Password resets and account unlocks

Typically, password resets and account unlock requests comprise 30-40% of service desk tickets and are good candidates to start with. Moreover, laws and regulations such as PCI DSS, Sarbanes-Oxley and HIPAA have reviewed password requirements and now encourage or demand greater complexity such as multi-factor authentication. Resetting passwords manually wastes an enormous amount of time and money resulting in end-user frustration, customer dissatisfaction and compliance vulnerabilities. With wrong guessing of passwords, the user account gets locked which further adds to the ticket volume. Therefore, password resets and account unlocks become the top priority candidates for automation.

Employee On-boarding and Off-Boarding

Series of tasks need to be carried out when an employee is on-boarded. These tasks could be creating several accounts such as AD, Unix, Databases, Applications. The notice needs to be sent to the HR orientation team as well as the admin team for assigning a new desk. The IT department needs to get informed for assigning a laptop and IP address if needed. These tasks could be time-consuming and if not done in proper time, the new employee or contractor simply has to wait which results in unproductive and waste of resources and money. Ideally, many companies have a policy of “Zero-day start” which means all formalities has to be done on the first day or before to make the employee productive to start with. In such a case, on-boarding turns out to be a good candidate for automation. Just as the process of on-boarding, there are certain steps that must take place whenever someone leaves a company or transitions to another position within. By integrating automation with the identity management system, the appropriate role/access changes or terminations can be handled from one central location. Employee off-boarding becomes equally important especially for security and compliance perspective. Not turning off/deleting accounts of resigned employees poses a security threat. Companies where there is a lot of turn-over of temporary workers, the task of off-boarding becomes over-whelming for the IT department and therefore, becomes a good candidate for automation.

Ad-hoc queries and Knowledge Management

A typical service desk supporting over 1000+ users handle over 1500 tickets a month. Many of these tickets are simple queries such as my printer is not working or what is my leave balance. With the new advent of technologies such chatbots, these queries could be handled by bots by integrating with back-end knowledge management systems, effectively relieving service desk team to focus on more value added tasks. With AI and machine learning, context based knowledge article searches become a powerful tool for introducing this self-service.

Common event handling

Service desk needs to handle a lot of common complaints such as my web-server is not working or my disk is full. The L1 support agents have to analyse and forward these queries to L2 engineers who further trouble-shoot by starting the web-service on the required machine. A typical ticket wait time for such requests is about 4-6 hours which frustrates end-users. Proper automation could reduce this turn-around-time to less than a minute and save the time of end-users as well as service desk technicians. In case of “disk-full”, the problem is a bit tricky as there are several alternatives to handle such a situation such as: deleting temporary files, moving older files (not used in last few months) to other locations or backing up or simply allocating more disk space. Automation in this case becomes important mainly for two reasons: One is obviously saving time of service desk agents to forward the call and L2 engineers to resolve. But more importantly, if it is done properly with right privileges embedded in automation workflows, even L1 engineers who do not have privileges are able to handle such requests. More with advanced automation, complete orchestration workflows could be developed using SOP’s. Even machine learning could be used to generate steps involved based on past event handling and these options could be given to L1 agents to execute.

Ticket classification

The routing of a problem ticket to the proper support team is a very critical step in any service desk system environment. Especially when the ticket volume is high, the manual method of analysing tickets, classifying to proper support buckets and forwarding them to appropriate teams become a very time-consuming exercise. Incorrect routing of tickets results in the reassignment of tickets, unnecessary resource utilization, user satisfaction deterioration and have adverse financial implications for both customers and the service provider. The tickets could be auto-routed to appropriate support teams using machine learning technology. By mining historical ticket descriptions and label, an ML model could be built to classify new tickets. Moreover, the priority of the ticket could also be assigned by the past historical data. A benefit of building such an automated service desk system includes improved productivity, end-user experience and reduced resolution time. llocating more disk space.

End-to-end automation Platform

Besides these top candidates for service desk automation, many other system administration tasks could be automated such as: virtual machine management, distribution list management, producing health-check reports, office-365 management, providing VPN and wifi access etc. End-to-end automation is possible starting with handling requests, queries or events to auto-fulfilment of these service desk tickets.

Norwin's Managed Services Platform

Our Managed Service is based on AI-driven automation platform having ITPA (IT process automation) as well as RPA (Robotic Process Automation) capabilities. Moreover, the platform comes bundled with over 300+ ready automation adapters which make it easier to start the service immediately. We have our own AI-based methodology to identify candidates for automation from the ticket data. We will be more than happy to assist you in your service desk automation journey.

In the fast-paced and competitive world of IT, comprehensive testing is crucial for the success of any project. At Norwin Technologies, we understand this necessity and offer specialized skills to meet all your IT needs. With our comprehensive test services, we not only accelerate project delivery but also provide quality support and enhanced services that allow our clients to rise above their competition. As your strategic partner, we believe in the power of a successful Testing Center of Excellence (TCOE) built on the pillars of People, Process, and Tools.

The foundation of a successful TCOE lies in its building blocks: People, Process, and Tools. These building blocks provide the necessary flexibility to deliver standardized test services while striking a balance between centralized and decentralized approaches. Let's take a closer look at each building block and understand how it contributes to higher efficiency, cost-effectiveness, and productivity.

People

At Norwin Technologies, we recognize that the right people are the driving force behind any successful endeavor. Our TCOE focuses on organizing the right talent and establishing an efficient organizational structure. We ensure that our team members possess the necessary skills and capabilities through continuous training and certifications. By retaining valuable resources and implementing effective onboarding and capacity management strategies, we ensure a steady supply of skilled professionals to meet your project demands.

Process

The process is the backbone of any well-executed project. Our TCOE offers a comprehensive set of processes, documents, templates, checklists, and guidelines to ensure standardized testing practices. We prioritize metrics management, service level agreement (SLA)/operational level agreement (OLA) management, audits, compliance, and reporting to drive transparency and accountability. Our cross-functional processes enable seamless collaboration between teams, and our operating model ensures alignment with your business units. Additionally, our change management strategies foster innovation and transformation within your organization.

Tools

To achieve excellence in testing, the right tools are essential. Norwin Technologies leverages cutting-edge tools and technologies to enhance the efficiency and effectiveness of our test services. We have a robust arsenal of tools for governance, vendor management, performance management, financial management, and capacity management. These tools not only streamline processes but also provide valuable insights and analytics to make informed decisions. With our modernization approach, we continuously update our toolset to stay ahead of industry trends and deliver exceptional results.

Learn More About Our Solutions

To discover how Norwin Technologies can revolutionize your testing practices and drive success for your IT projects, we invite you to learn more about our solutions. Our comprehensive suite of services encompasses governance, vendor management, performance management, financial management, capacity management, organization structure, skills and capability management, training and certification, resource retention, demand and supply management, process documentation, templates, checklists, guidelines, root cause analysis, metrics management, SLA/OLA management, audits and compliance, reporting, cross-functional processes, operating model alignment, change management, innovation, and transformation. With Norwin Technologies as your strategic partner, you can harness the power of a Testing Center of Excellence and achieve unparalleled results.

In conclusion, Norwin Technologies is committed to helping you accelerate your IT projects and achieve success through our specialized skills and comprehensive test services. By leveraging our Testing Center of Excellence and its building blocks of People, Process, and Tools, you can optimize your testing practices, enhance productivity, and gain a competitive edge in the industry. Contact us today to embark on a transformative journey towards IT excellence.