STRATEgY Jurassic Park - HDI/media/HDICorp/Files/... · social media revolution to the virtual workforce. In “Jurassic Park and the Service Desk,” Chris Dancy relates the history

Leadership

Why Are My Best People Leaving?

Required Reading

10 Must-Reads for IT Leaders

Coaching

Coaching Competence: Mastering the Craft

IT Service Management

“ So, You’ve Decided to Adopt ITIL”: Eight Steps to Leading Change

Technology

Tools for Supporting the Remote Workforce

STRATEgY

From Primordial Incident Logging to the Rise of Social Media

Jurassic Park

Leading IT Service & Support March/April 2010

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Letter from the Director

SupportWorld Readers,

HDI, like all great organizations, is more than the sum of its parts. When I speak at local chapter meetings, I always ask, “What do you know about HDI?” And I always get as many different answers as there are members. That’s what makes HDI so strong…all of our different parts working together. Whether you come to HDI for training, certification, conferences, networking, content, support expertise, workplace templates, knowledge sharing—whatever it is—we’re glad you’re here!

As the new Director of Membership, I am pleased to bring together as many resources as possible for you, our members.

HDI’s strength lies in what we can offer, but also in what you can get out of it. Reach out to HDI for answers to your questions; let HDI be your starting point to help you begin new projects, and then share what you’ve learned with others, to make their tasks easier. HDI is passionate about sharing knowledge.

That’s why I am so pleased to bring you this issue, which addresses a wide range of topics, from the social media revolution to the virtual workforce. In “Jurassic Park and the Service Desk,” Chris Dancy relates the history of the service desk as it relates to the social media revolution, and provides some advice for helping your service desk embrace social media. Maurey Wolk explores the issue of employee retention, especially pertinent in today’s economic landscape (“Why Are My Best People Leaving?” p. 12). And, as a follow-on to the recent virtual employee Focus Book series, Bob Last examines the practicalities of a virtual employee program (“Tools for Supporting the Remote Workforce,” p. 36).

We continue to look for ways to serve you better and bring you the most informative, engaging content in the industry. Please send your ideas, comments, and articles to Megan Selva at [email protected].

It is people like you that make HDI strong. Thanks to all of you, our members, for being advocates for your industry.

Sincerely,

Sophie KlossnerDirector of Membership

Please send us your comments and questions regarding SupportWorld.Letters to the editor should be sent to [email protected] or by mail to: 102 South Tejon Street, Suite 1200 • Colorado Springs, CO • 80903

We reserve the right to edit all submissions.

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SupportWorld is published by HDI.

TM

6 Strategy Jurassic Park and the Service Desk From Primordial Incident Logging to the Rise of

Social Media

12 Leadership Why Are My Best People Leaving? Keeping Your Service Desk Staff

18 Required Reading 10 Must-Reads for IT Leaders

22 Coaching Coaching Competence:

Mastering the Craft

26 IT Service Management “ So, You’ve Decided to

Adopt ITIL”: Eight Steps to Leading Change

32 Service Doctor

36 Technology Tools for Supporting

the Remote Workforce

40 Customer Service The Helpless Desk

42 Help Desk Humor

44 Community News

Copyright © 2010 HDI • ISSN 1559-3975

All rights reserved. Reproduction or use of the contents in whole or in part without permission of the publisher is prohibited.

HDI® and SupportWorldTM are registered trademarks of Think Service, Inc. HDI is a part of UBM TechWeb, a division of United Business Media LLC.

KCSSM is a registered service mark of the Consortium for Service Innovation.

ITIL® and IT Infrastructure Library® are registered trademarks and registered community trademarks of the Office of Government Commerce, and are registered in the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office.

All other trademarks or trade names are the property of their respective owners.

HDI publishes SupportWorld, a professional journal, six times per year.We welcome your input.

For advertising opportunities, contact Greg Russak, Advertising Manager: [email protected] • 724.864.5868

To submit articles, contact Megan Selva, Editor: [email protected] • 203.283.9437

For subscription and membership information, contact HDI’s Customer Care Team: [email protected] • 800.248.5667 • 719.268.0174

HDI • 102 South Tejon Street, Suite 1200 • Colorado Springs, CO • 80903

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HDI is the only association that focuses specifically on the needs of IT service and technical support professionals.

Industry Resources: white papers, metrics tools, member toolbox, Focus BooksOnline TrainingProfessional Networking and Local Chapter Meetings

www.ThinkHDI.com/Join2010 I 800.248.5667

Member-rated Favorites:

Join Now!

Suppor tWor ld I KEEP ING THE I T SUPPORT COMMUNITY CONNECTED

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Director of Business ContentCinda Daly

EditorMegan Selva

Art DirectorEarl Otsuka

Contributors Jim BoltonChris DancyRobert S. LastJim McKennanDan RaederJoanne L. SmikleMaurey Wolk

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The People Epoch

In the beginning, we talked to each other. Customers with “dumb terminals” or “tape dumps” would come directly to the help desk to ask for assistance. The original IT tribes mingled with each other freely. The data center was a noisy place, very warm and full of tracker-feed paper bursting in rhythm to the beat of modems chirping away. The “While You Were Away” pink carbon message was our “incident” and office superstores came in the fifteen-pound catalogs the mail boy delivered to our office. The notion of “IT and the business” was new and we were still one with the land.

The Tool Epoch

In the early 1990s, ticketing systems were just coming out of the DOS period with shiny new mouse-enabled interfaces. The feature-function epoch launched many industry titans, like FrontRange, Help Star, and Blue Ocean. Two very distinct things came out of this time: IT as a business machine and IT as a profession.

IT as a profession, for all its greatness, was actually the first schism. As soon as machines and software came between the tribes, there was no turning back. The data center was secured and the people it employed were different and very much un-approachable. IT as a business machine supported this divide. Entire companies were created just to sell software, hardware, and consulting to help businesses “enable” support. During this period, we also saw the rise of the very first professional communities for the support desk, like HDI, itSMF, and other regional tech “clubs.”

At the same time, help desk software was redefining the way that organizations “supported” their customers. To help curb the number of calls the help desk received from users ask-ing how to create new tables and fields, FrontRange decided to create a GUI (graphical user interface) front-end for the administration of its HEAT system. This GUI front-end was a game changer; overnight, it allowed the average user to become more self-sufficient, no longer requiring them to rely

on programmers and consulting to make complex system up-dates. This not only transformed FrontRange, but the industry as a whole.

The Tool Epoch ended with the best of intentions. Organiza-tions saw alignment between customer relationship manage-ment and the help desk. This stroke of genius was short-lived, although, in hindsight, it was a sign of things to come.

The Process Epoch

In this new era, tools were not forgotten, but they took a back seat. Y2K came and went, and the support center continued to thrive. The promises of the Tool Epoch proved empty, and IT continued to search for the keys to business alignment. This period witnessed the rise of the analyst machines—Gartner, Forrester, and Butler—for whom swaying public opinion was as easy as issuing a press release. In North America, the prom-ise of ITIL brought an onslaught of ITSM software vendors to the table. Finally, everyone had a common playbook of rules and processes. ITIL gave businesses a way to process and pro-duce results for the IT support department. Waves of our tribe were trained and certified in the new Esperanto for IT.

Support tools shifted so dramatically in this period that separating just one help desk vendor from another became impossible. Our professional organizations continued to grow, but slowly, our tribe became even more separated from our consumers and, worse yet, IT began to fracture from within.

If effective communication with our support consumers and the business was not already in enough trouble, this period

“ How can your organization make the most of social media?”

Strategy

6 I www.ThinkHDI.com I March/April 2010

How did we go from DOS-based help desks to worrying about Twitter? What can we do to explore and use social media on the service desk? What can we do to prepare for the social media revolution? These are just a few of the questions this article will address.

But to understand our future, we must first look to our past...

By Chris Dancy

From Primordial Incident Logging to the Rise of Social Media

StRategy

9


Strategy

also saw the emergence of the mobile workforce. Now, name-less and faceless users connected with nameless and faceless engineers via telephony, which was, ironically, an attempt to make it easier to reach the correct person in IT support.

By the end of the Process Epoch, IT was grappling with the failure of tools, the empty promises of frameworks, and the greatest divide in its history, between IT and its consumers.

The Persona Epoch

Nature has a way of balancing and adjusting the forces that shape everything. In their infinite wisdom, Nature and the machines realized that we had stopped talking to each other. Project management, cloud computing, and mobile devices had stolen the last glimpses of humanity from support. The rise of the virtual persona was born out of necessity, to help us reconnect with our customers, our families, our friends from high school, and our peers and coworkers. These virtual personas became so powerful so quickly that many people, governments, and organizations feared losing their identities. Who are we without layers of separation between “us and them”?

The Return of T-Rex

Today, social communities are growing faster than we can adapt to or understand them. Some organizations are trying to leverage these new tools; these organizations will fail. You cannot leverage a relationship between people; it is simple, beautiful, and cannot be replicated or exploited. Neverthe-less, social media is the natural evolution of IT support. After decades of separation, we are reaching out to our peers and customers in new ways. As we gaze into the future of support, software, processes, and polices will dissolve and evaporate into the cloud. IT in 2020 will be about brokering relation-ships. But how do we deal with the new world of support and social media?

The Social Support Epoch: Social Media Today

From stone tablets to Google Wave, human society has always thrived on information, sometimes repressed and sometimes transparent. In the twenty-first century, people connect to the Web for more than just e-mail and surfing; they are connecting for social purposes and information. It started simply enough, with Web rings and news groups. The evolution from there has been radical, to say the least. We are suffering from and

reveling in information overload. The Web site and the inbox are dying and the shift toward pull communication and new media has taken hold; it will only grow stronger.

New generations of workers expect to be connected. They access their mobile devices while at work. They talk about their work at home, with millions of people at once on blogs, wikis, micro-blogging sites, and instant messaging. Giants like Google and Microsoft have integrated real-time social media into their search engines. Customers will want to know why your organization is not on the cutting edge, so make sure you are there!

Consider these questions: What can your organization do? What are other organizations doing? How can you your orga-nization make the most of social media?

Quality is not just about doing things right—it is also about doing the right things. Support organizations lived through the Tool Epoch, where having somewhere to log requests was a must. Then they survived the Process Epoch, when hav-ing a tool was just the beginning. Business alignment reigned supreme. Billions of dollars have been spent and we are still looking for ways to measure the customer experience.

The first decades of twenty-first century will be remembered as the Social Support Epoch. In this new era, we will finally engage our customers. We can choose to ignore the masses clamoring for our attention on social networking sites or we can choose to be a part of the conversation. It is only a matter of time before support organizations start using social media tools to work with their customers in the places of their cus-tomers’ choosing. Unfortunately, the help desk has become a place where policies, processes, and procedures are the staples and the “customer experience” is often the last thing on its mind. By using social media tools, you can bridge this gap.

Ideally, before embracing social media, you should create focus groups to gauge customer satisfaction with the current help desk experience. This information can be used as a baseline for evaluating the success of any social media rollouts.

