In this 45 minute webinar you will learn how support automation is driving millions of dollars of cost out of IT service support for enterprise organizations, by:

• Eliminating support calls
• Lowering average-handling-time
• Improving first-call-resolution
• Enabling more efficient support channels

… all while improving employee productivity and satisfaction

We will describe how enterprise IT organizations are:

• Incorporating service automation capabilities into their existing processes
• Measuring the business impact on agent and employee productivity
• Identifying and prioritizing use cases ideally suited for support automation
• Planning, developing and deploying support automation
• Demonstrating business value to executive sponsors

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There is no doubt value to the Self Service portal. With relevant information and superior design employees are generally happy to help themselves.  Knowledge articles especially those that include rich media content, can be extremely beneficial to non-techies. Incorporate forums or other socialized support mediums and you’ll find that your own employees can contribute back to your support networks, helping to reduce calls to the Service Desk.

Still, gaining adoption of a self-support solution is the most common problem to this type of support channel. The employee needs to:

1. Know where to go to get help
2. Have enough information about the problem to search for a solution
3. Be able to find the information that’s relevant to their system and application environment

The above may sound like common sense, but putting them into practice is generally difficult, especially when the alternative is simply to pick up the phone and ask that IT guru for help on getting connected to that new office printer! To gain adoption you can push email promotions, provide webinar training, or even have your Service Desk instruct users calling in on how to find answers on the Self Service portal, etc – but this takes time and can cost even more money on top of your already high investment.

Support Automation: First Stage in Self Service Maturity Model

Diverging from the traditional support portal to client based technologies, such as Tific Proactive Self Healing as a first step to Self Support can be a big factor to achieving initial ROI through call deflection. Removing the need for the Employee to take action to fix their problems, clients with proactive self healing capability can be configured to address issues, proactively and automatically, that are common within your enterprise environment, in some cases even before the issue manifest as a real  problem for the Employee.  Known issues in this case may include:

• Connectivity (internet and VPN)
• System Performance and configuration
• Browser security settings
• Application configuration and errors
• Corporate Compliance (Antivirus / Antispyware / Encryption) configuration
• Notifications for Service Outages

Additionally, since the client is resident on the system the support automations, notifications and other content to which the Employee / system is exposed, is ensured to be relevant to that particular Employee/system environment. Combine this local software capability with tight integration of the existing ticketing systems and its easy to track through existing reports what issues occur, who is affected, and document in a standardized manner how the issue was fixed – all through automation.

The overall result is that proactive detection and automated remediation of issues can contribute to the ROI of the solution by deflecting calls to the call center typically by 15-20% but as high as up to 40%!

Using Support Automation as a “first step” helps to reduce costs of the service desk while gaining valuable information about your Employee / end point environments and how your users are benefitted by self service technologies, laying a solid groundwork for expanding your Self Service offerings including your portal usage as this model matures within your enterprise corporation.

You would think today that the password reset issues would be a minor incident category with nearly every IDM vendor providing a self-service portal, password synchronization or single sign-on capability. To make matters worse, the sheer number of password protected applications and devices are going up, not down.

The truth is that end user enrollment in password management solutions is low and single sign-on doesn’t cover all applications and service. Furthermore the lack of success of end user enrollment decreases the chance that the standard IDM solutions for desktop lockout can really be successful.

Add to this the need for more aggressive security policies to lower corporate risk by forcing passwords to change quarterly or monthly, and enforcing strong passwords that are difficult to remember – and it looks like the problem isn’t going away anytime soon.

The fact is that users still depend on the service desk to solve password reset related issues. But, service desk agents are ill equipped to efficiently assist the end user. Why?

1. Identify management personnel are responsible for security/authentication, not the service desk agent
2. Providing administrative rights to a service desk agent is frowned upon by IT security personnel and does in fact compromise security policy
3. Password Reset is a complicated, manual process that requires administrative access to multiple systems/applications

Why is password reset a more complicated business issue for MSPs?

