Workflow Engine and Escalation Guide

Transcription

1 1 Introduction Workflow Engine and Escalation Guide The SupportDesk Work Flow Engine (Escalator) automatically escalates Calls and notifies parties. This guide provides help in using this module in conjunction with the SupportDesk Categories and the optional module. You should also read A Guide to SLA Management. 2 What is the Escalator? The Escalator module is like another member of staff on your SupportDesk team. It constantly monitors the Calls, Activities and even contracts within SupportDesk and, if configured to do so, will issue alerts if the required jobs are not being performed within the timescales specified, or if contracts are due to expire. It will also trigger the synchronisation with third party modules with which SupportDesk can integrate. The alerts can take the form of pop-up notifications or s (if the module is installed) and you can configure the exact circumstances and recipients of these alerts. You will normally access the Escalator from a shortcut on one SupportDesk machine, usually the install machine. It uses the default Suppdesk.ini file unless configured otherwise. The main settings of the Escalator are visible on the Escalator screen: The exact circumstances of time breaches to which the Escalator can respond and create pop-up notifications are: For logged Calls: Call Response Time. Call Warning Time. Call Action Time. For underlying information: Customer Expiry. Contract Expiry. Inventory Expiry. Contract Expiry Figure 1: Escalator Settings 1

2 When the Notify options are ticked here, the Escalator automatically writes a note to the private Notice board of the Owner and the Assignee, resulting in a visual alert in the main SupportDesk window for these users: Figure 2: Escalator Pop-up There is also a library of events for which the Escalator will send s which is fully described in the section The Escalator and . As well as issuing warnings, the Escalator can also re-assign Calls and change the categorisation. The actions are configured within the Categories settings and described in the section Category Settings and the Escalator. Category Settings and the Escalator Within SupportDesk, you can categorise Calls in numerous ways: Figure 3: Call Categories The maintenance screens for each of these categories are very similar and they all share many of the same settings and attributes. Each of the categories is defined through four tabs: Detail, Workflow and Actions, Attachments and Escalation, the latter being the subject of this document. Figure 4: Escalation tab How you can use these categories is covered in A Guide to SLA Management. Some of the principles emphasised in that paper carry through to here, particularly that prudent use of the Escalation setting makes for the most efficient system. Setting Escalation rules on too many categories can result in staff being overwhelmed with notifications, s or reassigned Calls. This paper assumes that the use of categories has been established and the meaning of each is clear in both what it represents and the importance that it grants a Call. Following this, we will assume we are dealing with a SupportDesk system where the Priority is the clear indicator of 2

3 how imperative it is for the Call to be resolved, and it is on the Priority Category that the timings of the Call have been set: Figure 5: Service Level Priority The three key times against which all Calls are monitored are: - Respond within. This determines when an initial response must be made for Calls with this category. Failure to achieve this target is treated as a breach. If the auto-response facility within SupportDesk is used, this setting is largely redundant. Instead, logged Calls automatically generate messages to the appropriate parties, usually the Customer, giving them details about the Call number, etc. When this configuration is employed, the first response is immediate. Warning after. This time period is used to calculate a Warning Date on the Call form or the reminder date for Activities. SupportDesk itself will display a warning bell next to the Call or Activity when the warning date has been exceeded. This indicates that action is required imminently. Action/Fix within. The specified time is used to calculate an Action Date on the Call form or the scheduled date for Activities and is the target completion time. The Escalator monitors performance against these times. Looking at the settings on the Escalator Tab of each category: Figure 6: Escalator tab Escalate to. Notify (only available when the option is included. Covered later) 3

