How many times is the number of clicks, fields or screens having to be navigated through used as a reason that work efficiency is low? It is a main way to discuss lack of efficiency by users of any system. Well, Jira Service Management has automation built in for just these type of issues. And when leveraged properly, Jira Service Management automation can help drive closing out issues for users as well as ensuring customers feel engaged and informed.
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 what 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. For example, 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.
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 or 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 helps 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. 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 they've received their feedback.
At this point you may be wondering what are some of the items that can be automated in Jira Service Management to ensure efficient flow of information. Here is a list of some of the ways to use automation for communication:
- Customer alerts for approval
- Alerts for review of information
- Alert them to closure of ticket
- Alert to lack of response
The first part of the communication is understanding what YOUR customers will need from your team to understand what is happening with their issue. For the most part, customers want to be appraised of receipt and communication of progress consistently. With this mindset and communication to customers, you will inevitably save time by eliminating constant customer inquiry on 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.
The other side of the automation for Jira Service Management is automating information based on user inputs. By filling in specific fields based on user input or spinning up linked tickets to connect to the current issue, the automation inside of Jira Service Management for tasks that, while not hard, can become tedious, is where the Agents and Customers see the benefit. Remember, the users main complaint centers on the amount of time they take to get the issue closed and move on to another one. So while remembering that fields can be adjusted is a good thing, spinning up another issue that is linked is even quicker, thus eliminating the time to move information and instead having it done automatically by selecting the correct workflow transition.
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 the users of the system. Second, determine how to communicate to your customers in an effective manner that can be automated, but also ensuring your customers' satisfaction. This should be centered on letting them know what is happening with their ticket and drawing them back in to 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 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.
