in this process did we at no time reach out to the Tech. The #1 reason Techs struggle is the multitude of chaotic disruptions that they experience everyday. We get used to the noise and put up with it until it burns us out, but the truth is it costs us a huge amount every year. How much? Based on quantifiable results, for a six Tech shop – USD 187,600 per year.

Before we go, I would like to talk about one more Service Coordinator Dashboard that keeps the Service Delivery Operation running like a well-oiled machine –Dashboard #3.

Service Coordinator Dashboard #3 provides a view into how the Techs #1 widget is operating. When it is in fine working order, the Next SLA Event Due Date is in the future, and if the Tech is on PTO or scheduled with a Customer, the Date is beyond their expected return.

If the Date is not in the future, and far enough in the future, then it is up to the Service Coordinator to fix the widget. Moving tickets around, so they fit is clearly within the Service Coordinators Authority and Responsibilities.

Here are the steps to maintain the Ready to Engage widget in fine working order:

  • Schedule it on the Techs calendar we enough time to complete the work

  • Even it appears that the Ticket just needs documentation, time entry and to be closed

  • Put a note in the Service Call, asking the Tech if

  • More engagement time is needed

  • Are they waiting on something

  • Is there a reason they are not engaging on the Ticket

  • Or can it be closed

  • Leveraging the Dashboard #2 reassign to a Tech that has the right Skill and availability

  • Move it to a “Huddle Review” widget and review it in the next huddle

  • Please put it on hold with a due date/time that matches the next Backlog Ticket Party and manually add it to the Backlog Ticket list

I hope this glimpse into how dashboards can be leveraged for KPIs and the action items that come out of supplemental widgets.

Steve & Co

MSPMSPsAutotask
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