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Best Practices Webcasts

Our webcasts continue to be a huge draw for service and support professionals. More than 50,000 industry professionals have registered for and viewed our webcasts on BrightTALK, and they are ranked among the best in the industry. Many of our clients have come to rely upon these webcasts as an effective tool for training, coaching, and improving the skill sets of their service and support professionals. Our 2023 lineup includes new topics related to Outsourcing Metrics, Artificial Intelligence, 10-Year Benchmarking Trends, and effective Leadership Practices.

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IT Support Outsourcing in 2023: Rising Above the Typical Challenges

Register Now!

Date: September 24, 2023 at 2:00PM EDT

IT Support Outsourcing is at an inflection point, and there are no shortage of stumbling blocks to navigate. How do we clear these hurdles and journey towards successful IT Support Outsourcing relationships? It’s time to dissect and address the issues that can make or break the outsourcing experience.

Previously, we highlighted the 11 common failure modes of IT outsourcing relationships, shedding light on complex challenges from vendors over-promising and under-delivering, to governance deficits, contract misalignments, and the confusing mesh of data and analysis. However, we’ve barely scratched the surface of these issues.

Now, Jeff Rumburg, a seasoned veteran of the IT industry, returns for an in-depth exploration of these challenges. Leveraging over three decades of experience, Jeff will dive into real-world case studies, analysing these obstacles and providing practical solutions to overcome them.

In this enlightening webcast, you’ll get to:

– Review the 11 major failure modes in IT outsourcing relationships and their impact on performance.
– Unearth effective strategies to dodge these pitfalls and ensure a mutually beneficial outsourcing contract.
– Understand how to decipher vendor reports and interpret the underlying metrics.
– Learn how to establish a non-zero-sum perspective in an IT outsourcing contract, fostering a mindset of shared success.
– Discover how to foster continuous improvement, increase transparency, and reduce turnover in outsourcing projects.

Don’t miss this opportunity to go beyond the surface-level challenges and dig into the root causes. Join us to uncover how to future-proof your IT Support Outsourcing and harness the potential of IT Service and Support in 2023.

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Benchmarking Roundup: Summary of 2023 Contact Center Benchmarks

Register Now!

Date: October 19, 2023 at 2:00PM EDT

Many Contact Center Center professionals are unfamiliar with the key performance indicators (KPIs) that are important to track and trend and even fewer are aware of what constitutes acceptable performance. In this webcast, Jeff Rumburg will share the results of MetricNet’s 2023 Global Benchmarking Initiative for Contact Centers, discuss the methodology, define the KPIs used for benchmarking, and share performance data from more than 140 companies worldwide.

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Benchmarking Roundup: Summary of 2023 IT Service and Support Benchmarks

Register Now!

Date: November 16, 2023 at 2:00PM EST

Many Service and Support professionals are unfamiliar with the key performance indicators (KPIs) that are important to track and trend and even fewer are aware of what constitutes acceptable performance. In this session, Jeff Rumburg will share the results of MetricNet’s 2023 Global Benchmarking Initiative for Service and Support, discuss the methodology, define the KPIs used for benchmarking, and share performance data from more than 140 companies worldwide.

You May Have Missed…

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Hacking ITIL Problem Management

Live On Demand!

Date: August 24, 2023 at 2:00PM EDT

Instead of doggedly pursuing training, certification, and maturation…. and then waiting years to see any kind of benefit from all that effort, many organizations have decided instead to hack ITIL. An ITIL hack is simply a shortcut that allows you to achieve the benefits of a mature ITIL practice without having to go through months or even years of effort.

In a benchmark that MetricNet performed for one of the largest insurance companies in the world, it was discovered that end users in this company were logging an average of 2 service desk incidents per month. That’s about double the industry average, which was concerning not only because the average cost of a ticket at level 1 was about $25, but also because every ticket represents productive time that’s lost by the user. And that’s usually the bigger cost – that is, the lost user productivity – rather than the direct cost of support.

In this webcast, Jeff Rumburg will reveal how this this organization reached their goal of 50% reduction in total incidents – not in a year – but in less than six months! Attendees will learn the four simple, but very effective steps this organization took to realize all the benefits of ITIL, without going through the pain of maturing the formal ITIL practice of problem management.

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Unleashing the Enormous Power of Contact Center KPIs

Live On Demand!

Date: July 20, 2023 at 2:00PM EDT

In Unleashing the Enormous Power of Contact Center KPIs, MetricNet provides an overview of the Best Practices in Contact Center Performance Measurement. Our best practices help contact centers lower costs and increase customer satisfaction!

Viewers will learn:

How the industry’s top performing Contact Centers track and trend their performance.

How to use Contact Center KPIs diagnostically to achieve World-Class Performance.

How to apply Best Practices in Contact Center Performance Measurement and Management.

The key success factors in performance measurement from the industry’s top performing Contact Centers.

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Unleashing the Enormous Power of IT Service and Support KPIs

Live On Demand!