Sample Initial StepsBlogsCreate a blog for customers and feature writers from the help desk. Have them blog about day-to-day experiences and chal-lenges. Share the blog with the organization. Advertise your blog on help desk e-mails and consider distributing flyers with information about the blog.

FlickrCreate a Flickr account and post pictures of help desk team members. Post pictures of the help desk area and help desk

events. Make the help desk seem like more than just a place where requests are denied and policies are enforced.

DeliciousCreate a listing of commonly used Web links that reference company information, common questions, and other help sites. Delicious gives the help desk a chance to share interesting Web sites and adds additional human factors to the support equation.

Sample Secondary StepsCrowd SourcingConsider starting a monthly contest for suggestions to help the help desk improve the customer experience. Use anonymous e-mail outlets, polling Web sites, or phone surveys. Word will travel fast when people learn that the help desk is giving away lunches, half-day Fridays, and movie tickets.

YouTube/VimeoConsider creating a YouTube channel where you post updates or general information about the help desk. Try sending out short videos with information about tickets and updates. You can do this privately on YouTube. Putting a face to a “problem” often generates a win/win for both parties.

LinkedInEncourage your staff to create profiles and participate in LinkedIn or LinkedIn Groups. Create a group just for the help desk or the customers of the help desk. This promotes networking and growth beyond your organization.

Sample Tertiary StepsTwitter/YammerCreate Twitter or Yammer accounts. Post events, notices, and updates from the help desk.

FacebookHaving a Facebook fan page for your help desk can do incred-ible things for the customer experience. Fan pages can post updates for your customers, share events, pictures, and videos. Most of your customers will have some experience with Face-book, so this is a great place to meet them.

“ We can choose to ignore the masses clamoring for our attention on social networking sites or we can choose to be a part of the conversation.”

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Advanced Social Steps

Consider using podcasts and live streaming video, such as justin.tv or ustream.tv, to share monthly/quarterly “state of the help desk” broadcasts, introduce new team members, and publicize promotions.

Ning is also a great place to collaborate and create a social experience for your help desk. Consider it a private Facebook just for your staff or your staff and customers!

After the FireInternal ResourcesAppoint a social media czar or customer experience engi-neer for the help desk. The employee will enjoy this and the customer will benefit from having a single point of contact. Updating blogs, Twitter, Yammer, LinkedIn, YouTube, and Facebook simultaneously will help keep the time this new role will consume down to a minimum.

Measure Using focus groups before, during, and after social media exposure will help you gauge your progress. These groups should be comprised of people who call the help desk often and, more importantly, people who never call the desk.

MonitorEven if your help desk does not have a social media strategy, you should take time to monitor your organization in the so-cial stream. Run weekly searches for your organization’s name on social sites to see what customers are talking about.

A New Dawn

Even if your organization decides to ignore the social media revolution, creating a social media policy is mandatory. As human resource departments struggle to find balance between free speech and workers’ rights, it is IT that has the responsi-bility for creating a framework for these new communications.

A couple of great resources for social media polices are Social Media Governance (http://socialmediagovernance.com) and 123 Social Media (http://123socialmedia.com).

Conclusion

The best way to ensure your future is to invent it. As service and support centers, we need to charge forward to meet our consumers. While the organization struggles with social me-dia, we, as IT teams, have a unique opportunity to show the business how it should engage with its consumers in this new era. What we have in front of us is the opportunity that, for decades, has eluded IT: business alignment. By maintaining a dialogue with the people we support, other organizations will learn from our example. All it took was thirty years and 140 characters.

About the Author

Chris Dancy is the founder and chief ITSM evangelist of ServiceSphere, an organization dedicated the advance-ment of information and transparency to consumers and vendors within the IT Service Management industry. Chris has over twenty years of experience in IT and has been responsible for enterprise pre-sales support ITIL

consulting, best practices support, and ITSM speaking engagements. He began his career as a service desk manager with WebMD, later joining FrontRange as solution consultant, where he installed solutions for over 150 customers in North America and Europe. Since leaving FrontRange, Chris has worked for NetworkD, where he was one of the world’s top HEAT consultants with his “kung fu” approach to making FrontRange’s HEAT product do the impossible, and Touchpaper/Avocent, where he was VP of business development, advocating processed based approach to ITSM through people, processes, and tools.

For more information about Chris and ServiceSphere, visit his Web site: http://www.servicesphere.com.

“ New generations of workers expect to be connected.”

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CoachingComp

As Benjamin Franklin said, an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. This quote is particularly apropos under these circumstances, as this situation is usually incurable. In most cases, it is either too late or ill advised to attempt to retain the employee. Preventative action, therefore, is essential in helping to retain your best people.

Service and support operations often have the highest turnover rates within an organization. While this alone is a significant concern, the frequent loss of your best person-nel can severely impact your service desk’s operation, as well as the business it supports.

In this article, we will look at the primary reasons why people leave service and support positions and discuss proactive steps to mitigate turnover, including:

• How you can easily increase employee retention by improving job satisfaction,

• Why your best employees leave for better opportunities and how to prevent it, and

• How you can leverage effective recruiting, hiring, and human resource practices to significantly reduce employee turnover.

Do you know why you are losing your staff? The answer is often a surprise to most managers. Low job satisfaction levels are frequently cited as the primary reason. In the ser-vice and support industry, where high pressure, stress, and burnout are commonplace, low job satisfaction equals high employee turnover. Although turnover in the industry may be high, some service desk managers know that the secret to retaining their staff is not primarily related to compensa-tion—it’s about appreciation, recognition, involvement, communication, and teamwork.

When employees feel that their work is not appreciated, team member morale can quickly deteriorate. This can lead to reduced performance and productivity, and will ultimately cause some employees to look for employment elsewhere. Keeping your team members engaged and mo-tivated is vital. Recognizing and rewarding performance, even for small contributions, is essential. If your team members feel that their work is valued, this will optimize their performance and longevity.

There are many ways to show appreciation to your team members. Taking the time to find out what is important to each individual can pay huge dividends. Sometimes all it takes is a pat on the back or perhaps some schedule flexibility. Some people value the opportunity to partici-

By Maurey Wolk

oes this situation sound familiar? One of your best employees asks to speak with you privately. You didn’t see it coming, but you sense that this is not going to be good news. The conversa-

tion is awkward and ends with one of your top people resigning. The person may have been working on a critical project or perhaps they are simply one of the most reliable, knowledgeable, and conscientious people on your team. Either way, you hate to lose the person, and you ask yourself how you could have prevented it.

Why Are My Best People Leaving?Keeping Your Service Desk Staff

Leadership

I www.ThinkHDI.com I March/April 201012 Suppor tWor ld I KEEP ING THE I T SUPPORT COMMUNITY CONNECTED

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time to start—your retention levels will only improve as a result.

One of the most overlooked ways you can prevent high em-ployee turnover starts long before you even hire an employee. Effective recruiting, interviewing, selection, and on-boarding practices can dramatically enhance retention levels. Hiring the right person for any particular job will increase the prob-ability that you will keep the employee long term. While it is clearly important to ensure that candidates meet the techni-cal requirements for a position, it is essential to consider the overall fit, soft skills, personality, and motivation of the person you are considering.

In order to hire employees with an eye toward long-term re-tention, it’s imperative to have a well-thought-out and docu-mented recruiting plan. The job description is only one small piece. It is also important to consider your company’s culture and determine what type of person will excel in your environ-ment. Look at your best performing, longest serving em-ployees and ascertain what traits have made them successful. Remember that while technical acumen may be essential on a service desk, you are still in the service and support business. That means finding people who like working with and truly helping other people. In the long run, the best person to sup-port your business users may not be the technical guru who aspires to be a network administrator or developer. If you have access to assessment tools, use them appropriately and ensure they are well aligned with your position requirements. Your interviewing structure should be well thought-out and you should use the same process and questions for each candidate. Remember that past performance is the best indicator of future performance. Ask behavioral questions during the interview that are designed to explore how the candidate handled real

world situations in prior jobs. Once you have identified the right person, don’t forget about how important a new em-ployee’s first few weeks are. Practice effective on-boarding, and support your new employee in every way possible. Always as-sign an experienced team member to facilitate your new team member’s transition into your organization. Personally spend time with new team members and make sure they are accli-mating well to their new job. A strong foundation built during your new employees first weeks and months will provide a stable framework for long-term development and retention.

Retaining great employees takes a lot of planning, resources, and hard work, but so does replacing them. A conscientious, proactive retention plan will not only help you to keep your best people, it will also allow you to provide a more stable en-vironment for your entire team and, ultimately, support your business much more effectively.

About the Author

Maurey Wolk is a leader in bringing together people, processes, and technology to build world-class technol-ogy solutions. For the past eight years, he has developed and optimized client support organizations for one of the nation’s premier financial institutions. Maurey has led an extensive array of projects, including global metrics

initiatives, support team consolidations, and the development of continual improvement programs. In addition to a wide range of technical creden-tials, Maurey is a PMP-certified Project Manager and an HDI-certified Support Center Manager. For additional information on how to optimize your technology organization, visit http://www.computerns.com.

pate in a special project or to learn a new skill. It may even be as simple as asking employees for their input or opinions about something important to your operation. Show apprecia-tion in the most appropriate way for each team member and you will improve staff retention. Finally, don’t underestimate the importance of good communication channels; if your team is informed and involved, morale and retention will improve.

All employees need positive reinforcement; however, we often forget that our best people need it as much as everyone else. While reward and recognition should be appropriately distributed based upon each employee’s contributions, it is essential that you do not take your top performers for granted. It is easy to forget about your superstars and assume that they are happy because they contribute at such a high level. Don’t make that mistake.

Another way to easily improve job satisfaction is to make life easier for your employees. Do you want to know how? Well, why not ask them? Perhaps your team is lacking tools or equipment, which is making it more difficult for them to accomplish their work. Are your policies, processes, and escalation procedures properly documented and adhered to? Do you have operating level agreements with the groups that your team interfaces with, and if so, are they being met? Maybe there is something else that would improve the work-ing environment for your team members. Ask them; you may be surprised what you learn. Once you know the answer, take action wherever possible and watch retention improve.

While job dissatisfaction will ultimately impact retention levels for all employees, some people will leave simply to pursue superior opportunities. This is particularly true for your top performers. Although better jobs may involve increased com-pensation, career growth and professional development are often the main reason employees seek out these opportunities.

The best way to mitigate the risk of losing an employee to a better opportunity is to create the potential for growth within your organization. Ask yourself the following questions: Do you routinely meet with your staff to discuss individual career development? Do you set developmental goals and reward your staff for achieving them? Do you create succes-sion plans? Do you promote from within whenever possible? Do you partner with other groups in your organization to seek out promotional opportunities for your team members? Remember that it’s much better to keep a great employee in your organization, even if they are no longer on your team, than to lose them to another company. Managers who do all of these things effectively and consistently enjoy high reten-tion levels, especially for their best people. If you have high employee turnover and you’re not doing these things, it’s

“ although turnover in the industry may be high, some service desk managers know that the secret to retaining their staff is not primarily related to compensation—it’s about appreciation, recognition, involvement, communication, and teamwork.”

