Background
Department M is a service department responsible for handling both internal and external customer requests. The team, led by John, consisted of eight direct reports and managed requests through multiple channels:
- Emails sent to individual mailboxes (mix of internal and external requests)
- A shared mailbox for the entire team (including system-generated emails)
- Walk-ins
- Phone calls
This decentralized approach created significant challenges in tracking, prioritizing, and responding to requests.
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Challenges
John’s boss raised concerns about poor service quality, citing frequent complaints:
- Delayed responses
- No response
- Incorrect responses
When John addressed these issues with his team, they pushed back, explaining they were overwhelmed by the volume of work. Attempts to measure workload through manual spreadsheets proved time-consuming and ineffective. Despite these efforts, complaints persisted.
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Discovery
In our initial conversation, I asked John to identify his top three pain points. He highlighted:
- Invoice Discrepancy Delays
- Customers often emailed or called about invoice discrepancies. Delayed responses meant delayed payments.
- Credit Limit Checks
- Products could not ship until credit limits were confirmed, but not all team members had access to perform these checks.
- Lack of Visibility
- John had no way to track issue status or identify who was working on specific requests.
Key Findings:
- No documented process for handling invoice discrepancies.
- Inconsistent access to credit limit information, causing bottlenecks.
- No centralized system for tracking requests.
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Solution Design
To address these challenges, we focused on process standardization and technology enablement. With John’s input, I created:
- Roles & Responsibilities Chart for the team
- Escalation Processes for each pain point
- Service Level Agreements (SLAs) for key processes
- Flowcharts to visualize workflows
John reviewed and approved these documents after revisions. He also took the Roles & Responsibilities document and ensured everyone on his team had access to check customer credit limits.
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Implementation
We leveraged Freshservice, an existing IT ticketing system, to centralize and streamline request management.
System Setup
- Created three groups:
- Invoice Validation
- Credit Check Request
- All Other Requests
- Assigned team members based on the Roles & Responsibilities chart.
- Configured SLAs in Freshservice for each process.
- Built three input forms for internal customers:
- Invoice Validation Request
- Credit Check Request
- General Requests
- Developed dashboards:
- Team Dashboard: Prioritized work while maintaining visibility.
- Manager Dashboard: Highlighted delays, escalations, and SLA breaches.
- Created custom reports:
- SLA performance history
- Team performance metrics
- Tickets open for more than 5 days
Documentation & Training
- Authored Process & Procedure Guides for both the team and internal customers.
- Conducted training sessions for John and his team on Freshservice usage, reporting, and administration.
- Performed testing with sample data.
Go-Live
- Redirected shared mailbox and system-generated emails to Freshservice.
- Communicated the new process to internal customers.
- Guided the team to encourage customers to use the shared mailbox for requests.
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Outcomes
The transformation delivered immediate and measurable benefits:
- Improved Visibility: John could quickly track issues, follow up on delays, and identify bottlenecks.
- Enhanced Customer Experience: Internal customers gained transparency into request status, reducing frustration.
- Reduced Complaints: John’s boss reported a significant drop in service-related complaints.
Continuous Improvement
- With better visibility, John:
- Identified delays caused by third parties and adjusted SLAs with clear messaging.
- Resolved recurring system-generated issues by collaborating with peers, reducing unnecessary workload.
- Introduced a new Credit Application Request process with defined SLAs to expedite approvals.
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Key Takeaways
- Centralization and visibility are critical for managing high-volume service requests.
- Process documentation and role clarity reduce confusion and improve accountability.
- Leveraging existing tools like Freshservice can accelerate transformation without additional investment.