Date: June 22, 2023 at 2:00PM EDT

In Unleashing the Enormous Power of IT Service and Support KPIs, MetricNet provides an overview of the Best Practices in IT Service and Support Performance Measurement. Our best practices help IT Service and Support organizations lower costs and increase customer satisfaction!

Viewers will learn:

How the industry’s top performing IT Service and Support organizations track and trend their performance.

How to use IT Service and Support KPIs diagnostically to achieve World-Class Performance.

How to apply Best Practices in IT Service and Support Performance Measurement and Management.

The key success factors in performance measurement from the industry’s top performing IT Service and Support organizations.

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Case Studies in Service Desk AI and Machine Learning

Live On Demand!

Date: May 25, 2023 at 2:00PM EDT

As IT leaders, it’s your job to stay ahead of the curve and leverage emerging technologies to improve your organization’s operations. Two such examples are artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML). While the potential of AI and ML in service and support is vast, it’s important to understand the limitations and challenges that come with implementing these solutions.

Join us for a new webcast where industry expert Jeff Rumburg breaks down the current state of AI and ML in service and support and shares real-world examples of organizations that have successfully implemented these solutions.

Attendees will:

  • Understand the current state of AI and ML in service and support
  • Identify the limitations and challenges of implementing AI and ML solutions
  • Learn from case studies of successful AI and ML implementation in service and support

Don’t miss this opportunity to stay ahead of the curve and get a glimpse of the future of service and support.

A 10-Year Trend in Contact Center Performance – Benchmarks Tell the Story

Live On Demand!

Date: April 20, 2023 at 2:00PM EDT

Are you struggling to keep up with the rapid evolution of the contact center industry? Do you feel like you’re falling behind on key trends and unsure of how to position your contact center for future success? If so, you’re not alone. Many contact center leaders are challenged by the changing landscape and unsure of how to navigate the complex drivers of contact center performance.

In this webcast, Jeff Rumburg, a 30-year veteran of the Contact Center industry, will share industry data that illustrates key trends in contact center performance. Additionally, Jeff will reveal the underlying drivers of these trends and their implications for the future of contact center performance, including what today’s KPIs tell us about the future, the impact on people, process, and technology, and how to position the contact center for future success.

Attendees will learn:

  • How to use industry data and benchmarks to assess and improve your contact center performance
  • The underlying drivers of contact center trends and their impact on people, process, and technology
  • Strategies for positioning your contact center for long-term success in a rapidly changing environment
  • And much more!

Don’t miss this opportunity to stay up to date on the latest trends and benchmarks in contact center performance.

The Leadership Edge – What it Takes to Succeed in IT Service and Support

Live On Demand!

Date: March 23, 2023 at 2:00PM EDT

When customers are happy with IT support, they are happy with all of IT. And when they are happy with all of IT, that reflects well on the entire executive team. As CIOs and CTOs, the success of IT service and support can make or break your reputation and career. So, how do you ensure that your team is delivering top-notch service and support that sets you apart?

Join IT service and support expert Jeff Rumburg as he shares benchmarking data and case studies demonstrating the vital role service and support can play in the management and career success of IT executives. Discover what sets successful IT leaders apart and learn practical strategies for improving service and support within your organization.

In this webinar, you will learn:

  • The key metrics and indicators of successful IT service and support
  • How to use benchmarking data to measure and improve the performance of your team
  • Real-world examples of IT leaders who have used service and support to drive success
  • Practical strategies for enhancing service and support within your organization

Don’t miss out on this opportunity to take your IT service and support to the next level and position yourself for career success.

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The State of Desktop Support in 2023 – Succeeding in a Hybrid Work Environment

Live On Demand!

Date: February 23, 2023 at 2:00PM EST

Many organizations are now embracing hybrid work environments where some employees are working remotely while others are working in the office. This presents a unique set of challenges for desktop support groups, who must now support a dispersed workforce while also maintaining on-premises systems and infrastructure.

In this new webcast, Jeff Rumburg, a 30-year veteran of the IT industry, will discuss the current state of desktop support, the key challenges faced by support teams in hybrid environments, and best practices from the industry’s superior performers. You’ll learn:

  • Best practices for supporting remote employees
  • Strategies for effective communication and collaboration in hybrid environments
  • Techniques for optimizing system performance and troubleshooting in a dispersed environment
  • And much more!

Don’t miss this opportunity to stay up to date on the latest trends and challenges in desktop support.

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Service Desk Outsourcing in 2023: Megatrends and Best Practices

Live On Demand!

Date: February 9, 2023 at 2:00PM EST

Are you frustrated with your service desk outsourcing arrangements? Do you feel like your vendor is consistently out of compliance with the terms of the contract? If so, you’re not alone. In fact, win-win outcomes are achieved in fewer than 5% of IT outsourcing relationships, with most falling into the lose-lose category where both the client and vendor are disappointed or deeply frustrated.

In this new webcast, Jeff Rumburg, a 30-year veteran of the IT industry, will share insights on the common challenges and pitfalls faced by both clients and vendors, as well as best practices for success.