Leadership

Customer Satisfaction Index Service

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Learn all this and more.Visit www.ThinkHDI.com/csi and register

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State City Chapter Name Chapter CoNtaCt poSitioN e-mail addreSS phoNe Number Chapter WebSite

AZ Phoenix Arizona JT Haynes President [email protected] 480.557.3620 www.azhdi.com

AB Edmonton HDI Edmonton Rona Chin VP-Membership [email protected] 780.420.1005 www.edmontonhdi.com

AB Calgary Calgary Karen Bates President [email protected] 403.237.7500 www.hdi-calgary.org

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OH Cleveland North Coast Carrie Heinzmann VP-Membership [email protected] 216.398.6444 www.thinkhdi.com/chapters/northcoast

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ON Ottawa Ottawa Trevor Mahoney President [email protected] 613.236.7442 www.hdiottawa.com

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PA Philadelphia Delaware Valley Aran McFarland VP-Membership [email protected] 610.407.8585 www.thinkhdi.com/chapters/delval

PA Pittsburgh Steel City Ivy Novick President [email protected] 412.826.0460 www.hdisteelcity.com

PA Scranton Susquehanna Valley Marie Clark President [email protected] 717.271.2721 www.hdisvc.org

SC Columbia South Carolina Paolo Muccio President [email protected] 803.264.8472 www.thinkhdi.com/chapters/sc

SC Greenville Upstate Justin Ramsey President [email protected] 864.240.5976 www.thinkhdi.com/chapters/greenville

SK Regina Regina Yvonne Harrison President [email protected] 306.761.4328 www.hdiregina.com

TN Knoxville Knoxville Curtis Jones President [email protected] 865.805.6296 www.knoxvillehdi.com

TN Nashville Nashville Laura Edwards President laura.edwards@lifeway 615.458.0661 www.hdimusiccity.com

TX Austin HDI Austin Grace Lebeda VP-Membership [email protected] 512.459.3638 www.hdiaustin.org

TX Dallas/Ft. Worth DFW Russell Burns President [email protected] 982.323.0067 www.dfwhdi.org

TX Houston Houston Vikki Jansen President [email protected] 281.359.0692 www.houstonhdi.net

TX San Antonio San Antonio Bernard Beaullieu President [email protected] 210.710.4161 www.sanantoniohdi.org

UT Salt Lake City Salt Lake City Phillip Kimball President [email protected] 801.587.6262 www.thinkhdi.com/chapters/slc

VA Richmond/VA Beach Southern Virginia Linda Thorson President [email protected] 757.284.1994 www.hdisova.org

VT Vermont Northern New England Roy Atkinson President [email protected] 207.288.6665 www.hdinne.com

WI Green Bay Titletown Bob Wery President [email protected] 920.996.1145 www.titletownhdi.com

WI Madison Southern Wisconsin Erika Oliver VP-Membership [email protected] 608.204.6440 www.hdimadison.org

WI Milwaukee Brew City Phil Gerbyshak President [email protected] 414.298.7445 www.brewcityhdi.com

2010 CONFERENCE & EXPO

Register by August 6 – Save up to $300

A must-attend event for service management professionals.Join us in Miami to explore some of the hottest topics affecting service management professionals. Industry experts provide you with in-depth information, templates, and tools to help you focus on the critical role of support in service management. Network and share experiences with your peers as you learn how to enhance your service management operations.

Register at www.ThinkHDI.com/SM2010 or call 800.248.5667


19


Chip and Dan Heath, Switch : How to Change When Change is Hard (Broadway, 2010)

Released: February 16, 2010

The primary obstacle to change is a conflict that’s built into our brains, say Chip and Dan Heath, authors of the crit-ically acclaimed bestseller Made

to Stick. Psychologists have discovered that our minds are ruled by two different systems—the rational mind and the emo-tional mind—that compete for control. The rational mind wants a great beach

body; the emotional mind wants that Oreo cookie. The rational mind wants to change something at work; the emotional mind loves the comfort of the existing routine. This tension can doom a change effort—but if it is overcome, change can come quickly.

In Switch, the Heaths show how every-day people—employees and managers, parents and nurses—have united both minds and, as a result, achieved dramatic results:

• The lowly medical interns who man-aged to defeat an entrenched, decades-old medical practice that was endan-gering patients.

• The home-organizing guru who devel-oped a simple technique for overcom-

ing the dread of housekeeping.

• The manager who transformed a lack-adaisical customer-support team into service zealots by removing a standard tool of customer service.

In a compelling, story-driven narrative, the Heaths bring together decades of counterintuitive research in psychology, sociology, and other fields to shed new light on how we can effect transforma-tive change. Switch shows that success-ful changes follow a pattern, a pattern you can use to make the changes that matter to you, whether your interest is in changing the world or changing your waistline. (Broadway Books, http://www.randomhouse.com)

Must-Reads for IT Leaders

In the ten books on this list, experts from academia and the corporate world confront the most pressing issues in IT leadership. These books should be on every IT leader’s bookshelf.

Walter Kiechel, The Lords of Strategy: The Secret Intellectual History of the Corporate World (Harvard Business Press, 2010)

Released: March 3, 2010

Imagine, if you can, the world of business—without corporate strategy. Remarkably, fifty years ago that’s the way it was. Businesses made plans, certainly,

but without understanding the underly-ing dynamics of competition, costs, and customers. It was like trying to design a large-scale engineering project without knowing the laws of physics. But in the 1960s, four mavericks and their posses instigated a profound shift in thinking that turbocharged business as never before, with implications far beyond what even they imagined. In The Lords of Strategy, renowned business journal-ist and editor Walter Kiechel tells, for the first time, the story of the four men who invented corporate strategy as we know it and set in motion the modern, multibillion-dollar consulting industry:

• Bruce Henderson, founder of Boston Consulting Group

• Bill Bain, creator of Bain & Company

• Fred Gluck, longtime managing direc-tor of McKinsey & Company

• Michael Porter, Harvard Business School professor

Providing a window into how to think about strategy today, Kiechel tells their sto-ry with novelistic flair. At times inspiring, at times nearly terrifying, this book is a revealing account of how these iconoclasts and the organizations they led revolution-ized the way we think about business, changed the very soul of the corporation, and transformed the way we work. (Har-vard Business Review, http://hbr.org/books)

Thomas Davenport, Jeanne Harris, and Robert Morison, Analytics at Work: Smarter Decisions, Better Results(Harvard Business Press, 2010)


Most companies have massive amounts of data at their disposal, yet they fail to utilize it in any meaningful way. But a power-ful new business tool—analytics—is

enabling many firms to aggressively lever-age their data in key business decisions and processes, with impressive results. In their previous book, Competing on Analyt-ics, Thomas Davenport and Jeanne Harris showed how pioneering firms were build-ing their entire strategies around their analytical capabilities. Rather than “going with the gut” when pricing products, maintaining inventory, or hiring talent, managers in these firms use data, analy-sis, and systematic reasoning to make de-cisions that improve efficiency, risk-man-agement, and profits. Now, in Analytics at Work, Davenport, Harris, and coauthor Robert Morison reveal how any manager can effectively deploy analytics in day-to-day opera tions—one business decision at a time. They show how many types of analytical tools, from statistical analysis to qualitative measures like systematic behavior coding, can improve decisions about everything from what new prod-uct offering might interest customers to whether marketing dollars are being most effectively deployed. Based on all-new research and illustrated with examples from companies including Humana, Best Buy, Progressive Insurance, and Hotels.com, this implementation-focused guide outlines the five-step DELTA model for deploying and succeeding with analytical initiatives. You’ll learn how to:

• Use data more effectively and glean valuable analytical insights

• Manage and coordinate data, people,

and technology at an enterprise level

• Understand and support what analyti-cal leaders do

• Evaluate and choose realistic targets for analytical activity

• Recruit, hire, and manage analysts

Combining the science of quantitative analysis with the art of sound reasoning, Analytics at Work provides a road map and tools for unleashing the potential buried in your data. (Harvard Business Review, http://hbr.org/books/)

Saj-nicole Joni and Damon Beyer, The Right Fight: How Great Leaders Use Healthy Conflict to Drive Performance, Innovation, and Value (HarperBusiness, 2010)


Organizational har-mony and strategic alignment aren’t enough to drive success. Until now, management wis-dom would have you believe that the single most

important thing leaders have to get right is alignment. To accomplish anything, employees must agree about the mission, strategy, and goals of an organization. Aligned employees are happy employees, and happy employees are productive employees. Simple, right?

Well, in a word, no. Counter to conven-tional wisdom, the dirty little secret of leadership—what they don’t tell you in business school—is that a leader’s time is not always best spent trying to help his or her teams make nice and get along. In con-trast, the authors’ groundbreaking research shows that fostering productive dissent is essential for achieving peak efficiency—what Joni and Beyer call “right fights.”

Right fights need to be well designed and

RequiredReading

10

20 I www.ThinkHDI.com I March/April 2010 Suppor tWor ld I KEEP ING THE I T SUPPORT COMMUNITY CONNECTED

subject to certain rules to be effective. Alignment cannot be ignored; without it, organizations can be plagued with bitter, energy-draining wrong fights. But a cer-tain amount of healthy struggle is good for organizations. Right fights unleash the creative, productive potential of teams, organizations, and communities.

The Right Fight turns management thinking on its head and shows why leaders—in the fast-moving, hyper-competitive marketplaces of the twenty-first century—need to foster alignment and orchestrate thoughtful controversy in their organizations to get the best re-sults. Drawing from examples as diverse as Unilever, Microsoft, Coca-Cola, Dell, the Clinton administration, and the Katy Independent School System, here is your playbook for picking the right battles and fighting the right fights well. (Harp-erBusiness, http://www.harpercollins.com)

Richard S. Tedlow, Denial: Why Business Leaders Fail to Look Facts in the Face—And What to Do About It (Portfolio Hardcover, 2010)


Denial is the un-conscious deter-mina tion that a certain reality is too terrible to contem-plate, therefore it cannot be true. In the business world, countless

companies get stuck in denial while their challenges escalate into crises. In Denial, Harvard Business School professor Richard S. Tedlow tackles two essential questions: Why do sane, smart leaders often refuse to accept the facts that threaten their compa-nies and careers? And how do we find the courage to resist denial when facing new trends, changing markets, and tough new competitors?

