2 Autotask Proactive Dashboards to Drive Service Delivery Improvements
You want to improve Service Delivery Operations at your MSP, right? I mean, even if you’re acing it, there are always more ways to improve.
Wherever your MSP is right now, we’re going to show you how you can achieve Service Delivery Ops that run like a well-oiled machine.
How?
It all starts with proactive Autotask Dashboards.
In case you missed it, here’s what we covered in our last article.
In this article, 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 does the workload look like for that Tech?
Is the Tech going to meet expectations?
…Or is Intervention needed?
If Intervention is needed:
Is there another Tech with the right skill level available to take the Ticket?
Can the existing assigned Tech’s workload be adjusted to make room for the request?
Does the Service Manager have any ideas?
Call the Customer and let them know:
We have not forgotten about you or this request.
Things are busy today, and we are not getting to all tickets as expected.
You are on the list, and we will get to you ASAP.
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.
Leveraging KPIs to Improve Service Delivery
We now pause from discussing the KPIs directly to talk about a supplemental report that helps you leverage the KPIs so you can 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 Coordinator’s 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 respectively, 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 the 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, then 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 in front of this one in the Ready to Engage widget.
Review the Estimated Hours in the tickets ahead for the one coming up on Next SLA Event Due Date/Time
Decide if everything is OK or if Intervention is needed.
-If everything is OK, stand down, go back to Service Coordinator Dashboard #1 and resume normal Service Coordinator duties.
-If intervention is needed, proceed to step 6…
Take a second pass across the Service Coordinator Dashboard to 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 Customer on this Issue (missing a Next SLA Event Due Date) and ask them if they have any ideas on what can be done to keep from disappointing the Customer.
Yes? Proceed with their advice.
No? Proceed to Step 8.
Call the Customer and:
Apologize that the engagement is being delayed.
Explain that the Company is having a very busy day.
Let them know, based on the information available to you, when they can expect the engagement to begin (Tech Engagement), or end (Completion).
Listen to what they have to say and respond with empathy. Or, if their request is reasonable and doable – take ACTION.
An important note: You’ll notice that in this process, we did not reach out to the Tech at any time. Why not? The #1 reason Techs struggle is the multitude of chaotic disruptions that they experience every day.
We get used to the noise and put up with it until it burns us out, but the truth is that it costs us a huge amount of money every year. How much? Based on quantifiable results, for a six Tech shop – USD $187,600 per year.
Service Coordinator Dashboard #3
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 useful glimpse into how the Techs #1 widget is operating. When it is in fine working order, the Next SLA Event Due Date exists and 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 take corrective action. Moving tickets around so they fit is clearly within the Service Coordinator’s Authority and Responsibilities.
Here are the steps to maintain the Ready to Engage widget in fine working order:
Schedule it on the Techs calendar with enough time to complete the work.
Even if it appears that the Ticket just needs documentation, a 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?
Leverage the Dashboard #2 to 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 you found this glimpse into how dashboards can be leveraged for KPIs and the action items that come out of supplemental widgets to be helpful.
As always, if you have questions, need help, or are ready to accelerate improvements to the Service Delivery operations at your MSP, we’re here for you.