During this webinar, you’ll learn:

  • How to identify and address the root causes of dysfunction in outsourcing relationships
  • Best practices for aligning vendor and client goals and objectives
  • How to effectively govern vendor contracts to ensure compliance and successful outcomes
  • Strategies for improving communication and collaboration between clients and vendors
  • Techniques for analyzing vendor reports and using metrics to drive continuous improvement
  • And much more!

Don’t miss this opportunity to gain valuable insights and take your service desk outsourcing to the next level in 2023.

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Benchmarking Roundup: Summary of 2022 IT Service and Support Benchmarks

Live On Demand!

Date: November 17, 2022 at 2:00PM EST

Many Service and Support professionals are unfamiliar with the key performance indicators (KPIs) that are important to track and trend and even fewer are aware of what constitutes acceptable performance. In this session, Jeff Rumburg will share the results of MetricNet’s 2022 Global Benchmarking Initiative for Service and Support, discuss the methodology, define the KPIs used for benchmarking, and share performance data from more than 140 companies worldwide.

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Benchmarking Roundup: Summary of 2022 Contact Center Benchmarks

Live On Demand!

Date: December 15, 2022 at 2:00PM EST

Many Contact Center Center professionals are unfamiliar with the key performance indicators (KPIs) that are important to track and trend and even fewer are aware of what constitutes acceptable performance. In this webcast, Jeff Rumburg will share the results of MetricNet’s 2022 Global Benchmarking Initiative for Contact Centers, discuss the methodology, define the KPIs used for benchmarking, and share performance data from more than 140 companies worldwide.

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Contact Center Best Practices

Live On Demand!

Date: October 20, 2022 at 2:00PM EDT

An overview of Contact Center Best Practices.

HEAR how the industry’s top performing Contact Centers Achieve World-Class Status!

LEARN key strategies for Enhancing your Contact Center Performance!

APPLY Best Practices from your peers in the industry!

In this webcast, MetricNet will share the Key Success Factors from the industry’s top performing Contact Centers!

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Service Desk Best Practices

Live On Demand!

Date: September 22, 2022 at 2:00PM EDT

In this webcast, MetricNet will share the key success factors from the industry’s top performing Service Desks. Attendees will:

HEAR how the industry’s top performing Service Desks achieve world-class status.

LEARN key strategies for enhancing your Service Desk performance.

APPLY Best Practices from your peers in the industry.

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Rightsizing the Contact Center – Customer Care Staffing Ratios

Live On Demand!

Date: June 30, 2022 at 2:00PM EDT

One of the most common questions I hear from contact center managers is “How many agents do I need to support our customers?” It’s a great question, but one that is rarely answered adequately. The result is that many contact centers are not staffed properly because they do not follow any sort of proven methodology when making headcount decisions. Instead, they rely on “gut feel” or “instinct” when it comes to contact center staffing.

In this webcast, MetricNet defines a methodology for determining the appropriate headcount for the contact center. Using MetricNet’s headcount methodology, your customer care functions can be assured that they will be staffed to meet the needs and expectations of their customers, while simultaneously delivering services in an efficient, fiscally responsible manner.

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Rightsizing IT Service and Support – Staffing Ratios

Live On Demand!

Date: July 21, 2022 at 2:00PM EDT

One of the most common questions I hear from IT support managers is “How many analysts or technicians do I need to support our end users?” It’s a great question, but one that is rarely answered adequately. The result is that many IT Service and Support teams are not staffed properly because they do not follow any sort of proven methodology when making headcount decisions. Instead, they rely on “gut feel” or “instinct” when it comes to IT Service and Support staffing.

In this webcast, MetricNet defines a methodology for determining the appropriate headcount for the service desk and desktop support. Using MetricNet’s headcount methodology, your IT Service and Support functions can be assured that they will be staffed to meet the needs and expectations of their customers, while simultaneously delivering services in an efficient, fiscally responsible manner.

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The Current State of AI in Service and Support

Live On Demand!

Date: August 25, 2022 at 2:00PM EDT

The current state of AI in service and support is underwhelming. Promises of bot-powered agentless support, problems that automatically correct themselves, and preemptive problem resolution—the holy grail of service and support—have gone largely unfulfilled.

But there are bright spots on the landscape. I have seen more than 100 demonstrations of AI tools in the past few years. Only recently have these demos convinced me that we are at an inflection point with AI. There are now credible demonstrations of AI that not only exceed the capability of human experts, but are getting smarter over time. They exhibit true machine learning.

In this webcast, Jeff Rumburg, Managing Partner at MetricNet, will provide a recap of where we are, and what’s still on the horizon.

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Metrics that Matter – Balanced Scorecard

Live On Demand!

Date: May 26, 2022 at 2:00PM EDT

Despite all the data that support managers have at their fingertips, most cannot answer a very basic question: How is my support organization performing? MetricNet’s research shows that establishing a single, overall performance metric for your support organization is critical. We call this metric the balanced score because it truly does communicate a balanced picture of performance.  