Tedlow looks at numerous examples of organizations crippled by denial, includ-ing Ford in the era of the Model T and Coca-Cola with its abortive attempt to

change its formula. He also explores other companies, such as Intel, Johnson & Johnson, and DuPont, that avoided catastrophe by dealing with harsh reali-ties head-on. In Denial, Tedlow identifies the leadership skills that are essential to spotting the early signs of denial and tak-ing the actions required to overcome it. (Penguin.com, http://us.penguingroup.com/)

Susan Cramm, 8 Things We Hate About IT: How to Move Beyond the Frustration to Form 8 New Partnerships with IT (Harvard Business Press, 2010)


Why can’t you get what you really want from IT? All you desire is a ready-and-willing partner to help you exploit IT to drive your business. In-stead, you get end-

less rules and regulations, not to mention processes, projects, and technologies that deliver too little, too late, for too much. It’s frustrating! How can you build a relation-ship that puts you firmly in control and produces the business results you need? In 8 Things We Hate About IT, Susan Cramm provides the answers. Start by understand-ing differences between operational and IT managers—in backgrounds, personality, pressures, and incentives. Cramm explains how differences prevent operational man-agers and IT from communicating what, why, and how they do what they do. Cit-ing case studies and stories, Cramm then presents practical strategies for overcom-ing the difficulty. These include seeing things from your IT partners’ perspectives, developing a single version of “truth,” and assuming accountability for IT, just as you’ve done for management of your firm’s financial and human resources. Brutally honest, provocative, and filled with sound advice, this book reveals that the key to solving the IT problem is decidedly un-IT: it’s a deeper understanding of human be-havior, including how to apply your lead-ership skills to the world of IT. (Harvard Business Review, http://hbr.org/books)

Marshall goldsmith, Mojo: How to Get It, How to Keep It, and How to Get It Back If You Lose It (Hyperion, 2010)


Our professional and personal mojo is impacted by four key factors: iden-tity (who do you think you are?), achievement (what have you done lately?), reputa-

tion (who do other people think you are, and what have you’ve done lately?), and acceptance (what can you change, and when do you need to just “let it go”?). Goldsmith outlines the positive actions leaders must take, with their teams or themselves, to initiate winning streaks and keep them coming.

Mojo is that positive spirit towards what we are doing, now, that starts from the inside and radiates to the outside. Mojo is at its peak when we are experiencing both happiness and finding meaning in what we are doing and communicat-ing this experience to the world around us. The Mojo Toolkit provides fourteen practical tools to help you achieve both happiness and meaning—not only in business, but also in life. (Hyperion, http://www.hyperionbooks.com)

Ranjay gulati, Reorganize for Resilience: Putting Customers at the Center of Your Business (Harvard Business Press, 2010)

Released: January 9, 2010

In an era of raging commoditization and eroding profit margins, survival depends on resil-ience: staying one step ahead of your customers. Sure, most companies say

they’re “customer-focused,” but they don’t

deliver solutions to customers’ thorniest problems. Why? Because they’re stymied by the rigid “silos” they’re organized around. In Reorganize for Resilience, Ranjay Gulati reveals how resilient companies prosper both in good times and bad, driv-ing growth and increasing profitability by immersing themselves in the lives of their customers. This book shows how resilient organizations cut through internal barriers that impede action, build bridges between warring divisions, and transform former competitors into collaborators. Based on more than a decade of research in a variety of industries, and filled with examples from companies including Cisco Systems, La Farge, Starbucks, Best Buy, and Jones Lang LaSalle, Gulati explores the five levers of resilience:

• Coordination: Connect, eradicate, or restructure silos to enable swift responses.

• Cooperation: Foster a culture that aligns all employees around the shared goals of customer solutions.

• Clout: Redistribute power to “bridge builders” and customer champions.

• Capability: Develop employees’ skills at tackling changing customer needs.

• Connection: Blend partners’ offerings with yours to provide unique customer solutions.

(Harvard Business Review, http://www.hbr.org/books/)

Jose Carlos Eiras, The Practical CIO: A Common-Sense Guide for Successful IT Leadership (Wiley, 2010)


The IT executive’s ultimate handbook for survival in a rapidly changing economy, The Prac-tical CIO provides needed advice for modern execu-

tives competing in a challenging global environment:

• Proactively establish goals for IT

• Hold all vendors accountable

• Extract maximum value from existing IT investments

• Manage and market the IT brand

• Build relationships up, down, and sideways, across the enterprise and beyond its traditional boundaries

• Act like a CEO

Brimming with interviews and case studies from leading global enterprises, such as Microsoft, Prudential, Citigroup, Chiquita Brands, Smithfield Foods, and West Marine, The Practical CIO is designed for clear-eyed IT and C-level executives with no patience for hype or overly optimistic visions of a “better tomorrow.” Truly a commonsense guide for successful IT leadership, this book delivers exactly the kind of hard-nosed, actionable advice that executives urgently require. (Wiley.com, http://www.wiley.com/WileyCDA/)

Brian Tracy, How the Best Leaders Lead (AMACOM, 2010)


Leadership is the critical factor that determines the success of any business or depart-ment. The ability to select, manage, motivate, and guide employees

to achieve results is the true measure of any leader’s success. In this fast-moving book, business expert Brian Tracy reveals the strategies used by top executives and business owners everywhere to achieve astounding results in difficult markets against determined competition.

Brian Tracy has worked with more than 1,000 companies in fifty-two countries.

In How the Best Leaders Lead, he gives you a series of practical, proven ideas and strategies that leaders and managers at every level can use immediately. You’ll learn how to:

• Determine the ideal leadership style for any situation

• Motivate your people with the Three R’s: recognition, rewards, and rein-forcement

• Set clear goals and objectives for yourself and others

• Develop an exciting future vision for your business

• Set priorities and focus on key tasks

• Solve problems faster and make bet-ter decisions

• Hire and keep the best people

• Build, manage, and motivate winning teams

• Communicate and get your ideas across to others

• Motivate people in turbulent times

• Identify opportunities and take con-crete action

• Plan for the future while managing the present

With this timely guide, anyone can learn how to become a better and more effec-tive leader and get more done faster than they ever dreamed possible. (American Management Association, http://www.ama-combooks.org)

Acknowledgements

Many thanks to Julie Devoll at the Harvard Business Review, Irene Majuk and Rosemary Carlough at AMACOM, and to Wiley, Hyper-ion, Random House, and Penguin for provid-ing descriptions and cover art for the featured books.

RequiredReading


23


Coaching

Coaching has become quite a popular, profitable industry. The

number of self-proclaimed coaches rose from 2,000 in 1996

to 10,000 in 2002.1 Employers are willing to pay as much as

$15,000 a day for the services of an executive coach. There

are no universally accepted guidelines or competency tests for

coaches, whether they earn $500 a day or $15,000. Without a

litmus test for competence, how does one determine whether

a person is capable of skillful coaching, either as an external

resource or an internal practitioner?

There are key areas of mastery that are non-negotiable for any-

one desiring to call himself (or herself) a coach. These areas

are as important for managers intent on coaching within their

organizations as they are for anyone considering hanging out

a shingle. But before exploring those areas, it is important to

discuss the dangers of poorly executed coaching.

Incompetent CoachingFirst and foremost, while the desire to apply quick fixes to

systemic organizational problems is very tempting, it should

not even be a remote possibility. When a coach positions

himself as the person who has the answers to age-old perfor-

mance questions without conducting thorough organizational

analyses, he is preying on the penchant for quick fixes. Wise,

experienced practitioners understand that successful coaching

is preceded by an analysis of the individual being coached and

the organizational context in which he functions.

Second, a coach is not to be confused with a therapist or

other trained mental health professional. While some in the

coaching world are fortunate enough to also have creden-

tials in psychology, most do not. Those of us who possess a

layman’s knowledge of matters of the mind should be very

careful when coaching people on personality issues. These

issues manifest themselves in many ways in the workplace,

1 Steven Berglas, “The Very Real Dangers of Executive Coaching,” Harvard Business Review (June 2002), pp. 86-92.

oaching is among the most popular business buzzwords. Leaders who do not have coaches tout their own coaching ability. Leaders who do have coaches quote from their coach’s “Bible of Business Best Practices.” It has become chic for large corpora-

tions to employ the services of executive coaches to maximize the performance of their most senior talent. In some companies, middle managers are also the recipients of this largesse. And for those whose employers are not so generous, many of their leaders are shelling out big bucks from their own pockets to hire coaches who will give them the tools to transform their careers.

By Joanne L. Smikle

Coaching Competence: Mastering the Craft

By connecting with each team member on a meaningful level, the coach is able to help the entire team create an environment of excellence.


to build a positive, supportive connection with partners. Less

skilled coaches operate under the mistaken assumption that

their role is almost authoritarian. They believe that they have

sufficient wisdom to instruct their partners on what to do and

how best to do it. In fact, a wise coach understands that his

wisdom is but a small piece of the coaching puzzle. Far more

is gained when the coach can tap into and release the wisdom

of his partner.

Not only is the coach investing in individual performance,

the coach is also investing in peak performance for the entire

workgroup. By connecting with each team member on a

meaningful level, the coach is able to help the entire team

create an environment of excellence. Building collaborative

competence also helps to position the group for peer coaching.

The responsibility for generating feedback is eventually shared

by all members of the team. This transition occurs because

people are witness to a sound model for collaboration from

their leader. They are watching someone model the commu-

nication skills, mutual respect and support required to sustain

cooperation.

ConclusionMasterful coaching can be achieved by developing the three

competencies detailed herein. Developing these competencies

will enable would-be coaches not only to build credibility,

but also to enhance their confidence. Avoid the pitfalls of

incompetent coaching by committing to ongoing professional

development in this area. Be careful to avoid quick fixes and

be very clear on your role, which is not that of a therapist or

analyst. Coaching has the potential to be a powerful perfor-

mance enhancement tool when executed by caring, competent

individuals committed to making a substantial investment in

individuals and organizations.

About the Author

Joanne L. Smikle is an author, consultant, and speaker specializing in leadership development, collaboration, and customer satisfaction. Visit Joanne’s Web site (http://www.smiklespeaks.com) for more information.

some positively and some negatively. This is not the realm for

a coach, unless the coach is a licensed mental health profes-

sional.

The third danger is focusing on problems, processes, and

products before people. The ultimate aim of most coaching

relationships is to help an individual maximize his potential.

That can only happen when the individual is the priority.

Many misguided coaches enter the relationship with an almost

singular focus on fixing the problem, or at least providing

the guidance required to fix the problem. It is impossible to

sufficiently impact the problem, process, or product without

first dealing with the human element. Sustainable results come

not from attacking a problem head-on, but from building a

rapport with the person and partnering on a developmental

plan. It is this developmental work that will ultimately create

sustainable results.

The Coaching CompetenciesThere are three competencies that are required of all skill-

ful coaches. It is the combination of these competencies that

enables a coach to develop mastery of the craft.

The first competency is subject matter expertise. If a coach

is to be deemed credible, he must be viewed as a master of his

field. He has to be regarded as bright, intelligent, and success-

ful. He must be viewed as competent in the fundamentals of

his field. He must have demonstrable knowledge of his own

work. He must also have in-depth knowledge of the organiza-

tion and the industry.

It is not necessary for the coach to be a master of the same

field as the person he is coaching, but he must have suffi-

cient knowledge to converse intelligently. A good coach will

constantly familiarize himself with the business of his part-

ner. This not only builds credibility, it also makes the coach-

ing process flow more easily, as the coach is not spending a

lot of time trying to catch up on the terminology or nuances

of the partner’s field. Building familiarity is among the many

ways that the coach stays focused on the partner, as well as

the potential problems impacting the partner’s performance.

