In the business world, we’re often required to decide between products or services we don’t know much about; this is especially true when it comes to new, cutting-edge technology and trends. We’re much more susceptible to hype when we’re in unfamiliar territory and have no prior experience. This...
Date Published - Last Updated February 25, 2016
Some of the most effective techniques for doing more with less come from lean management. Using these techniques, I’ve been able to mobilize my teams while maintaining or improving morale and customer satisfaction. But where do you start? How do you identify the areas that will have the biggest...
Date Published - Last Updated February 25, 2016
Supporting Office 365 is no easy task, especially in a university setting with a diverse audience of end users. But the University of New Mexico Information Technologies (UNM IT) is doing just that—and achieving exceptionally high first contact resolution rates, as well as huge growth in the use...
Date Published - Last Updated February 25, 2016
Offshoring—moving jobs to other countries—is a topic that elicits strong reactions from people. Management is frequently in favor of it, for a variety of reasons; workers, on the other hand, can feel threatened, fearing that their jobs are in danger. There are political, economic, and ethical...
Date Published - Last Updated February 25, 2016
How well do you know your customers? Do you understand their expectations around technology and its support? The fact is, these expectations change depending on age and exposure to technology. Consider the terminology you see in popular media concerning each successive generation: Baby Boomers,...
Date Published - Last Updated February 26, 2016
We define a Lean service desk operation as one in which volume, variety, and process variation are managed, and in which individual workflows are optimized for efficiency. That’s a very simple definition, and while it suggests a high bar for qualification, we believe that consistently applied...
Date Published - Last Updated February 25, 2016
The IT world is in the midst of dramatic change. With each passing day, the traditional model for remote support becomes increasingly outdated. Today there are 10 billion mobile devices, 50 percent more applications, an infinite amount of unique configurations, and more distributed workers than...
Date Published - Last Updated February 25, 2016
Date Published - Last Updated December 30, 2014
The consumerization of technology and the “Google-ization” of information have changed the knowledge management landscape. How can you address these challenges in a way that benefits your users, your staff, and your business?
Date Published - Last Updated February 25, 2016
For a long time, the average lifecycle for support center software—including both simpler ticket management tools and more sophisticated IT service management systems—has been three to five years. This may seem like a relatively short period of time to those of us who have gone through the...
Date Published - Last Updated February 25, 2016