The balanced scorecard is a mechanism that aggregates the most important metrics—all those we have covered in our Metrics that Matter series—into a single, all-inclusive measure of performance. The value of this metric, when tracked over time, is that lets you determine whether overall performance is improving or getting worse. Moreover, it provides a useful benchmark for comparing your performance against other support organizations. 

Learn how to construct a balanced scorecard in this new MetricNet webcast! Additionally, all attendees will receive a complimentary scorecard template from MetricNet.   

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Metrics that Matter – The Emerging Metrics of Channel Mix

Live On Demand!

Date: April 14, 2022 at 2:00PM EDT

Channel mix is the percentage of incoming tickets that arrive at the service desk through various channels. The most common channels include walk-up, voice, email, web, chat, and self-help. Channel mix at level 1 is rapidly evolving and is considered one of the industry’s megatrends. In 2007 voice calls represented almost 80% of all ticket volume. Today, voice accounts for just over 50% of incoming ticket volume.

There are, however, better end states for channel mix, and less optimal end states for channel mix. In this webcast, Jeff Rumburg will share the key drivers of channel mix, strategies to optimize channel mix, and guiding principles from organizations that come closest to truly optimizing their incoming channel mix.

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Metrics that Matter – The Metrics of Shift Left

Live On Demand!

Date: March 24, 2022 at 2:00PM EDT

Organizations that haven’t spent a great deal of time shifting left—that is, moving tickets from desktop support to Level 1 service desk, or from Level 1 service desk to Level 0 self-help—are missing out on a significant cost-reduction strategy.

Recent MetricNet benchmarks show that 18% of all tickets resolved by desktop support could have been, and should have been, resolved by the Level 1 service desk. These unnecessary escalations result in hidden support costs that often go unnoticed because they are rarely tracked. Moreover, shadow IT – where employees bypass the service desk and send issues directly to technicians or managers – left unchecked can cause costs to skyrocket.

In this webcast, we will share case study examples and key success metrics from support organizations that identified opportunities to reduce or eliminate 1) unnecessary escalations through cross-training and knowledge maturation, 2) workload drivers through self-service or automation and 3) ticket volume through ITIL Process Maturation – specifically Incident and Problem Management.

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Unleashing the Enormous Power of Contact Center KPIs

Live On Demand!

Date: February 23, 2022 at 2:00PM EDT

In Unleashing the Enormous Power of Contact Center KPIs, MetricNet provides an overview of the Best Practices in Contact Center Performance Measurement. Our best practices help contact centers lower costs and increase customer satisfaction!

Viewers will learn:

How the industry’s top performing Contact Centers track and trend their performance.

How to use Contact Center KPIs diagnostically to achieve World-Class Performance.

How to apply Best Practices in Contact Center Performance Measurement and Management.

The key success factors in performance measurement from the industry’s top performing Contact Centers.

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Unleashing the Enormous Power of IT Service and Support KPIs

Live On Demand!

Date: January 27, 2022 at 2:00PM EDT

In Unleashing the Enormous Power of IT Service and Support KPIs, MetricNet provides an overview of the Best Practices in IT Service and Support Performance Measurement. Our best practices help IT Service and Support organizations lower costs and increase customer satisfaction!

Viewers will learn:

How the industry’s top performing IT Service and Support organizations track and trend their performance.

How to use IT Service and Support KPIs diagnostically to achieve World-Class Performance.

How to apply Best Practices in IT Service and Support Performance Measurement and Management.

The key success factors in performance measurement from the industry’s top performing IT Service and Support organizations.

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Benchmarking Roundup: Summary of 2021 Contact Center Benchmarks

Live On Demand!

Date: December 16, 2021 at 2:00PM EST

Many Contact Center Center professionals are unfamiliar with the key performance indicators (KPIs) that are important to track and trend and even fewer are aware of what constitutes acceptable performance. In this webcast, Jeff Rumburg will share the results of MetricNet’s 2021 Global Benchmarking Initiative for Contact Centers, discuss the methodology, define the KPIs used for benchmarking, and share performance data from more than 140 companies worldwide.

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Benchmarking Roundup: Summary of 2021 IT Service and Support Benchmarks

Live On Demand!

Date: November 18, 2021 at 2:00PM EST

Many Service and Support professionals are unfamiliar with the key performance indicators (KPIs) that are important to track and trend and even fewer are aware of what constitutes acceptable performance. In this session, Jeff Rumburg will share the results of MetricNet’s 2021 Global Benchmarking Initiative for Service and Support, discuss the methodology, define the KPIs used for benchmarking, and share performance data from more than 140 companies worldwide.

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Service Desk Best Practices

Live On Demand!

Date: October 28, 2021 at 2:00PM EDT

In this webcast, MetricNet will share the key success factors from the industry’s top performing Service Desks. Attendees will:

HEAR how the industry’s top performing Service Desks achieve world-class status.

LEARN key strategies for enhancing your Service Desk performance.