Subject matter expertise extends to the political dynamics of

the organization as well. A coach is charged with understand-

ing, appreciating, and being able to navigate the political ter-

rain. Much of what people being coached struggle with are not

the widgets, nuts, and bolts, but instead, the subtle mechanics

that set organizational priorities, determine resource alloca-

tion, and define alliances. While a coach need not be a major

player in political games, he must certainly understand these

subterranean dynamics and their impact on the way that the

enterprise functions.

Next is strategic competence. A coach must have an eye on

where the company is headed. He must understand strate-

gic intent, strategic planning, and the strategic direction the

company is currently pursuing. The first question for the

coach is: Do you understand the big picture and can you

translate strategy into daily action? The second question is:

Assuming that the answer to the first question is in the affir-

mative, can you teach your partner the same? This is impera-

tive because coaching should ensure that a person—the part-

ner—is well prepared not just for today, but for tomorrow

and beyond. That necessitates an appreciation of long-term

organizational objectives. This is especially important when

coaching a senior manager or a middle manager who has

his eyes on the next level. It is essential that these ambitious

people have complete comprehension of business drivers,

performance indicators, and other metrics that matter.

Strategic competence is also important at the microscopic lev-

el. It is equally important to analyze the direction and intent of

business units as it is of the entire company. A wise coach will

be able to help his partner gain a clear understanding of the

vision and supporting strategy in his own business unit. This

understanding will enable the partner to be well prepared to

assume greater leadership roles.

The final critical coaching competence is collaborative

competence, which refers to the coach’s ability to facilitate

teamwork and cooperation. The coaching relationship is a

developmental partnership. As such, the coach must be able

The ultimate aim of most coaching relationships is to help an individual maximize his potential.


27


a fter asking a few more questions, it was plain to see

that their IT services were undefined and unstable;

IT customers were upset and so was the IT staff. If

CIOs feel like they are juggling chainsaws every day, we can

only imagine what it must be like for the service desk staff,

who deals firsthand with all incoming customer complaints.

Perhaps you can relate. If so, you may consider adopting ITIL.

ITIL adoption…this should be easy, right? Buy the ITIL books.

Determine the areas where your organization is not adhering to

best practices. Make any necessary changes and then set aside

one hour every morning to read through the e-mails from cus-

tomers who want to thank you for the exceptional service IT is

providing. Of course, ITIL adoption is not that simple. In real-

ity, less than one third of the organizations surveyed can claim a

high or reasonably high level of ITIL maturity.1

So, why is ITIL adoption so difficult? Let’s start by looking at the

meaning of the word adopt. Webster’s New World College Diction-

ary defines adopt as, “to take up and use (an idea, a practice, etc.)

as one’s own; to choose and follow (a course).” I’ve heard people

say that all IT organizations are messed up, because they all have

people in them. But people are the key. They have to choose to

follow ITIL; they have to adopt ITIL practices as their own.

If ITIL is the best practice for IT Service Management, you

would think that the OGC2 could have provided some guid-

ance for the rest of us on how to adopt ITIL. Of course, they

have! In 2002, as part of the ITIL v2 initiative, the OGC

published Planning to Implement Service Management, which

is a must read for organizations setting up a successful ITIL

program. Another must read for prospective ITIL adopters is

John Kotter’s Leading Change.3 Because ITIL is an “observed

best practice,” it is no surprise that Kotter’s work is frequently

referenced in Planning to Implement Service Management. In his

book, Kotter identifies eight stages of a major change, which

we will explore here in conjunction with the findings of the

“ITIL: State of the Nation” report.

Eight Steps to Leading Change

1) Establish a sense of urgency.Many years ago, I was working with a company that had

some quality problems. The CEO decided that new leader-

ship was needed to transform manufacturing operations and

improve product quality. I will never forget the first time we

met our new leader. The auditorium was filled with supervi-

sors and managers, warily watching the new leader walk up

to the podium. He had no notes, no PowerPoint presentation;

he simply looked out at the attendees and began his speech,

which went something like this.

“Y ou all know that our product quality must be improved. I have

been hired to lead the quality improvement changes. I am here to

tell you that the quality improvement train has left the station.

Some of you will run to catch up, and the rest of you will be left

by the side of the tracks.”

He turned and walked out of the auditorium. You could have

heard a pin drop. Now that was a sense of urgency.

Kotter estimates that 50% of transformations will fail in the first

phase, from lack of urgency. For many organizations, it seems

that leadership has not made ITIL a priority by committing suf-

ficient resources. This is validated by the “State of the Nation”

survey which identified lack of resources (time and people)

as the number one barrier to ITIL adoption. Without a shared

sense of urgency, people won’t help and the effort stalls.

In the early phases of change, we need to

examine the market and competitive

realities, openly discuss crises, and

present a compelling argument for

action. Juggling chainsaws—that

sounds like an urgent situation. If we

don’t improve IT services, they will

be outsourced—that sounds like an

urgent situation, too.

Complacency is the enemy here: the absence of a major

visible crisis, low overall performance standards, organiza-

tional structures that focus employees on narrow functional

goals, internal measurement systems that focus on the wrong

performance indices, lack of sufficient performance feedback,

and too much happy talk from senior management. For these

organizations, there is clearly no sense of urgency.

As you consider ITIL adoption, answer these questions: Why

is it urgent that we adopt ITIL? What is the business case?

Why do we think ITIL adoption will help? Your message needs

to resonate with all levels of the organization and be a catalyst

for action.

2) Create a guiding coalition.Three years ago, we were contacted to provide an ITIL training

class for a new client. On the first day of class, much to my

surprise, the CIO decided to attend. Needless to say, the class-

room was lively as I introduced the benefits of ITIL processes

and each process was openly debated in the presence of the

CIO. At the conclusion of the class, the CIO announced that

this was exactly what the company had been looking for and

that the initiative had her full support. To this day, that com-

pany is a model of ITIL adoption; their ITIL program remains

highly successful and they continue to reach new levels of ma-

turity because they have solid support from their leadership.

The “State of the Nation” report identified organizational and

cultural resistance to change as the number two barrier to ITIL

adoption. Kotter suggests that underestimating the difficulties in

producing change, lack of effective/strong leadership, a power-

less guiding coalition, and organizational opposition eventu-

ally stops most changes. Make sure your guiding coalition has

ITServiceManagement

1 See “ITIL: State of the Nation Survey Findings,” September 2009, a research report sponsored by Hornbill, itSMF, SDI, Pink Elephant, and ITP. This extensive report represents the input of over 500 respondents, 80% in executive and senior management roles

2 Office of Government Commerce (http://www.ogc.gov.uk), the UK regulatory body that governs the IT Infrastructure Library.3 John Kotter, Leading Change (Harvard Business Press, 1996).

“ So, You’ve Decided to Adopt ITIL”: Eight Steps to Leading Change

A few weeks back, I received a call from a CIO who told me that he had read through a number of the free resources available on our Web site and was interested in learning more about ITIL. One of the first questions we always ask is, “Why? Why are you interested in ITIL?” I’ll never forget what he said, and the tenor of his voice. Without a moment’s hesitation, his response was, “I’m juggling chainsaws here every day!”

By Jim Bolton

“ Our unscientific estimate is that as many as 50-70 percent of organizations that undertake a reengineering effort do not achieve the dramatic results they intended.”

— Michael Hammer and James Champy, Reengineering the Corporation


29


ITServiceManagement

team was taking a Web development class and offered to write

the code as a class project. Another team member offered to

repair a scrapped server to host the site. Within a week, the site

was up and the articles were available to all employees. Granted,

this isn’t exactly proper change management, but it clearly illus-

trates the power of empowered individuals.

Kotter tells us that we need to remove barriers to change and

develop structures that underpin the vision. We need to reward

initiative and get more people involved. Communicate the vi-

sion to employees, remove barriers, provide employee training,

and confront managers who resist employee empowerment.

6) Generate quick wins.It’s probably just me, but I need short term wins. If you are jug-

gling chainsaws, the last thing you want to hear is that you won’t

start seeing the benefits of ITIL adoption for another three years.

The “State of the Nation” report identified stagnation/main-

taining momentum as the number three barrier to ITIL

adoption. Leaders, balancing short-term wins with long-term

objectives, actively looking for performance improvements,

establishing clear goals, and communicating successes are

some of the keys to successful ITIL adoption.

Real transformation takes time. Without quick wins, too many

people give up or join the opposition. Quick wins provide

evidence that efforts are paying off. They build morale and

motivation. They prove that the vision is viable. They under-

mine the critics, and they help to keep the momentum going.

Focus first on the most commonly adopted processes, to ad-

dress immediate needs and generate short-term wins: incident

management, change management, problem management,

and service level management. This approach is validated by

the “State of the Nation” report which states, “the majority of

ITSM implementations are still maturing their v2 processes

before moving to v3. Those that have moved to v3 only use

the most commonly adopted v2 processes and not a lifecycle

approach.”4 ITIL adoption will take time, so be sure to include

short-term wins that will help maintain momentum.

7) Consolidate improvements and produce more change.

We often find it helpful to differentiate between a program and

a project. ITIL adoption is a program consisting of a number of

projects and activities that are planned and managed together

to achieve the overall vision. The ITIL program has no specific

end date, whereas each project in the ITIL program has a spe-

cific objective and completion date.

Until changes have been integrated into the culture, new ap-

proaches are fragile things. Employees may easily revert to old

practices. This is where the credibility you derive from short-

term wins will enable the organization to tackle additional,

bigger changes.

8) Institutionalize changes into the culture.I recall meeting with a colleague for breakfast a couple of

years back; he is an executive coach, a leader among lead-

ers. After explaining ITIL, he looked up and informed me,

“ITIL adoption in any organization will take a full generation,

more than twenty years.” While it may not take twenty years,

his point is fully valid: people need to adopt ITIL processes

as their own, in their own time. They need to adopt ITIL

practices so completely that not following ITIL best practices

would seem unnatural.

It is important to recognize how new approaches, behavior,

and attitudes have helped to improve performance. Addition-

ally it is important to make sure that promotion criteria under-

pin new approaches and practices.

So, You’ve Decided to Adopt ITIL

While adopting ITIL isn’t easy, it sure beats the alternative of

continuing to juggle chain saws. Remember that you are not

positional power, expertise, credibility, and proven leadership

experience. The members of the guiding coalition will become

essential members of the ITIL Program Office (see step #7).

3) Develop a vision and strategy.Kotter tells us that without a sensible vision, a transformation

effort can easily dissolve into a list of confusing, incompatible

projects that can take the organization in the wrong direction

or nowhere at all.

Two years ago I came across this vision statement outside the door of the Director of Technology’s office: “We will provide totally cool blinkie-light technology that will embrace the whimsical requirements for magical solutions to non-technical problems.” Perhaps your vision statement could use a little work as well.

The vision statement should: convey a picture of what the future will look like, be appealing at all levels, and be realistic and attainable. It should be focused and easily communicated.