1. Every client has a unique ecosystem
   1. Security policy
   2. Compliance requirements (HIPPA, PCI, etc.)
   3. Directories, Systems, Applications
   4. MSP’s have limited influence and control over the adoption of Identity Management Solutions
      1. Single Sign-on
      2. Password Synchronization
      3. Self Service
      4. Generally there is little or no financial incentive for the MSP client to eliminate password reset calls

Support Automation can Significantly Impact the Economics of Service Support

Eliminate calls by improving the success rate of self-service

1. Increase Enrollment in IDM self-service Password Reset solutions
   1. Determine if user is enrolled
   2. Alert user to the value of enrollment
   3. Guide the user through the enrollment process
   4. Improve the Success Rate of Password Reset Self-Service
      1. Automate the Password Reset process for the end user by integrating with existing IDM solutions to proactively assist with end-user challenge questions and password reset workflow
      2. Capture the user at the point of pain – detecting failed authentication when using 3^rd Party applications – and providing automated or manual direction to the existing IDM solution for password reset.

Automating the password-reset workflow for the technical support analyst

1. Reduce the Handling Time Password Reset Related Calls by:
   1. Providing automatic look up of the user to see whether they are enrolled with the IDM solution and provide the challenge questions/answers
   2. Performing one-click password reset for many systems that enforces conformance to security policy for password strength

Give us a call to discuss how Support Automation can lower the cost and improve customer satisfaction for your Password Reset related incidents.

When the Tific team is developing ROI models for an Enterprise customer, the primary focus and big payback is derived through call deflection. At an average cost of $20 per call every issue/incident that is remediated without service desk involvement yields immediate and significant savings.  But what about the hidden cost associated with Employee Productivity?

Cost savings for support automation is pretty straight forward when you consider the number of deflected calls or other support automation metrics like improved first call resolution and reduced call-handling time; but when it comes to measuring the benefits of support automation for day-to-day problems that affect employee productivity it gets a bit more challenging. Of course, you can easily calculate the time/cost associated with the phone call with an agent. But, this doesn’t take into consideration all of the downtime that the employee experienced leading up to that phone call.

Let’s take a typical example of a connectivity issue preventing one of your employees from accessing the internet and their email – as we all know its a showstopper in todays work environment. Initially he/she may not even realize there is a problem. Perhaps they are working in another application and just don’t realize that there are no new emails coming in until they attempt to send something. Now starts the process of trying to figure out what the problem is – do they have internet access or is it just the email server? Is it just the corporate network connection or a problem with the VPN? To help address the problem, they may call a colleague or depending on their level of connectivity, they may look to social media to see if others are having the same problem or search a knowledge base.

Recent studies indicate that once your employee has called in with a problem, they have already spent double or triple the amount of time that it will take to the agent to troubleshoot their issue once on the phone. If a typical support call takes between 8-10 minutes, this can mean that nearly a half hour of your precious employees time has been lost due to this issue – and that’s the average. For more complex problems, or reoccurring issues, lost employee productivity can mount up to hours or days over a year.

How can Support Automation help?

Establishing a level of support automation can dramatically cut down on this lost time. By proactively monitoring the state of the employee’s PC, intelligent tools can detect connection problems and direct the employee to a solution – or even fix the issue before the employee is affected.

Take the example above – the connectivity problem could easily be that the employee simply hasn’t logged onto the corporate VPN. All other internet related connectivity is working fine, but the corporate IM and Email client simply can’t connect. The Tific Support Automation Suite can be configured to check for problems like this, diagnose the problem and either prompt the user to establish the VPN connection as they attempt to send the email or automatically connect to VPN before the user runs into the problem.

Either way – you’ve deflected the call to the call center and you’ve saved productive work time for your employees.

PlumChoice’s patented SAFElink™ platform enables large companies such as ISPs, OEMs, wireless providers and retailers to efficiently launch a premium service business that drives customer satisfaction and loyalty. With its proven technology and infrastructure, PlumChoice has become the recognized leader in the premium technology care market with its focus on CSAT and effective service delivery. Having already developed the capability to resolve the most complex consumer and small business technology issues remotely, PlumChoice will leverage this acquisition to extend its innovative service and platform to help companies further reduce their Tier 1 service costs and improve customer experiences.

Tific’s automated IT support solutions are used by some of the largest U.S. and European companies to automatically diagnose and resolve technical problems and help technicians perform their work more efficiently and effectively. The integration of PlumChoice’s premium service platform provides a seamless solution to access live expertise and support for programming and deployment of tools when needed—either by end-users or tech-support professionals. Likewise, Tific’s service automation portfolio provides PlumChoice with instant access to world-leading support tools that fit perfectly into PlumChoice’s existing consumer and SMB premium support service offering.