APPLY Best Practices from your peers in the industry.

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Contact Center Best Practices

Live On Demand!

Date: September 16, 2021 at 2:00PM EDT

An overview of Contact Center Best Practices.

HEAR how the industry’s top performing Contact Centers Achieve World-Class Status!

LEARN key strategies for Enhancing your Contact Center Performance!

APPLY Best Practices from your peers in the industry!

In this webcast, MetricNet will share the Key Success Factors from the industry’s top performing Contact Centers!

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Are Your Service Desk Performance Targets on Target?

Watch Now!

Date: August 19, 2021 at 2:00PM EDT

Despite all the data that service desk managers have at their fingertips, many fail to establish realistic performance targets. In fact, fewer than 50% of service desks have assigned performance targets for their KPIs yet setting performance targets is crucial for managing and measuring service desk performance! Moreover, the most effective way to establish performance targets is through industry benchmarks.

Using MetricNet’s proprietary Excel based Performance Targets Calculator and industry benchmarks for First Contact Resolution Rate, Cost per Contact/Ticket, Customer Satisfaction and Service Levels, Jeff Rumburg will illustrate how all service desk managers can easily establish realistic performance targets for the service desk!

Additionally, Jeff will share a case study from one organization on how performance targets transformed both the culture and performance of their service desk.

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Are Your Contact Center Performance Targets on Target?

Watch Now!

Date: July 29, 2021 at 2:00PM EDT

Despite all the data that contact center managers have at their fingertips, many fail to establish realistic performance targets. In fact, fewer than 50% of contact centers have assigned performance targets for their KPIs yet setting performance targets is crucial for managing and measuring contact center performance! Moreover, the most effective way to establish performance targets is through industry benchmarks.

Using MetricNet’s proprietary Excel based Performance Targets Calculator and industry benchmarks for First Contact Resolution Rate, Cost per Contact/Ticket, Customer Satisfaction and Service Levels, Jeff Rumburg will illustrate how all contact center managers can easily establish realistic performance targets for the contact center!

Additionally, Jeff will share a case study from one of the largest retail banks in the world on how performance targets transformed both the culture and performance of their contact center.

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Enterprise Service Management (ESM) is Here to Stay

Watch Now!

Date: June 17, 2021 at 2:00PM EST

Within the last month alone, I have consulted with corporate contact centers that support human resources, collections, customer service, and vendor support. In every case I have been struck by…how primitive they are! This is not meant as an insult. It is simply an empirical observation and reminds me of the early days of the IT service and support industry. Workforce scheduling, if conducted at all, is a labor-intensive process that is done on spreadsheets. Reporting is ad-hoc, and provides no real insight into performance, let alone the actions that might bring about continual service improvement. Process documentation is very limited, at best. And agent morale is generally poor.

Sound familiar? The good news is that you’re not alone. The better news is that there’s likely to be a well-worn path, blazed by corporate IT, that can dramatically improve performance for non-IT services, and enable them to achieve a level of maturity in weeks or months that took IT 31 years of incremental, trial-and-error effort to achieve. Does ESM sound too good to be true? Well, it’s not. And there’s plenty of evidence, and numerous ESM case studies to back this assertion.

Key questions to be addressed in this webcast include:

  • What is an ESM, and how does it differ from a traditional ITSM?
  • Does IT typically take the lead on enterprise services?
  • Which corporate functions are most easily integrated into enterprise service management?
  • How long does it take to mature ESM?
  • What KPIs should be used for ESM?
  • Can we have all the same channels for enterprise support that we use for IT support?
  • Who should be in charge of ESM?
  • Is it true that some companies have an Enterprise Service Officer or Chief Service Officer? Does that person work in IT?

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The Economic Impact of IT Service and Support – Building Your Profit Center

Watch Now!

Date: May 20, 2021 at 2:00PM EST

Most IT departments can tell you how much they spend on support. But very few can quantify the economic impact of support. The result is that many IT service and support organizations are on the defensive when it comes to budgeting and spending, and often struggle just to get the funding needed to deliver adequate levels of support.

In recent years a handful of pioneering organizations have adopted a different strategy when it comes to support – a strategy that emphasizes value over cost – and they routinely deliver benefits far in excess of their costs. Support groups that understand and quantify their value propositions gain a number of important advantages; chief among them is the ability to obtain funding and other resources based upon the economic benefits of the support they deliver.

In this webcast, Jeff Rumburg will share a case study example that illustrates how one organization leveraged MetricNet’s ROI calculations and methodology to propel themselves from a cost center to a value-centric Center of Excellence within the Enterprise!

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Rightsizing the Contact Center – Customer Care Staffing Ratios

Watch Now!

Date: April 22, 2021 at 2:00PM EST

One of the most common questions I hear from contact center managers is “How many agents do I need to support our customers?” It’s a great question, but one that is rarely answered adequately. The result is that many contact centers are not staffed properly because they do not follow any sort of proven methodology when making headcount decisions. Instead, they rely on “gut feel” or “instinct” when it comes to contact center staffing.