Planning to Implement Service Management suggests that your

vision statement could begin with a statement like: “We will

become the IT service provider of choice.” What I like about

this simple start to a vision statement is that immediate action

is implied—we will become, we have work to do here, let’s get

on board. I also like the use of the word choice; it acknowl-

edges that our customers have a choice, job security is not

guaranteed, and we need to perform to a level that guarantees

we will always be the customer’s preferred service provider.

4) Communicate the vision.A while back, we had the opportunity to develop a communica-

tion plan for one of our clients. Prior communications had been

primarily top-down and occurred once a month. We knew that

this would be a significant impediment to successful ITIL adop-

tion. Imagine my surprise when I came back a few months later

to teach an ITIL class and heard the students complaining that

there was entirely too much communication taking place now

that management had started the ITIL program!

Kotter suggests that without credible, effective communication

(and a lot of it), leaders cannot capture the hearts and minds

of their organizations. Effective communication requires the

vision statement to be simple, devoid of jargon, illustrative (it

paints a picture of the organization’s future), available in mul-

tiple forms and formats, and repeated frequently. The “State of

the Nation” report identified business understanding of ITIL

objectives as the number four barrier to ITIL adoption. Lead-

ers, keep these two points in mind: (1) lead by example, and

(2) communicate, communicate, communicate.

5) Empower others to act on the vision.One of our clients discovered that they had developed very little

documentation for the various activities on the service desk. All

knowledge was passed by word of mouth, which made it hard to

bring new staff up to speed. I pulled the team together and asked

if any of them would be interested in helping develop knowl-

edge articles. In no time, the knowledge articles were flowing in.

Staff were competing to see who had written the most articles

and soon everyone was energized and working together as a

team to get them written. As the articles neared completion, the

corporate Web team said they wouldn’t have time to work on a

Web site for storing and retrieving the articles. The service desk

huddled up and brainstormed a solution. One member of the

Figure 1: Which version of ITIL are you using? (Source: “ITIL: State of the Nation Survey Findings”)

4 “ITIL: State of the Nation Survey Findings,” September 2009.

Less than one third of organizations surveyed would claim that they have a high or reasonably high level of ITIL maturity.

alone and that many organizations have successfully adopted

ITIL to improve service quality and increase customer satisfac-

tion. HDI offers Virtual Classes on “Planning to Implement

ITIL,” as well classes on the most commonly adopted ITIL

process, including Incident Management, Problem Manage-

ment, Change Management, Configuration Management, and

Service Level Management. Additionally, the books described

in this article are excellent references to help ensure that your

ITIL adoption journey is a success. It is my sincere hope that

this article has provided you with guidance, tools, and motiva-

tion for success.

About the Author

Jim Bolton is the founder and president of Propoint Solu-tions, Inc., specializing in ITIL training, process maturity assessment, and consulting. Jim has extensive experience with assessing and architecting ITSM solutions. His ap-plication of ITIL best practices, ISO process disciplines, “Metrics that Matter,” and Six Sigma quality improvement

methodologies bring a balanced approach to elevating service excellence. Jim is an internationally recognized speaker and author on ITIL topics. He is an EXIN-accredited ITIL Trainer and a member of the HDI Faculty. Jim holds the ITIL Manager’s Certification, the ITIL Expert Certification, and numerous ITIL Practitioner and Competency certifications. He is an ISO/IEC20000 Certified Consultant, a Certified Process Design Engineer, and holds an M.B.A. in technology management from the University of Phoe-nix. He can be reached at [email protected]. Visit Propoint Solutions, Inc. on the Web at http://www.propointsolutions.com.

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33


Brainstorming Sessions

The purpose of the brainstorming session is to generate ideas on the probable cause of a given problem and identi-fy the potential actions necessary to resolve that problem.

• to begin, appoint an experienced facilitator to man-age the session.

• Next, assemble key contributors, including subject matter experts in the type of problem being inves-tigated. you may also want to include someone with little or no knowledge of the problem, to benefit from the kind of “outside the box” thinking that would come from someone with no expertise in the issue at hand.

• Begin looking at the problem, describing and collat-ing all the known symptoms and compiling a chron-ological listing of when each symptom occurred.

• as a group, generate a list of all possible causes of the problem. the purpose of group interaction is rapid-fire identification of as many ideas as possible, posting them for further review later.

But here are some rules to follow during the interaction:

• Never judge or criticize the ideas of others, no matter how unlikely or strange the idea might seem. Criticism tends to make people shut down and they may refuse to offer any further ideas.

• as an idea is put forth, the facilitator should write down all the ideas on a flipchart or whiteboard, making sure to put the initials of the person express-ing the idea and leaving a space below to provide additional clarity later, if needed.

• encourage the abstract. again, having someone with little or no expertise may encourage more “out-side the box” thinking.

• Strive for quantity not quality. Quality will come later, as you analyze and discuss each idea. For now, you are just trying to get as many ideas on paper as possible.

• Build on each other’s ideas.

So, how do you know when the brainstorming part is done? I use the “microwave popcorn method.” When-ever you cook popcorn in a microwave, lots of kernels pop in the beginning. As you get close to the end of the cook time, there is more and more space between pops, which indicates that the majority of the popcorn kernels

have popped and you can stop the microwave. Use the same method for brainstorming. When there is signifi-cant space between ideas, stop.

Next, go back to the first page of your list and begin clarifying ideas and analyzing/discussing with the group. The expertise of the subject-matter experts will allow you to narrow down the possible causes of the problem to the most logical choices. Then you can take the most logical causes and apply the Kepner-Tregoe method.

Ishikawa diagrams

Ishikawa diagrams are often referred to as “fishbone diagrams” because of their shape and structure (see the sample on the following page).

1. Begin with a blank diagram on a large flipchart or whiteboard.

2. Define the problem you are trying to solve and write it on the “head” part of the diagram

3. Write the broad cause categories on the tips of the “bones.”

4. Brainstorm with the subject-matter experts to sug-gest possible causes and record them on the ap-propriate branches of the diagram.

5. Interpret the diagram. at this point, you will list the most probable causes and verify the cause using the Kepner-tregoe method.

Pain Value Analysis

Using pain value analysis comes in handy when you have multiple problems to investigate. It helps you deter-mine how best to prioritize the problems under inves-tigation and the order in which they should be solved. You first want to find out which problem is causing the business the most pain. You may even be able to create a mathematical formula for calculating the pain value. Typically, you want to take into account:

• the number of people affected

• the duration of the downtime

• the financial cost to the business

ServiceDoctor

n the last issue of SupportWorld, I was asked to explain how to use root cause analysis to solve problems. First, I identified the difference between incidents and problems and described the differences between

the goals of incident management and problem management. I then discussed the Kepner-Tregoe method for problem analysis. In this issue, I will share some other techniques you can use to perform root cause analysis, such as brainstorming sessions, Ishikawa diagrams, pain value analysis, and Pareto analysis.

By Jim McKennan

Service Doctor


If you take all these factors into account, you will have a much clearer picture of the impact of the problems. Also, you should consider consulting with key business leaders to get their opinion of the amount of pain each of the problems causes. They will help you to prioritize the problems so you can more accurately predict the time, effort, and resources you will need to devote to the resolutions.

Pareto Analysis

Vilfredo Pareto was an Italian economist who famously observed that 80% of the land in Italy was owned by 20% of the population. The Pareto principle, or the 80-20 rule, states that, “a minority of factors are responsible for the majority of the problems.”

Pareto analysis is a technique for distinguishing the critical problems from the trivial issues. Here are the basic steps:

1. Build a table, listing the causes and their frequencies (as a percentage).

2. arrange the rows in decreasing likelihood of the causes (i.e., the most important cause first).

3. add a cumulative percentage column.

4. Create a bar chart with causes ordered by percent of the total.

5. Superimpose a line graph of cumulative percentages.

6. Draw a line at 80% on the y-axis, parallel to the x-axis. then drop a vertical line at the point of intersection. this separates the important causes from the trivial causes. you should target the top three causes for further analysis.

Now that you have identified the most probable causes, you can verify the cause using the Kepner-Tregoe method.

We have discussed several ap-proaches to solving problems and getting to the root cause.

Hopefully, using these techniques will help you develop your problem management process and enable you to start eliminating incidents from your environment, ulti-mately improving business productivity.

About the Author

Jim McKennan, a.k.a. Dr. Jim the Service Doctor, is often recognized for his highly developed customer service skills, as well as being an adept call center manager, speaker, and award-winning sales and IT professional. He is a senior consultant with Pink Elephant. Jim is active in the Sacramento local chapter of HDI. He is also the past

Western Region Director of the HDI’s Member Advisory Board and is a member of HDI’s Support Center Certification Standards Committee. Jim holds a B.A. in psychology from California State University.

To submit a Service Doctor question for SupportWorld, send an e-mail to [email protected] or [email protected].

Jim has also just started a new service desk-oriented blog, Dr. Jim’s Blog: http://blogs.pinkelephant.com/drjim. Check it out!

EMC2, EMC, Ionix, and where information lives are registered trademarks of EMC Corporation. © Copyright 2009 EMC Corporation. All rights reserved.

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Figure: Ishikawa (fishbone) diagram sample from ITIL Service Operation (2007).

Ishikawa Diagram Showing Possible Causes


37


Tools for Supporting the Remote WorkforceBy Robert S. Last

The Tools• Telephony and related equipment • Cell phone • Desktop or laptop computer • External hard drive • Combination peripherals (e.g., printer/copier/fax/scanner) • Paper shredder • Broadband access • Office supplies • Surge protectors • Docking station • Software • IT support

Telephony and Related EquipmentEach remote worker will need telephone service with two lines, long distance capabilities, call waiting, call forwarding, voice mail, caller ID, and conference call capabilities; a telephone with speakerphone capabilities, a mute button, and an adjustable ringer; and a wireless headset.

Implications for the Organization

• Choosing a phone and related equipment for a remote staff member involves more than browsing through an ATT or CDW catalog and cutting a purchase order. Whether you have one remote employee or fifty, which equipment you choose should be determined by how well it stands to meet the needs of the employees that will use it. This is a complex process; poor tools are always available at rock-bottom prices, but these will only make the employee’s job more difficult. Finding a good tool at the right price is always a challenge, albeit a worthwhile one.

• All equipment should have an inventory tag, a schedule of care and preventive maintenance, and commonsense rules for use during work hours.

• There should also be a spare parts depot for all compa-ny equipment and procedures for disbursing equipment in a timely manner.

Mobile Devices: Cell Phones, PDAs, and BlackBerrysDo employees working in a direct support capacity from home need cell phones? Probably not, though they can be valuable in a disaster recovery/business continuity situation. However, em-ployees working in positions that do not involve direct support can reasonably be expected to need cell phones for their work and certainly for DR/BC programs.


• When, where, and under what circumstances a cell phone can be used should be decided before the device is issued.

In some cases, more advanced devices, such as BlackBer-rys, may be issued; an employee with a BlackBerry and his/her supervisor must determine in advance when the employee should be available to respond to e-mails re-ceived via BlackBerry.

• Employees that provide direct technical support and are issued cell phones, BlackBerrys, or other devices should be supplied with clear guidelines on when to use them.

