How many times is the number of clicks, fields or screens being navigated through used as a reason for work efficiency being low? It is one of the main ways to discuss lack of efficiency by users of any system. Luckily, Jira Cloud has automation built in for just these types of issues, both for Software and Service Management projects. In this article we’ll mainly focus on how powerful automations in Jira Service Management can be. When leveraged properly, Jira Service Management automation can help close out issues for users and ensure customers feel consistently engaged and informed awhile keeping operations efficient for agents.
What are Automations in Jira Service Management
While time is a focus of most people, as it is the one thing that never stops, being able to use it effectively on things that need your attention is key. Yet, the first hurdle most people have is identifying which actions do not need to be performed by someone. Automations are things that can be based on inputs by a person, and therefore are always going to be selected the same. Additionally, they can be thought of as anything that is repeatable based on a “formula.” One example could be filling in a customer based on name or filling out a number field based on selection of priority. Once these are identified and agreed upon, you can then start to figure out the next phase: how to build the workflow around these to aid in the automation.
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Workflows Lead to Better Automations
One of the keys to automation is how the workflows are set up in Jira Service Management. The workflow, when configured with either the correct transition, status or combination thereof, can facilitate the automation. Having a workflow set up to allow for automation based on a specific entry into a status or trigger of transition will help both agents and administrators of Jira Service Management manage their work more easily. On the administrative side, the proper set-up will allow for focused automation(s) and ensure they are easy to link without writing out complicated if-this-then-that statements. On the Agent side of the house, the simple automation UI makes it easier for them to understand their triggers when you are a Project Administrator. The Agent can then move on to another issue until the need for follow-up arises. For example, transitioning a request to “Pending Customer” may pause the SLA, but automating the transition back to “In Progress” based on a customer comment alerts the Agent that they've received their feedback.
You may be wondering about some of the items that can be automated in Jira Service Management to ensure efficient flow of information. Let’s dive into some of the ways to use automation for communication:
Customer Alerts for Approval
The first part of the communication is understanding what yout customers will need from your team to understand what is happening with their issue. For the most part, customers want to be appraised of receipts and communication of progress consistently. With this mindset and communication to customers, you will inevitably save time by eliminating constant customer inquiries about what is going on with their tickets or the "do you need anything from us?" question. While this can be a bit overwhelming at first, at Praecipio, this is one of the many items outlined in our Accelerator for Jira Service Management implementation. We have gathered best practices from many different implementations to put together a "starter kit" on automated communications. In addition to the communications, we also offer the ability to tie in Assets with JSM to drive ease of use for customers, with less questions and more automated information being filled out.
Asset and Configuration Management
The use of Assets, as mentioned above, is part of the other side of the automation for Jira Service Management and automates information based on users and their inputs. By filling in specific fields based on user input or spinning up linked tickets to connect to the current issue, the automation of these tedious tasks is where the Agents and Customers see the benefit. Remember, the agent's main complaint centers on the amount of time they take to get the issue closed and move on to another one. While fields being adjusted is a good thing, spinning up another linked issue is even quicker –eliminating time spent moving information and instead having it done automatically by selecting the correct workflow transition.
Get the Most out of Jira Service Management
Overall, the key to getting the most out of the automation in Jira Service Management is first figuring out where you can save time for all of the different users of the system. Second, determine how to communicate to your customers in an effective manner that can be automated, but also ensures your customers' satisfaction. This should be centered on letting them know what is happening with their ticket and drawing them back into the solution when needed. As always, anything to remove steps (clicks) from the user is going to not only get more out of Jira Service Management, but also drive a higher usage of the system, correctly, back into your organization.
We are experts in Jira Service Management and Assets, and would love to help you make the most out of this powerful tool. If you're curious to see if Jira Service Management is a good fit for your organization, drop us a line and one of our experts will get in touch with you.