In this webcast, MetricNet defines a methodology for determining the appropriate headcount for the contact center. Using MetricNet’s headcount methodology, your customer care functions can be assured that they will be staffed to meet the needs and expectations of their customers, while simultaneously delivering services in an efficient, fiscally responsible manner.

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Rightsizing IT Service and Support – Staffing Ratios

Watch Now!

Date: April 1, 2021 at 2:00PM EST

One of the most common questions I hear from IT support managers is “How many analysts or technicians do I need to support our end users?” It’s a great question, but one that is rarely answered adequately. The result is that many IT Service and Support teams are not staffed properly because they do not follow any sort of proven methodology when making headcount decisions. Instead, they rely on “gut feel” or “instinct” when it comes to IT Service and Support staffing.

In this webcast, MetricNet defines a methodology for determining the appropriate headcount for the service desk and desktop support. Using MetricNet’s headcount methodology, your IT Service and Support functions can be assured that they will be staffed to meet the needs and expectations of their customers, while simultaneously delivering services in an efficient, fiscally responsible manner.

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ITSM Academy Webcast: Metrics that Matter – The Metrics of Shift Left

Watch Now!

Date: February 18, 2021 at 11:00AM EDT

Organizations that haven’t spent a great deal of time shifting left—that is, moving tickets from desktop support to Level 1 service desk, or from Level 1 service desk to Level 0 self-help—are missing out on a significant cost-reduction strategy.

Recent MetricNet benchmarks show that 18% of all tickets resolved by desktop support could have been, and should have been, resolved by the Level 1 service desk. These unnecessary escalations result in hidden support costs that often go unnoticed because they are rarely tracked. Moreover, shadow IT – where employees bypass the service desk and send issues directly to technicians or managers – left unchecked can cause costs to skyrocket.

In this webcast, we will share case study examples and key success metrics from support organizations that identified opportunities to reduce or eliminate 1) unnecessary escalations through cross-training and knowledge maturation, 2) workload drivers through self-service or automation and 3) ticket volume through ITIL Process Maturation – specifically Incident and Problem Management.

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The Current State of AI in Service and Support

Watch Now!

Date: February 18, 2021 at 2:00PM EDT

The current state of AI in service and support is underwhelming. Promises of bot-powered agentless support, problems that automatically correct themselves, and preemptive problem resolution—the holy grail of service and support—have gone largely unfulfilled.

But there are bright spots on the landscape. I have seen more than 100 demonstrations of AI tools in the past few years. Only recently have these demos convinced me that we are at an inflection point with AI. There are now credible demonstrations of AI that not only exceed the capability of human experts, but are getting smarter over time. They exhibit true machine learning.

In this webcast, Jeff Rumburg, Managing Partner at MetricNet, will provide a recap of where we are, and what’s still on the horizon.

Leveraging AI in ITSM | 3 Ways to Thrive During the Pandemic

Watch Now!

Date: January 27, 2021 at 9:00AM EDT

The global pandemic has directly affected nearly every aspect of the enterprise, especially IT Service and Support. Ticket volumes are increasing, and so has ticket complexity. Handle times in the service desk are getting longer. MTTR in desktop support is at all time highs. These unprecedented challenges to day-to-day operations in IT Service and Support are having a negative impact on customer satisfaction, employee morale, and total cost of ownership.

In this webcast, DeepCoding reveals how AI can be deployed in ITSM to improve efficiency, reduce ticket volumes, increase service level compliance, and ultimately exceed customer expectations during the pandemic.

Additionally, we will share a case study example from one organization that:

Improved FCR by 130%
Reduced MTTR by 76%
Increased same day/next day resolution by 30%
Returned nearly $9M in end-user productivity to the enterprise!

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The Future Of Service And Support: A Brave New World!

Watch Now!

Date: January 21, 2021 at 2:00PM EDT

IT Service and Support organizations worldwide are moving aggressively towards new business models. ITIL 4, AI, and hiring practices that place a premium on business skills are radically altering the landscape of the industry. A bright future awaits those who are prescient enough to embrace these industry megatrends, while those who are slow to adapt will operate at a significant disadvantage for many years to come.

In this webcast, Jeff Rumburg, Managing Partner at MetricNet, will use industry benchmarking data to connect the dots and present a vision of the service organization of the future. Attendees will learn how people, process and technology are converging upon a tipping point that will radically reshape the support industry of the future.

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Hacking ITIL Knowledge Management

On Demand – Watch Now!

Date: December 10, 2020 at 2:00PM EST

Instead of doggedly pursuing training, certification, and maturation…. and then waiting years to see any kind of benefit from all that effort, many organizations have decided instead to hack ITIL. An ITIL hack is simply a shortcut that allows you to achieve the benefits of a mature ITIL practice without having to go through months or even years of effort.

In a benchmark that MetricNet performed for one of the largest tech companies in the world, it was discovered that this organization had more than 5,000 knowledge articles, but many of the articles were out of date, and the knowledge base was rarely used. Within a year, the service desk at this tech company had updated almost 300 knowledge articles that accounted for more than two thirds of all tickets.