This new solution overcomes obstacles in the tools-only deployment model with a more comprehensive service model that offers greater revenue potential for corporate partners with the ability to accelerate performance, reduce unnecessary issue escalation and streamline resources for more efficient operations.

“Tific tools provide services to tens of millions of users worldwide with a terrific reputation for innovative problem solving. Tific shares our ‘Service 2.0’ vision for successful service solutions that combine excellent tools to solve problems automatically and assist with the ongoing support of more complex issues,” said PlumChoice CEO Ted Werth, the pioneer in premium technology services. “By joining forces, PlumChoice will continue to deliver the leading service platform.”

The market has matured over the past 24 months with increasing demand for automation mixed with service. “The combination of PlumChoice’s service innovation, tremendous reach and reputation for high-quality services with Tific tools will dramatically accelerate Tific’s growth,” said Pär Ribbner, former CEO of Tific, who will take on the dual roles of President of Tific and Senior Vice President at PlumChoice. Tific will operate as a separate unit. “With the acquisition and growth investment from PlumChoice, our team is energized and excited about the opportunity to expand in the U.S. and capitalize on the market opportunity for Service 2.0.”

“The acquisition of Tific provides PlumChoice with significant capabilities,” said Kurt Scherf, Vice President and Principal Analyst, Parks Associates. “PlumChoice’s acquisition of EveronIT earlier this year enhanced its capabilities to address the unique needs of small- and medium-sized businesses, an area of increasing focus for technical support service providers. Tific’s service automation portfolio is an example of a key technology need for service delivery suppliers both on a U.S. and an international basis. Our recent research shows this market growing dramatically and this type of combination will position PlumChoice even further into a leadership position.”

About PlumChoice
PlumChoice is setting a new standard of customer care with its Service 2.0 approach that has reinvented the way technology care is provided to connected homes and small businesses. As the largest independent technology care provider in the industry, PlumChoice pioneered the remote technical services business in 2001, providing 24×7 online repair and assistance for digital devices through local industry-certified agents. With the addition of its patented SAFElink™ service relationship platform, PlumChoice now offers a fully integrated and highly secure solution for service providers and other business partners, working under their brand names to provide them with new sources of revenue and cost reduction. PlumChoice’s services can be delivered remotely or on-site as a one-time incident, bundled with products/services, or subscriber-based solution. Covered devices include PCs and Macintosh™ computers, laptops, netbooks and mobile phones, TVs and home theater systems, routers and servers, networks, security systems, consumer electronics, software, peripherals, iPhones and other devices.

For more information, visit www.plumchoice.com , call 1-866-811-3321 or email pr@plumchoice.com.

The reality is that some interfaces work better then others depending on the issue at-hand and the sophistication of the end-user. Users will attempt to solve their issues with the person next door, Microsoft help, Google search, a self-service portal based on KM or support automation like Tific — and, frankly some will only consider speaking to someone directly. At the end of the day users will gravitate to what works for them and consumes the least amount of time. There probably won’t be a single way end-users approach self-service or self-help.

From an enterprise standpoint it would be ideal to present the end-user with 1 interface that would allow them to search for automation and knowledge articles that are relevant to their issue at hand. Relevant is the keyword here. It is a challenge for a naive business user to identify what to search for or even how to describe the problem. This is where support automation technology can make a big difference by either identifying the problem automatically (and potentially resolving it – aka self-healing) or at least limiting the possible solutions based on intelligence about their computing platform.

In the ideal world, self-service should always start with self-healing — if a problem can be solved through automation without end-user involvement that is a huge win with the end-user, and of course the support organization.  If it can’t be solved with automation, the end-user should be offered a simple interface (like a wizard) that guides the end-user through the issue with some intelligence about the current configuration of the device, recent changes, etc.

In my opinion that is what a successful self-service approach is all about. Of course the challenge is getting end-users to adopt and that is not just about technology. It is a behavioral thing that will only change with success — the more people are successful with self-service the more it will be accepted.

The IT support organization can help by promoting success stories and by encouraging the end-users to change their behavior — like making it more difficult to find phone numbers for support and/or pushing them to Chat first.

We would love to hear you about your experience with self-service  — good and bad.

With the implementation of Click ‘n Fix into AVG’s customer support knowledge base, AVG’s 110 million customers can either follow the steps offered by the knowledge base or simple select the Click ‘n Fix option to fix the problem automatically. As a result, AVG customers can eliminate the need to follow often challenging technical instructions. Through the use of Click ‘n Fix AVG hopes to impove the success rate of customer self-service and increase overall customer satisfaction.