• Billing or reimbursement responsibilities should also be clearly defined.

• Security protocols should also be established for any infor-mation contained on all such devices, including procedures to follow if a device is lost.

Desktops, Laptops, and PeripheralsWhich computer an employee is assigned depends on the employee’s job functions: Is the employee providing direct support services or is the employee performing other jobs (e.g. consulting, workforce management, metrics analysis, etc.). Employees that travel will need laptops, as well as docking sta-tions for home use; both PC and laptop users will need external hard drives or online backup capabilities. They will also need as much computing power as possible, with IT standards-compli-ant encryption software and a VPN application.


• Laptops and desktops should be configured in a manner that reflects their purpose; for example, art directors will have a different set of requirements than IT consultants.

• Depending on their job functions, some employees’ lap-tops may need to be encrypted, as should their Black-Berrys and external hard drives.

• Inventory control requires routine accounting, and security configurations should be routinely updated.

• Laptop users should have a clear set of procedures to follow if the laptop is lost.

Broadband AccessToday’s broadband infrastructure can deliver broadband to the home that has the same bandwidth as corporate networks, eliminating dedicated circuit requirements. The price of VPN-capable routers, high-speed Internet connections, and VoIP technology has dropped considerably in recent years, to the point that the cost to connect a remote worker to a company’s intranet and telecommunications system has become negligi-ble compared with the operating costs of conventional offices.1


• Deciding how best to provide broadband access to

Technology

1Thanks to Pete McGarahan for documenting these observations in “Supporting the Remote Workforce,” available at http://www.mcgarahan.com/.

ne of the most overlooked aspects of a remote or virtual employment program is the tools that facilitate the success of such a program; they have become so ubiquitous they are often overlooked. Such

tools are used by two types of remote workers: support center staff members that are taking calls, sending e-mails, and participating in chat sessions in their homes, and personnel performing tasks that are not related to direct support. In this article, we will identify the tools that a remote workforce should use and discuss how they impact remote workers and their organizations.


remote employees involves a complex decision-making process on the part of company leadership. Remote employees are generally not involved in these deci-sions, but they are the users of the services that have been chosen for them and it is important that they have a channel that allows them to provide feedback on the quality of the broadband configuration the company provides.

• Although outages of all kinds are rare, remote employ-ees should have clearly defined procedures to follow when an outage occurs.

• Procedures for maintaining a work schedule need to be established in anticipation of potential outages.

SoftwarePCs and laptops should have a standard business applica-tion suite installed (these days, this is generally Microsoft). Only applications approved by the organization’s IT depart-ment should be installed on users’ computers, and it may be necessary to audit the remote workers’ systems. In situations where an employee’s personal laptop is used for business, the employee and his/her supervisor(s) must come to an under-standing regarding the relationship between personal and professional uses of the device.


• Security and license adherence are the key considerations in this area. Employees that install unapproved software on their computers can create a host of security and configuration problems. There should be policies in place detailing the specific software and types of software that can be installed; these policies should be unequivocal and robust when it comes to monitoring application licensing.

Miscellaneous Tools• Combination peripherals (e.g., printer/copier/fax/scanners) • Paper shredder • Surge protector • Office furniture • Office supplies

In the grand scheme of organizational operations, the above items do not generally have an impressive impact on the bud-get; however, costs can add up over time, and therefore, these tools deserve careful consideration when it comes to selection, use, and inventory accounting. The company should establish clear guidelines, reflecting the philosophy and business prac-tices of each organization, for determining which devices and services to supply for remote workers.


• The chief considerations are quantity, cost, and fre-

quency (how many, how much, and how often). Each employee should understand how many devices or products they should need, what they should cost, and how often they should be ordered. Commonsense sug-gests that for most employees, one printer or “4-in-1” device, several surge protectors, and a single paper shredder will constitute the basic configuration for most remote worker’s home offices. Office furniture is the big-ticket item for most home offices; furnishing a home office can be very expensive. Individual organizations should determine, for each remote worker, what type and quantity of furniture it will agree to purchase.

• When undertaking discussions about office furniture, take some time to consider ergonomics. Taking time to set up an ergonomic home office in the beginning can save thousands of dollars in workman’s comp claims for repetitive stress injuries years down the road.

• Office supplies can be purchased and shipped either by the remote worker’s employer or an external supply company, such as ULINE, Staples, or Corporate Express. In either case, the company should have guidelines in place to cover quantity, cost, and frequency (how many supplies a remote employee can order, how much they should cost, and how often they can place orders).

The first operating principle of a remote employee program is to choose tools that will enable remote workers to be success-ful, while also being efficient and effective for the organization. Successful remote employee programs are not built by ac-cident; they are the result of careful planning, commonsense, good business practices, and a clear understanding of how the arrangement will benefit the organization and the employee. Any organization that embarks on a remote employee program without considering the tools that will be the building blocks of that program is setting itself up for failure.

About the Author

Robert S. Last is the content manager for HDI. For more than twenty years, Bob has been involved in the IT support industry as a manager, trainer, consultant, and industry analyst. He is the author of dozens of articles, white papers, and HDI Focus Books on a wide range of topics related to all aspects of technical support and is the

author of the book, How to Be a Successful Support Center Analyst. He also supports the HDI membership and staff by managing the “Ask the Expert” service (http://www.ThinkHDI.com/members/askexpert/).

Bob is a graduate of Cleveland State University and holds a B.A. in ur-ban studies and an M.A. in history. He also holds certificates in disaster recovery planning, management, and instructional design. He is an HDI-certified Support Center Analyst and Support Center Manager.

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40 I www.ThinkHDI.com I March/April 2010 Suppor tWor ld I KEEP ING THE I T SUPPORT COMMUNITY CONNECTED

support center becomes a support group, the help desk becomes the helpless desk, and gurus become grunts. Talented employees start quitting. Satisfaction survey scores fall, further diminishing the perception of the support center. The salaries of the support team get smaller and smaller, too, as executives come to see the support team as a necessary evil—a cost they must bear, but one that should be written off and marginalized whenever possible.

Most support centers suffer from this cycle. In a boom-and-bust economy, support teams are one of the first places execu-tives cut costs when the business cycle takes a downward turn. Often, they do this at the expense of their company’s overall productivity and profitability. Yet the trend persists, and has persisted for more than three decades.

The helpless help desk is not a thing of the past, as much as we might wish it to be. How did this come to be?

A Brief History of the Helpless Desk

Support centers began with the most noble of intentions: help software and computer users solve their errors, bugs, and problems. However, noble intentions alone do not provide or ensure a good support center product or experience.

The origins of the support center concept began with the help desk. Quite literally, it was a single desk, manned by a single person with a phone, doing his best to field customer problems and resolve them. He was often also the software developer, or the engineer behind the design of the computer system itself. He was never focused primarily on user support. His in-terests and motivations were invested in the continued innovation of the software or computer systems he was designing. Phone calls were a distraction at best, and it showed in how he handled them.

In a darkly lit basement office, surrounded by the buzzing of the computers and stacks and piles of books on programming language and circuitry sche-matics, he found himself dealing with users who knew absolutely nothing about computers, and even less about the beautiful masterpieces he had designed or developed. His frustration showed.

Help desks began with poor attitudes, bad customer service, and ineffective problem resolution—a percep-tion that persists to this day. Support centers suffer an image problem rooted in its help-desk origins and compounded by the stresses of high demand and basic misunderstanding.

Once the battle for perception of a support center begins, it has already been lost. Perception manage-

ment must take place at the outset. Expectations must be clearly and realistically established. Scope and scale must be prop-erly defined, and then, later, pointedly defended and upheld. Operating level agreements (OLAs) must be laid out and agreed upon by the heads of every department in the organization. The right people must be chosen to create, lead, and staff it. Unfor-tunately, in most companies, due to their natural evolution, the support center does not enjoy the luxury of thorough advance planning.

One day, “the IT guy” becomes the IT manager and hires a junior tech. The next day, the new IT manager hires a couple more technicians and sets up a phone number for users to call. Soon he has a team of technicians who are doing a blend of IT administration, deskside support, on-site service, and remote support. He makes a spreadsheet and asks his employ-ees to track their activities and time because the bosses have begun to ask him for cost justification: performance increases, bonuses, and training budget requests.

As workload increases, users start to lose patience and the junior techs fall further behind on resolutions. The techs were

CustomerService

Opinion: The Helpless Desk By Dan Raeder

A Thing of the Past?

A 2006 survey conducted by SkillSoft, an online train-ing provider, rated informa-tion technology as the most stressful profession. Countless other surveys have reached the same conclusion. The reasons for this are manifold: uneducated and undertrained users; high business demands for up-time and speedy problem resolution; lack of effective change control; lax IT security and management policies; a general misunderstanding of the information technology profession on the whole; and overworked, undercompensated IT workers.

hen IT workers’ stress levels run high, they risk becoming ever more negative and cynical, adversely affecting their ability to communicate positively

with the user base they support. Complaints increase and the perception of the support center becomes a compound night-mare that feeds on itself, creating further misunderstanding, engendering a lack of trust in the support team, and further

increasing IT workers’ stress levels. This phenomenon results in high employee turnover on the support team, exacerbating cynicism and morale problems.

It is no wonder support centers are often deplored and misun-derstood by their customers and executives, a condition that can render the support center almost completely ineffective. The


never trained in customer service, and the users were never trained on the technology, so user satisfaction begins to decline as the techs come to despise them for their lack of knowledge. As this happens, it becomes harder to convince the business leaders that more funds are needed for training, additional employees, or salary increases.

Networks and systems become less reliable, as the techs scramble to maintain and manage them while also supporting the users. The quality of IT services declines and the user base becomes less productive, while the number of reported issues skyrockets. The support center’s culture becomes more cynical and stressful. The term “help desk” becomes a joke; “the IT guy” doesn’t know what hit him.

The challenges a support center manager faces in this all-too-familiar scenario are virtually insurmountable. His reputation as an IT manager suffers, and his team’s viability is at risk when executives begin musing over the idea of outsourcing.

The IT guy was never entirely at fault in this scenario. In large part, he was a victim of the general lack of understanding of IT as a whole, and more specifically, of what a support center really is. Yet, at the same time, he does bear some responsibil-ity. The support center lives and dies based on how well it presents itself, not just how effective it is at solving problems. The support center’s manager is responsible for marketing and presenting the support center to the world. Without an aggres-sive campaign to explain what the support center is, what it does, and how effective it is at doing it, it marginalizes itself in the industry.

This negative cycle repeats itself constantly, and this is why support centers continuously suffer from an image problem.

Surviving Today

In a 2007 Customer Satisfaction Index benchmarking study, performed by HDI (formerly the Help Desk Institute), the average user-satisfaction rate was at an astounding 83%. This survey result flew in the face of my years of experience in sup-port centers, so I was naturally inquisitive.

I began researching how the survey was conducted and dis-covered that the HDI Customer Satisfaction Index is a product sold exclusively by HDI to its members. One might reasonably

assume that HDI’s members are more likely to care about the quality of the support center experience, are more likely to embrace the best practices HDI promotes, and tend to have better morale than the average support center.

