The quarterly publication of the International Legal Technology Association
Issue link: https://epubs.iltanet.org/i/34686
Percent of All Service Desk Incidents Logged by Email 40% 30% 20% 10% 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2015 2020 GROWTH OF EMAIL TICKETS — A MIXED SIGNAL FOR HELPDESK EFFICIENCY Let’s consider how we’ll get to where we’ll be in 2020. Email continues to grow as a user-support-incident reporting channel — from 15.5 percent in 2006 to 29.7 percent in 2011. This trend will continue to rise, albeit more slowly, over the next 10 years. While email is often perceived as a faster reporting method, especially by the end user who is not logging the issue via phone, in reality, email extends the actual support request. Ticket data published in Intelliteach’s 2011 User Support Guru Guide (a report on legal helpdesk metrics and key performance indicators based on one million-plus logged firm user support calls), indicates that, on average, tickets created via email have a lifespan six times longer than those originated as live phone calls. To further clarify, only 10.4 percent of phone calls require two or more contacts to the desk compared to 90.9 percent of email inquiries. This is typically due to the user’s inability to troubleshoot the situation or clearly describe the need in the original request, often requiring additional email exchanges or call-backs. So, while email might temporarily reduce phone support volumes, it is bound to create more phone follow-up in the long term... something to keep in mind for future helpdesk use. INTEGRATING INSTANT MESSAGING OR CHAT Many large corporations already depend on instant messaging (IM) technology as an alternative or additional channel to telephone or email. It’s easy to deploy, requires very little or no training, and is quick. This could prove to be a useful technology in the future — perhaps an interactive chat box popping up when a user is browsing the “Mail Merge Quick Reference Guide” on the intranet. However, before you consider implementing IM, think about how you will manage 104 www.iltanet.org Peer to Peer this channel. We all know how important it is to measure service levels, ticket volumes and user satisfaction, and measuring IMs is no different. In order to do so, any instant messaging technology has to be fully integrated into the automatic call distributor (ACD) system; you need to be able to measure response times, resolution times, record the history of the chat and pre-populate the ticket on this service desk management tool. Additional considerations should be given to managing IM volume, so you can provide adequate staffing when users request IM support. Although it might be possible for an analyst to manage one or more IM conversations simultaneously, the channel will soon lose its user appeal if the analyst stops to handle a lengthy telephone call mid-chat, thus stretching out IM response times. In addition to instant messaging, many organizations outside the legal profession are exploring the use of social media in the support center. In 2011, HDI, the world’s largest IT service and technical support membership association, collected responses from IT support professionals about the use of social media to support their users. Of the organizations that responded, 27 percent reported that they are using Facebook in some way, as well as blogs, Twitter, Yammer and wikis. Based on assumed current use, it seems most likely that these are being used as channels to push out information, rather than to pull in service requests from users. CAPITALIZING ON THE MOBILITY REVOLUTION The mobility revolution over the past 10 years has had far- reaching consequences. Lawyers continue to work long hours and expect a solution that will allow them to work anywhere, anytime, on any device. The increase in smartphone sales is one factor driving this expectation. According to a recent market report by RBC Capital Markets, smartphone sales are expected to overtake