session 610 - bren boddy

Session 610: SPOC The key to Service Desk Success

Bren Hanson (Boddy)Super Help Desk Manager,

Exchange Bank

Who am I?• Motorcycle Rider• Disney Fanatic• Mom, wife, caregiver;

member of the ‘sandwich’ generation.

• 30+ yrs. Customer Service Management experience

• 22 years with same company• Creator of Super Help Desk

Who are we?

• Super Help Desk• We support EVERYTHING except HR and Loans• Hours: M – Th 8 – 5:30, Fr 8 – 6:30, Sat 8:30 – 2:30• Help Desk is always staffed during business

open hours• Initially we were Branch Operations Help

Desk, merged into IT/Super Help Desk• Staff of 3 supporting 420 end users

Our Mission Statement

Deliver exceptional customer service in a timely manner and keep our customers performing

at the highest level of productivity.

What’s the point of SPOC?

• Single Point of contact• One reference point for callers• One place for information storing• One place for consistent communication • From Wikipedia: A single point of contact (SPOC) is a

person or a department serving as the coordinator or focal point of information concerning an activity or program. A SPOC is used in many cases where information is time-sensitive and accuracy is important.

Why?

• Build trust• Callers like having one place to call, fewer

numbers to remember• By using one knowledgebase, fewer wrong

answers given• Consistent knowledgeable communication

SPOC, a missed opportunity…

Facilities - Office Move– No one kept Help Desk in the loop during this ‘project’ – Customers went to wrong location– Customers went to right location, wasn’t open yet.– ATM went offline, vendor not notified– Online information not updated

• Social Media & Website could have helped– Customer Care Center not notified– We did have a small win. Many people attending the wrap up meeting wondered why the Help Desk wasn’t included And stated it was a failure of the project not to have us included.

A SPOC win…Problem: Customer incorrectly received a notice of Excessive Withdrawals. Who needs to know?• Online Statement Admin • Account Software Admin • Computer room • Mail Room • Online Banking Manager • Customer Care Center • ALL were notified, error was on ONE customer, fixed in timely manner.

A nose & a foot

Be nosey! Find out what’s goingon in your company. Where are the pain points? How can you help?

Get your foot in the door. My friend and colleague Brenda Iniguez gave a presentation on ‘Being a player at the big table.’ If you’re not at the table, you should be.

Taking on the world

One department at a time.

New support area request:New Accounts!

• Everyone called one person, the ‘expert’• Getting them to give up their ‘status’• WIIFT? (What’s in it for them?)– More time to sell– Opportunity to be the Super Salesperson, more $$

in their pocket– Status was now based on knowledge articles

provided and moving the ‘expert’ to 3rd tier support level

Things to considerCheck list: get it done up front before your first call

Define Service Desk Goals & Objectives Answer this: How will we know when we’re successful?

Design processes and procedures How do we take on a new area?

Define roles and responsibilities Do you have a SME (Subject Matter Expert)?

Staffing levels & skill sets Do you need to add additional staff?

Provide education and training

Source: Gary Case, Session #110, HDI Conference 2003: How to Design & Set Up a Service Desk

How?

• Executive Buy-in• Staff Training• Contact with Management• Buy-in from end users • Communication• Knowledge sharing

Executive Buy-in

• Share failures and how you could have helped during Management meetings. Offer your assistance. Not invited? Get your foot in the door.

• Many of our projects affect external customers, have your customers commented online? – Online Banking upgrades– New Branch opening

• Reference: recent project failures

Elevator speech

Staff training: YOU can do this

• My whole team turned over• Hired a Best Buy Geek, a Cable guy & a Branch Supervisor• Previously had 12 years of very low turnover• If you get to start new, hire a diverse staff

whenever possible

Hiring practices

• Positive Attitude• Phone Voice• Good Communication Skills• Work Ethic• Time Management Abilities• Problem Solving Skills• Be a Team Player• Flexibility/Adaptability

Initial Staff Training

• Start small– one area at a time

• Job Shadow• Attend training sessions– if applicable.

• Write documentation!• Review knowledgebase articles

Ongoing training

• Keep up with trends in the new area of support

• Ongoing education should be planned throughout the year

• Attend meetings related to that area• Remember: Anyone willing to learn can be

trained

Keep in contact with Management

• Provide metrics – decide together what’s needed• Continue to meet with them over specific calls or trends • Help identify training needs your callers may have • Show ROI• How efficient have they become? Use this feedback

when preparing to take over another department’s calls. • Share feedback from your surveys.

Buy-in from end usersWhy do they want to call you? “Sue Smith always has the answer”– Expanded coverage hours– Saturday Support– Strong/proven Customer Service skills– Grow the knowledgebase – build a legacy– Educate them. Lack of training = more tickets. – Close ticket information is also training time!– Consistent information– End users feel empowered when they have knowledge.

Communication

• Most companies struggle with this – you’re not alone.

• We provide multiple ways to communicate:– Internal: Phone, email, chat, Internal website– External: website, Social Media– We use templates for consistent communication– Not ALL, but majority of communication comes from us.

Knowledge-sharing

• Publish new knowledgebase articles related to your new support area

• Write articles for internal newsletter or website• Work hand in hand with Learning & Dev

department for areas/topics you’ve identified as needing more education

• Share wins/struggles with other Management at meetings

Surveys!

You know you’re successful when….

• Find that ONE person who will never call you and finally does. (bonus: they tell others about the good work you do!)

• You Decide: What’s important to you to know you’re successful?

• Our surveys: 98% satisfaction rate• Our current return rate: 20%

Areas we added:

• Bank Security• Telecom• ATM Support• Technical Support• MDM – Mobile Device Management• User Admins – Active Directory et. al.• Moves/Adds/ChangesIn most cases you’re taking on First level support, you may need the department

for Second level.

In conclusion…

• Start with Executive Buy-in• Reach out to struggling departments first• Train your team • Keep in constant contact with management of the area

you took on. Keep them abreast of any issues that arise.• Buy in from end users!• Publish wins - communicate• Be the SPOC!REF: “How Big Is Your Umbrella – Help Desk to Service Desk. HDI white paper by Roy Atkinson, Senior Writer/Analyst, HDI

GEEK SPEAK

RIP Leonard Nimoy 1935 - 2015

Questions?

Contact info:Bren Hanson (Boddy)707.524.3104Bren.Boddy@exchangebank.com@ServiceDivaBren

Thank you for attending this session.

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