Given this hypothesis, I asked Bob Last, HDI’s statistician, content manager, and resident expert, if I was on the right track. He estimates that there are about 14,000 support centers in the United States. This number, however, is hard to verify. “The problem with trying to nail down a number,” Last notes, “is that the definitions of help desk, support center and service desk are all different. In addition, there are thousands of organizations that have people performing technical sup-port tasks that do not identify themselves as technical support professionals.” Of those support centers, an estimated 33% are members of HDI. Of that 33%, only about 200 participated in the HDI Customer Satisfaction Index benchmarking study. This means that little more than 1% of all support centers are accurately accounted for in the study, even fewer when one considers that the remaining non-member organizations are less likely to subscribe to or adopt the practices and training afforded by an organization like HDI.

In all, support centers are well advised to pay close attention to the benefits of advance planning; to continual improvement through membership in organizations that focus on promot-ing measurable success in customer satisfaction, training, and career development; and to incentive programs that invite sup-port center team members to give their best as they represent their parent organizations.

Whatever you call them—support centers, help desks, service desks, or IT support teams—customer service is critical to successful business productivity, customer loyalty, and strategic planning. With workers in these departments facing the most stressful of career choices, we owe it to them to provide them with the tools as professionals to be successful, relieve stress, and advance in their careers.

About the Author

Daniel Raeder is a veteran support professional who has won awards for customer service and service desk innova-tion. He has fourteen years of experience contributing to the design, foundation, support, and leadership of several support centers, and has provided his services to BBN, GTE Internetworking, L3 Communications, and Paragon

Development Systems. He holds multiple certifications, including ITIL v2 Foundations and HDI Support Center Team Lead, and is a member of HDI and MSP Alliance. He can be reached at [email protected] or by visiting http://www.danielraeder.com.


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HDI Recognizes the Saudi Basic Industries Corporation (SABIC) IT Central Help Desk and the Intergraph Solutions Center!

HDI would like to recognize the SABIC IT Central Help Desk and the Intergraph Solution Center for successfully completing the

renewal of their HDI Support Center Certifications. Congratulations!

Saudi Basic Industries Corporation (SABIC) ranks among the world’s top five petrochemical companies and is among the world’s market leaders in the production of polyethylene, polypropylene and other advanced thermoplastics, glycols, methanol, and fertilizers. SABIC recorded a net profit of $5.86 billion (SR 22 billion) in 2008. Sales revenues for 2008 totaled $40.2 billion (SR 151 billion). Total assets stood at $72.5 billion (SR 272 billion) at the end of 2008. SABIC’s businesses are grouped into Chemicals, Polymers, Performance Chemicals, Fertilizers, Metals, and Innovative Plastics. SABIC has significant research resources and has fifteen dedicated Research and Technology and application centers in the Middle East, the Americas, Europe, and Asia-Pacific. The company operates in more than forty countries around the world, with 33,000 employees worldwide.

The SABIC IT Central Help Desk has been certified since 2007.

Intergraph is the leading global provider of engineering and geospatial software that enables customers to visualize complex data. Businesses

and governments in more than 60 countries rely on Intergraph’s industry-specific software to organize vast amounts of data into understandable visual representations and actionable intelligence. Intergraph’s

software and services empower customers to build and operate more efficient plants and ships, create intelligent maps, and protect critical infrastructure and millions of people around the world.

Intergraph Solutions Center focuses on providing services to enable our clients to make the right decisions at the right time using the right information. Organizations need total IT support, whether it’s to support custom systems, consolidate support from multiple vendors, or augment their own staff. Intergraph Solution Center provides total hardware, networking, operating system, and applications support. At Intergraph, we recognize that each customer’s needs are different, and we satisfy those needs through our customer-centric approach.

The Intergraph Solutions Center has been certified since 2003.

Help Desk Humor

Tech Support: Ok, ma’am, I need you to do a CTRL-ALT-DELETE.

Customer: How do I do that?

TS: Push and hold CTRL and ALT at the same time, and then hit DELETE.

C: Where are those?

The technician explains the location of the keys.

C: Nothing happened.

TS: Try again.

C: Still nothing.

A minute or two later...

C: Should I turn my computer on? Would that help?

TS: Yeah, it might.

I do network administration and end-user support. A particular administrator was always having problems run-ning Windows. The hard drive finally crashed, so when the person was at lunch, I re-installed it on her machine.

When she came back from lunch she called and said her computer didn’t work. I asked her to read the screen to me. She said, “Bad command or file name.” So I went over to her desk.

We started her machine and the file menu screen came up. It read:

1. Mainframe

2. Word Processing

Press the number of your choice and hit [ENTER].

It looked right, so I told her to press either 1 or 2, depend-ing on whether she wanted to go to the mainframe or the word processor. She pressed 4. And, of course, we got the same error. When I asked her why she pressed 4, she said, “It says press the number of my choice! I choose 4!”

Tech Support: Where in the building is your printer lo-cated?

Customer: The middle of my desk.

Tech Support: If I have to give someone directions, where do I tell them to go?

Customer: In the middle of my desk where I work.

Help Desk: Are you sure you used the right password?

Customer: Yes, I’m sure. I saw my colleague do it.

Help Desk: Can you tell me what the password was?

Customer: Five stars.

Customer: I’m having a problem installing your software. I’ve got a fairly old computer, and when I type INSTALL, all it says is “Bad command or file name.”

Tech Support: Ok, check the directory of the A: drive. Go to A:\ and type DIR.

Customer reads off a list of file names, including INSTALL.EXE.

TS: All right, the correct file is there. Type INSTALL again.

C: Ok. (pause) Still says “Bad command or file name.”

TS: Hmmm. The file’s there in the correct place; it can’t help but do something. Are you sure you’re typing I-N-S-T-A-L-L and hitting the ENTER key?

C: Yes, let me try it again. (pause) Nope, still “Bad command or file name.”

TS: (now really confused) Are you sure you’re typing I-N-S-T-A-L-L and hitting the key that says ENTER?

C: Well, yeah. Although my N key is stuck, so I’m using the M key...does that matter?

Source (all): RinkWorks (http://www.rinkworks.com)


2010 Award Finalists

Team Excellence Award:

Analyst of the Year: Cindy Priester (Arizona Local Chapter, Western Region), Amber Ervin (Rocky Mountain Local Chapter, Central Region), Suzanne Ritchie (Indiana Chapter, Midwest Region), Jessica Wunsch (Delaware Valley Local Chapter, Northeast Region), Michael Yon (First Coast Local Chapter, Southeast Region), Kari Wihlidal (Regina Local Chapter, Canadian Region)

Manager of the Year: Carl Farmer (Solar Turbines), Cheryl Force (Monsanto), Todd Sweet (City of Oakville)

Fresh Faces at HDI

Cinda Daly joined the HDI management team in March as the Director of Business Content, a new strategic position intended to drive content creation, acquisition, and distribution across all HDI disciplines and promote thought leadership in the technical service and support community. Cinda has worked with HDI in a consulting capacity for nearly eighteen years and is best known for her work on the HDI annual conferences.

Jenny Rains rejoined HDI in February. She will be taking up the Research Analyst position, which she has held in various capacities for over five years. We are very excited to have Jenny back on the team!

Enchanté!HDI would like to welcome the Rio Grande Local Chapter! Based in Albuquerque,

NM, the Rio Grande chapter is hard at work establishing its infrastructure, developing mission statements and bylaws, and scheduling future meetings. It already has a full roster of energetic volunteer officers, excited by the new prospects

for idea exchange and collaboration. For more information, contact Sandy Hazlett ([email protected]) or Sophie Klossner ([email protected]).

continued

Three Ways to RegisterVisit: www.ThinkHDI.com/courses Call: 1.800.248.5667 Email: [email protected]

Professional Certification Courses

Public Classroom

Length

Public Classroom HDI Member Price /

Price

Online Classroom

Length

Online HDI Member Price/

Price April May June

HDI® Customer Service Representative 1 day $795 / $895 6 hours $545 / $595 Call to schedule.

HDI® Desktop Support Technician 2 days $1,295 / $1,395 10-12 hours $545 / $595 12-13 Washington DC21–22 New York City28–29 Chicago

HDI® Support Center Analyst 2 days $1,295 / $1,395 10-12 hours $545 / $595 5-6 Arlington, VA5-6 Phoenix, AZ9 Blended12-13 Chicago, IL12-13 Houston, TX19-20 Cleveland, OH19-20 Los Angeles, CA26-27 Minneapolis, MN

3–4 San Francisco5–6 Dallas10–11 Columbus10–11 Los Angeles17–18 New York City24–25 Washington, DC24–25 San Diego

7–8 Atlanta14–15 Irvine, CA14–15 Philadelphia21–22 Milwaukee

HDI® Support Center Team Lead 2 days $1,495 / $1,595 16-20 hours $645 / $695 13-14 Washington, DC13-14 San Francisco, CA26-27 Dallas, TX

17–18 Atlanta19–20 New York City

15–16 Chicago

HDI® Support Center Manager 3 days $1,795 / $1,895 — — 7-9 Phoenix, AZ12-14 San Francisco, CA14-16 Chicago, IL14-16 Houston, TX21-23 Cleveland, OH21-23 Los Angeles, CA28-30 Minneapolis, MN

5–7 San Francisco 5–7 Dallas12–14 Columbus26–28 Washington, DC

9–11 Atlanta15–17 Chicago16–18 Irvine, CA16–18 Philadelphia23–25 Milwaukee

HDI® Support Center Director 3 days $2,795 / $2,895 — — 12-14 San Francisco, CA 5–7 Dallas 15–17 Chicago

Knowledge Management Foundations: KCSSM Principles

3 days $1,495 / $1,595 — — 12-14 San Francisco, CA14-16 Washington DC

5–7 Dallas12–14 Los Angeles19–21 Atlanta

15–17 Chicago23–25 New York City

ITIL® v3 Foundation 3 days $1,495 / $1,595 14-18 hours $425 / $445 14-16 Washington DC 30–June 2 Chicago

Schedule is subject to change. Check www.ThinkHDI.com/courses for updates.

Professional Development CoursesLive, instructor-led training delivered over the internet via

two-hour sessions for three consecutive days.

Virtual Classroom

Length

HDI Member Price/Price April May June

Building Your Service Catalog 6 hours $545 / $595 — 25–27 —

Change Management 6 hours $545 / $595 — — 15–17

Configuration Management 6 hours $545 / $595 — — 15–17

Knowledge-Centered Support Fundamentals 6 hours $545 / $595 13-15 13–15 22–24

Problem Management 6 hours $545 / $595 — 18–20 —

Service Level Management 6 hours $545 / $595 — 18–20 —

Support Center Metrics and Measurements 6 hours $545 / $595 — 25–27 —

HDI Certification and TrainingApril/May/June Course Schedule

Documents

STRATEgY Jurassic Park - HDI/media/HDICorp/Files/... · social media revolution to the virtual workforce. In “Jurassic Park and the Service Desk,” Chris Dancy relates the history