4 After Warning Date breach Assign to. After Action Date breach Assign to. Do not adjust target dates. Taking these settings in turn. Escalate to Select form the drop-down list another of the category codes within this Category group, in this case another Priority to which the Call will be escalated if it passes the Action Date/Time without being assigned a status that has either a Resolved or Closed Milestone indicator. Prior to making this setting, you must decide how you wish SupportDesk to treat the target dates on that Call when escalated. There are two options, which are controlled by Do not adjust target dates. If it is: ticked, then even though the Call may change Priority, it will retain the target dates and times that were set when the Call was first assigned a priority not ticked, SupportDesk will recalculate the target dates using the parameters on the new category. Calculation will also consider the flag setting on the main Category screen: Figure 7: Category Settings Here, if Calculate Milestones from Open Date/Time is not ticked, escalating a Call to another Category can actually move the target dates forward. In general, it is advisable to tick Do not adjust Target Dates on the Category tab. Notify The Notify option is only offered if the add-on is included, so that a SupportDesk user can be nominated as the recipient of ed information regarding the Call. After Warning/Action Date breach Assign to The Escalator gives the ability to automatically reassign Calls that are not being dealt with in the timescales that you have stipulated. Whilst powerful, this has to come with a health warning. Your escalation rules of re-assigning Calls have to be backed up with sound business practice and monitoring. If, at the end of each day, one user ends up being assigned every Call, something is going wrong and actions need to be put in place to avoid this not by changing the rule but by analysis of why the Calls have reached this state. Constant escalation of Calls can be a valuable indicator in any Support environment and should not immediately be put down to skill issues and, whilst there are many other indicators of trends within the SupportDesk, it should not be overlooked. Factors other than the SupportDesk user that should be looked at and which may prove useful are: The predominance of certain Call Types that are escalated. This may point to inadequate knowledge in the support environment or/and fundamental flaws in the supported product. 4

5 Specific Customers/Users that have a high incidence of Call escalation. This can point to lack of training, inadequate Call information being provided or fundamental flaws in that Customer s environment. The Categorisation of Calls that are escalated. This may point to a set of response expectations that are bordering on unattainable in your SupportDesk environment. The Escalator and Actions of the Escalator can be communicated to other SupportDesk users through their private Notice boards and pop-up notifications. When the option is installed and the Send option on the Escalator is ticked, another communication route becomes available and the actions of the Escalator can be broadcast to a far wider audience. This is best demonstrated by viewing the library of actions that will trigger s in the Escalation Tab of the Configuration screen: Figure 9: Escalator Actions There are seven mail triggers that are available, which in general can be sent to four potential recipients: Call Owner, Assignee, Customer and a definable recipient that is offered on the Category Escalation Tab Notify. For Activity Escalation, the recipient Scheduler is available: On Escalation of Call. Warning Date Breach Action Date Breach Activity Reminder Date Breach Activity Schedule Date Breach Response Date Breach On Escalation of Activity To activate any of these, simply double-click the required trigger and then choose the appropriate Mail Template from the library, such as: 4: Internal Assignee Call Details 5: External Assignee Call Details 25: Response Date Breach 12: Warning Date Breach 16: Action Date Breach 5

6 13: Escalation Details The two Activity triggers that work in tandem with the Escalator are: Activity Reminder Breaches Activity Schedule Breaches. If Send is on the Escalator and these Mail triggers are enabled, the chosen mail templates will be sent to the login scheduled for an Activity if the Activity is not: Marked as complete by the schedule date and time or if the reminder date and time has been exceeded (and the Don t remind me again box has not been ticked). Other Escalator Settings Scan every minutes This dictates the interval at which the Escalator will interrogate the SupportDesk database. Run on Startup If ticked, the Escalator will automatically start as soon as it is opened. Run Minimized When running, the Escalator will run in minimized mode. Escalation Log File If ticked, the actions of the Escalator will be logged and saved in database table SUPESCAL. Sync Centennial/LanDesk/LDAP/SMS If any of the above additional modules have been purchased, it is possible to set the Escalator to automatically invoke the synchronisation action. For example, in the case of LDAP, the LDAP queries defined in the Scripts of SupportDesk will be run. Any of these synchronisations will be run once a day. If you have more than one set to run, please contact House on the Hill about setting a time offset to prevent them running at the same time. Running the Escalator as a Service Make sure that Microsoft's SrvAny.exe is located in the same folder as the executable (supesccs.exe). A Windows utility, srvany.exe is used to run the Call Escalation option as a Service. The file is part of the Resource Kit for Windows NT/2000 so you'll need to have a valid licence for the Resource Kit. Microsoft's licence restricts us from distributing the file but you can get a copy of from: When SupportDesk is not running, start the Escalator (double click on the supesccs.exe). Tick the required settings in the configuration form. Click the Add as a Service button. In the Services window (Control Panel, Administrative Tools, Services), right-click the SupportDesk Escalator entry. You should now be able to start the service. 6