Attendees of this webcast will learn the four simple, but very effective steps this organization took to realize all the benefits of ITIL, without going through the pain of maturing the formal ITIL practice of knowledge management. Additionally, attendees will learn the key success factors this organization used to measure their progress.

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Hacking ITIL Problem Management

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Date: November 12, 2020 at 2:00PM EST

Instead of doggedly pursuing training, certification, and maturation…. and then waiting years to see any kind of benefit from all that effort, many organizations have decided instead to hack ITIL. An ITIL hack is simply a shortcut that allows you to achieve the benefits of a mature ITIL practice without having to go through months or even years of effort.

In a benchmark that MetricNet performed for one of the largest insurance companies in the world, it was discovered that end users in this company were logging an average of 2 service desk incidents per month. That’s about double the industry average, which was concerning not only because the average cost of a ticket at level 1 was about $25, but also because every ticket represents productive time that’s lost by the user. And that’s usually the bigger cost – that is, the lost user productivity – rather than the direct cost of support.

In this webcast, Jeff Rumburg will reveal how this this organization reached their goal of 50% reduction in total incidents – not in a year – but in less than six months! Attendees will learn the four simple, but very effective steps this organization took to realize all the benefits of ITIL, without going through the pain of maturing the formal ITIL practice of problem management.

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Metrics Roundup – Industry Benchmarks for IT Service and Support

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Date: October 20, 2020 at 2:00PM EDT

Many Service and Support professionals are unfamiliar with the key performance indicators (KPIs) that are important to track and trend and even fewer are aware of what constitutes acceptable performance. In this session, Jeff Rumburg will share the results of MetricNet’s 2020 Global Benchmarking Initiative for Service and Support, discuss the methodology, define the KPIs used for benchmarking, and share performance data from more than 140 companies worldwide.

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Metrics that Matter – The Emerging Metrics of Channel Mix

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Date: September 24, 2020 at 2:00PM EDT

Channel mix is the percentage of incoming tickets that arrive at the service desk through various channels. The most common channels include walk-up, voice, email, web, chat, and self-help. Channel mix at level 1 is rapidly evolving and is considered one of the industry’s megatrends. In 2007 voice calls represented almost 80% of all ticket volume. Today, voice accounts for just over 50% of incoming ticket volume.

There are, however, better end states for channel mix, and less optimal end states for channel mix. In this webcast, Jeff Rumburg will share the key drivers of channel mix, strategies to optimize channel mix, and guiding principles from organizations that come closest to truly optimizing their incoming channel mix.

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Metrics that Matter – The Metrics of Shift Left

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Date: August 25, 2020 at 2:00PM EDT

Organizations that haven’t spent a great deal of time shifting left—that is, moving tickets from desktop support to Level 1 service desk, or from Level 1 service desk to Level 0 self-help—are missing out on a significant cost-reduction strategy.

Recent MetricNet benchmarks show that 18% of all tickets resolved by desktop support could have been, and should have been, resolved by the Level 1 service desk. These unnecessary escalations result in hidden support costs that often go unnoticed because they are rarely tracked. Moreover, shadow IT – where employees bypass the service desk and send issues directly to technicians or managers – left unchecked can cause costs to skyrocket.

In this webcast, we will share case study examples and key success metrics from support organizations that identified opportunities to reduce or eliminate 1) unnecessary escalations through cross-training and knowledge maturation, 2) workload drivers through self-service or automation and 3) ticket volume through ITIL Process Maturation – specifically Incident and Problem Management.

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Metrics that Matter – Balanced Scorecard

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Date: July 30, 2020 at 2:00PM EDT

Despite all the data that support managers have at their fingertips, most cannot answer a very basic question: How is my support organization performing? MetricNet’s research shows that establishing a single, overall performance metric for your support organization is critical. We call this metric the balanced score because it truly does communicate a balanced picture of performance.  

The balanced scorecard is a mechanism that aggregates the most important metrics—all those we have covered in our Metrics that Matter series—into a single, all-inclusive measure of performance. The value of this metric, when tracked over time, is that lets you determine whether overall performance is improving or getting worse. Moreover, it provides a useful benchmark for comparing your performance against other support organizations. 

Learn how to construct a balanced scorecard in this new MetricNet webcast! Additionally, all attendees will receive a complimentary scorecard template from MetricNet.   

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Metrics that Matter – Agent Job Satisfaction

On Demand – Watch Now!

Date: June 23, 2020 at 2:00PM EDT

Agent Job Satisfaction is a bellwether metric that impacts many other metrics in service and support. It is positively correlated with customer satisfaction and negatively associated with absenteeism and turnover, meaning that absenteeism and turnover go down as agent job satisfaction goes up. It turns out that the adage “happy agent equals happy customer” is not just a cliché; it can be demonstrated empirically! 

