Help desk - Knowledge Exchange - DMTF · PDF fileJune 16-19 San Jose, California Help desk - Knowledge Exchange Greg Oxton - Consortium for Service Innovation Marvin Waschke – Computer

June 16-19 San Jose, California

Help desk - Knowledge Exchange

Greg Oxton - Consortium for Service Innovation Marvin Waschke – Computer Associates

The Support Working Group

Copyright © 2003 Global Management Conference Page 2


How can support deal with a rapidly changing and unpredictable install base?

Characteristicsof Open Systems• Plug and play• Customer is the integrator• Infinite number of configurations to support• Time to market acceleration for products• Increasing complexity of install base• Less sophisticated users



The Support Organization

SUPPORTORGANIZATION

IncreasingComplexity

IncreasingDemand

FALLING MARGINS

RISING COSTS



The ChallengeEnd Users

Corporate Help Desks

Prod.Mfg.

Channels & 3rd-Party

Support Providers

End Users

• How to push solutions closer to the customer

• And understand the users experience with the product and support

• And maintain brand image and loyalty

Solutions

Experience



The Evolution of Support

SupportCommunities

VirtualCommunities

LeveragingSupport

Knowledge

Knowledge-CenteredSupport

SupportCenter

RemoteSupport

FieldService

On-siteSupport

The Longer View



Strategy for a “Virtual Support Community”

• Plug 'n play relationships • Requires standards • Leverages knowledge across boundaries• Leverages resources across boundaries• Connectivity (the internet)

– With customers– With partners– Between customers



The Answer?• Knowledge management practices

– Knowledge-Centered Support– Well structured content

• Predictable way to move knowledge between organizations– Exchange standards

• Connectivity– The internet

• Business relationships– Virtual Support Communities



What Standards Can Do?• Standardize the interface between support partners

– Provide for shared meanings– Model and scope transactions

• Normalize input/output from different tools• Create an open knowledge sharing infrastructure• Define re-usable incident exchange scenarios


June 16-19 San Jose, CaliforniaAn Integrated System

PlatformPlatform

Engine XEngine X

Primary Help DeskPrimary Help Desk

Engine ZEngine Z

IncidentIncident(initiation)(initiation)

Secondary Help DeskSecondary Help Desk

Engine YEngine Y

IncidentIncident(escalation)(escalation)

FIXED

SES Import/ExportSES Import/ExportSolution ContentSolution Content

User



Solution Exchange (SES)• Defines key data and structure for solutions• Can be used:

– Across the organization (multi-site/multi-group escalation)

– Between partners (access to/from your support partners)

– Coordinated support for mutual customers


June 16-19 San Jose, CaliforniaSolution Exchange Model

Solution Producer’s

System

InternalSolution

Representation

InternalSolution

Representation

SolutionConsumer’s

System

CIM/XML

Solution Objects

Solution Objects

Parsing(standard)

Translation(Producer-specific)

Producer’sMapper

Consumer’sMapper

Parsing(standard)

Translation(Consumer-specific)



Incident Exchange (SIS)• Defines key data and transactions to share and collaborate

on support incidents• Can be used:

– Across the organization (multi-site/multi-group escalation)– Between partners (access to/from your support partners)– Coordinated support for mutual customers– Direct customer interface


June 16-19 San Jose, CaliforniaHow to Use Incidents

InternalService IncidentRepresentation

Service Provider’s

System

Provider’sIncident Engine

Translation(Provider-specific)

ServiceRequester’s

System

InternalService Incident Representation

Translation(Requester-specific)

Requester’sIncident Engine

Service Incident

ServiceIncident

CIM/XML

StandardTransactions

StandardTransactions

Virtual Machine



Joint Standards Effort• Customer Support Consortium Exchange Standards

Working Group– Content and process expertise

• DMTF Support Working Group– Structure and tools expertise

• Over 30 Companies Actively Involved– Solution Sub-Group– Service Incident Sub-Group



DMTF / ConsortiumComplementary Objectives

• Define standards to enable cross-product and cross-platform systems management

• Engage key players in the high tech industry• Leverage membership to drive awareness and adoption of

CIM platform standards and support standards• Define a supportable future for the computing industry!



Distinct Consortium Objectives• Define new strategic business models for multi-vendor

support and knowledge management• Leverage data standards within new support models• Service focused: platform information feeds incidents and

solutions• Solution and incident data encompasses, but does not

define, platform data

For more information see: www.serviceinnovation.org



Summary• Customer service is a knowledge development and

exchange business• Knowledge-Centered Support

– Leveraging solutions to optimize the support process

• Virtual Support Communities/Networks– Leveraging standardized relationships, process and data Exchange

Standards– Enables consistent knowledge definition and interchange: the oil

that runs the engine

• DMTF/Consortium Partnership



Observations from the support trenches

The view from a support system vendor.



Today’s support challenges• Do more with less. (Not news!) • Business is more dependent on IT.

– E-business did not end when the dot-com bubble burst.– More powerful, cheaper desktops have resulted in more powerful

more common applications.



Challenges• Connected and open environment.

– More security issues.– More connectivity issues.– TCP/IP and http have taken over the world.

• Heterogeneity– No longer see all UNIX engineering groups.– No more all SNA in accounting.– Single vendor solutions are gone.



Challenges• The level of B2B connectivity is astounding.

– Customers demand on-line vendors.– Vendors demand on-line customers.

• Corporate applications.– On the web.– Accessible to every employee in the organization.– On-line training.



Challenges

• Out-sourced services. – Network management.– Desktop management.– Support.



Challenges

IT and IT support have become transparent budget items.



Are support standardsthe solution?

No!(But they help a lot.)



Support Standards• Will not

– Make your budget transparent.– Bring back single vendor solutions.– Make your customer base shut up and quit having

issues.– Make all those desktop PCs go away.– Bring back those out-sourced services.– Disconnect the environment.



But standards will• Share solutions• Transfer issues• Making cooperation possible

– Between vendor and customer.– Out-sourcers and their customers.– Segments of single business entities

• Applications can be made service aware to fit into an enterprise service model

Documents

Help desk - Knowledge Exchange - DMTF · PDF fileJune 16-19 San Jose, California Help desk - Knowledge Exchange Greg Oxton - Consortium for Service Innovation Marvin Waschke – Computer