Tific’s automated solutions can be found within the support section of the AVG websites at www.avg.com/support and free.avg.com/support. Click ‘n Fix tools can be found in some of the Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ). AVG plans to continuously add automated solutions to more frequently asked questions.

“We are looking forward to developing value added services for our customers. Sometimes it can be a challenge to follow all the technical instructions to solve issues caused by a virus or a suspicious activity. This is what we are going to change and we hope this will help our customers to enjoy their digital lives without any unwanted stress”, said Clent Richardson, Chief Operating Officer, AVG Technologies.

“I’m very proud of this contract with AVG. Customer support is becoming an increasingly strategic differentiator for software and hardware companies and we have again proven that our solutions help customers get ahead of the field. Our new Click ‘n Fix offering with its SaaS delivery has been received very positively in the market and I expect it to grow fast”, says Johan Attby, VP Business Development at Tific.

• Extensive performance improvements – scales to millions of end-points
• Communication redesign that enables remote development of self-healing solutions and enhanced collaboration
• Extended reporting and an improved statistics/business intelligence capabilities
• New atoms – low level visual building blocks – for a faster development of self-healing solutions
• Extended library of content that includes support for the digital home and security
• User configurable interface of service desk agent dashboard
• 64 bit support
• Certified for Windows 7

ICA AB introduced several of Tific’s support automation solutions (under the internal name HelpICA) to support their internal users in 2009. The positive results and recognition by the support staff has lead ICA to introduce Tific automation to their retail stores.

“We were very excited when launching HelpICA in May 2009 to our corporate users. We received very positive feedback from both the business users and the support staff. We realized our support automation targets and recently decided to expand the roll out to include all our stores”, says Tom Sölch, Head of IT Support at ICA.

Tific’s support automation solutions help companies run IT support operation with higher productivity and at a lower cost while at the same time increasing end user satisfaction. With Tific customers realize the benefit of eliminating level 1 support calls, reducing call handling time, increasing 1st call resolution rates and eliminating costly escalations.

“I am, of course, very satisfied that ICA has quickly achieved their targeted results for support automation and are expanding the scope of Tific to include their retail stores. The cooperation has worked very well and we look forward to helping ICA realize even more of their investments in support automation from Tific”, says Pär Ribbner, CEO at Tific.

About the ICA Group

The ICA Group is one of the Northern Europe’s leading retail companies, with around 2,200 of its own and retailer-owned stores in Sweden, Norway and the Baltic countries. The Group includes ICA Sweden, ICA Norway, Rimi Baltic and Real Estate as well as ICA Bank, which offers financial services to Swedish customers. ICA AB is a joint venture 40 percent owned by Hakon Invest AB of Sweden and 60 percent by Royal Ahold N.V. of the Netherlands. For further information about ICA please visit: http://www.ica.se (http://www.ica.se/)

Tific solutions are used by a growing number of companies to reduce support costs, increase customer satisfaction and productivity through proactive detection and resolution of known IT-problems, referred to as self healing by Gartner. Logica will offer support automation as a natural part of the work place offering where Tific will be included as one of the core components.

LISS makes it easier for Logica workplace users to solve problems and get answers to questions on their own even outside Service Desk hours and also when the computer is off line. LISS provides a single point of contact for all support and is automatically adapted to each unique customer and user. LISS will also enable proactive detection and resolution of problems and risks before they impact the user environment. The LISS concept brings increased availability and higher support efficiency that will lead to increased end user satisfaction.

”Managed Service Providers (MSPs) is a focus area for Tific and I am very pleased over the agreement with Logica as another proof point that we have a very strong offering for this segment” says Pär Ribbner, CEO at Tific.

“With Tific as our partner in support automation – an important step is taken to increase the level of self service for our customers”, says Patrik Adler, Service Area Manager Service Desk at Logica.

About Logica

Logica is a business and technology service company, employing 39,000 people across 36 countries. We deliver business consulting, systems integration and outsourcing across all industries and business functions. We create value by successfully integrating people, business and technology to create effective, sustainable business ecosystems. Our people apply insight to create innovative answers to your business needs. Logica is listed on both the London Stock Exchange and Euronext (Amsterdam) (LSE: LOG; Euronext: LOG). More information can be found at: www.logica.com