Technology Record - Issue 22: Autumn 2021

I NT E R V I EW E mployees have always faced IT challenges, but the rapid move to remote working dur- ing the pandemic has exacerbated these difficulties, with many struggling to set up IT devices and equipment, log in to corporate net- works, or access critical IT systems and business documents. Now, they are reporting more issues and asking an increasing number of varied ques- tions, placing a significant burden on organisa- tions’ help desk teams. Studies show that global IT leaders are look- ing for ways to decrease unnecessary dialogues in their help desks, not only to reduce the bur- den on service agents, but also to empower employees to quickly resolve basic issues them- selves and remain productive. To achieve this, many enterprises have invested in service desk automation, implementing solutions such as ServiceNow and Microsoft Teams. However, if organisations want to automate the dialogues between the help desk and employees, they must empower service agents with data and omnichannel capabilities that are powered by artificial intelligence (AI), says Gijs Geurts, CEO of Anywhere365. “Microsoft Teams and ServiceNow are both widely used by businesses, but they exist in two different silos, so it’s difficult for organisations to achieve smart automation and deliver fast and efficient help desk experiences,” he explains. “Anywhere365 bridges the gap between the two platforms, pulling relevant data fromServiceNow and routing it to the right person via Microsoft Teams so they have all the contextual informa- tion they need to help the caller. After the call finishes, all the data is stored in ServiceNow so it can be used in future conversations.” To further automate, expedite and improve the help desk experience, organisations can imple- ment chatbots and voice bots powered by AI and machine learning technologies. “Today’s chat bots and voice bots can deliver so much more than just a simple question and answer interaction based on key words,” says Geurts. “They can use AI to analyse language and tone of voice, and they can pull information from an organisation’s various systems and data- bases to help the caller. Consequently, they can offer a personalised service and quickly provide answers to simple questions or help employees resolve basic issues, such as resetting passwords. “Employees are happy because their issues are fixed quickly without them having to wait in queues to speak with live service agents or repeat information multiple times. Meanwhile, service agents can focus on more complex tasks. Of course, if the bot can’t help using this informa- tion or if it detects that an employee is becoming frustrated, it will raise a ticket or transfer the call to a live agent.” Implementing these technologies will also ena- ble organisations to achieve their ultimate goal: transitioning from a break-fix approach to a pro- active IT support strategy. “Service agents will be able to predict potential issues and resolve them before the employee notices,” says Geurts. Gijs Geurts shares how enterprises can reduce the pressure on service agents by implementing artificial intelligence-powered bots and platforms such as Anywhere365, Microsoft Teams and ServiceNow Automating the help desk 101 BY R E B E CCA G I B SON