As a 30-year veteran of this industry, I have seen support organizations struggle more often than not with poor morale and low job satisfaction. The good news is that both of these factors are controllable. By managing agent job satisfaction, you are simultaneously driving higher levels of agent engagement. Some of the primary levers you have for driving job satisfaction, and hence agent engagement, include training, coaching, and career pathing. Additionally, psychometric testing and agent scorecards are two underutilized tools that can have a significant positive impact on agent engagement in the workplace. Finally, compensation levels that are well above the market minimum not only produce higher levels of job satisfaction, but they also create economic benefits for the contact center that far outweigh the cost of higher salaries. 

Learn how to capture and calculate agent job satisfaction in this new MetricNet webcast! Additionally, Jeff Rumburg will reveal the primary levers support organizations have for driving job satisfaction, demonstrate the strong correlation job satisfaction has with other key metrics, and share benchmarking ranges for a representative cross-section of North American support organizations.

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Ask the Expert! Live Metrics Q&A!

On Demand – Watch Now!

Date: June 16, 2020 at 2:00PM EDT

Everyone has questions about metrics, but they don’t always know where to go to get answers. Enter Jeff Rumburg, our metrics master! If you’ve ever wondered about averages and ranges for some of the industry’s top KPIs or looked for better ways to diagnose performance gaps, this is the webcast for you. We’ll focus on a range of concepts, including the link between metrics and business outcomes, metrics and continuous improvement, the cause-and-effect relationship between KPIs, metrics, and accountability, and metrics as a diagnostic tool for continuous improvement. Fast-paced and packed with valuable insight, this webcast will help you better leverage your metrics to drive strategic value for the business.

Your Host and Metrics Expert: Jeff Rumburg, MetricNet CEO

Your Q&A Moderator: Angela Irizarry, MetricNet President

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Metrics that Matter – Customer Satisfaction

On Demand – Watch Now!

Date: May 28, 2020 at 2:00PM EDT

Customer satisfaction and cost per ticket are the yin and yang of a service organization. These metrics are in constant tension, and every service organization grapples with how to strike an appropriate balance between the two. With no restraints on spending, it is relatively easy for a support organization to “spend its way” to high customer satisfaction. Conversely, if customer satisfaction is not an issue, a support organization can reduce its costs almost indefinitely. 

Every support organization should be tracking customer satisfaction on an ongoing basis because it is a measure of how effectively a support organization conducts its business. Moreover, every support manager should be regularly asking: If customer satisfaction is one of the “foundation metrics”, how can we affect it? How can we improve it? Put another way, if customer satisfaction is suffering, what is the diagnosis? 

Learn how to capture and calculate customer satisfaction in this new MetricNet webcast! Additionally, Jeff Rumburg will discuss the tradeoff between cost and quality, and share the key drivers of customer satisfaction along with benchmarking ranges for a representative cross-section of North American support organizations.

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Remote Contact Center Agents: The Kinecta Success Story

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Date: May 14, 2020 at 2:00PM EDT

Everyone has questions about how to measure and manage the performance of work at home contact center agents, but they don’t always know where to go to get answers. Enter Jeff Rumburg, our metrics master, and Tonya Haynes, the Director of Kinecta Federal Credit Union’s Member Contact Center and one of the industry’s most passionate Contact Center leaders! In this webcast, we’ll focus on the Kinecta success story. Attendees will learn how transitioning to a work at home model improved schedule adherence, reduced absenteeism, and led to near perfect service levels despite a dramatic increase in contact volume! Additionally, Tonya will share her experience managing a blended team of veteran agents, new hires, and branch staff that have never once stepped foot in the contact center. Fast-paced and packed with valuable insight, this webcast will help you better measure and manage your remote contact center agents more effectively and offer compelling proof of concept for the viability of work at home agents.

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Metrics that Matter – First Contact Resolution

On Demand – Watch Now!

Date: April 30, 2020 at 2:00PM EDT

First-contact resolution (FCR), as the name suggests, measures the percentage of tickets resolved on first contact with the customer. A high FCR is almost always associated with high levels of customer satisfaction. FCR is a measure of how effectively your service delivery organization conducts its business and is a function of many factors, including the complexity and types of transactions handled, the experience of your agents, the quality of agent training, and tools such as knowledge management and remote control. The metric is most often measured monthly, because a monthly timeframe is long enough to provide statistical significance. But it can also be measured annually, weekly, daily, or even hourly. 

Nine times out of ten, when customer satisfaction needs improvement, this can be achieved by increasing first-contact resolution. This is why world-class support organizations pay so much attention to this metric. They engage in a variety of tactics to continuously improve first-contact resolution, including technician training, investments in knowledge management, and remote-control tools. 

Learn how to capture and calculate FCR in this new MetricNet webcast! Additionally, Jeff Rumburg will share the key drivers of FCR, benchmarking ranges for FCR, and explain the critical difference between Net and Gross FCR.  

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Ask the Expert! Live Metrics Q&A!

On Demand – Watch Now!

Date: April 28, 2020 at 2:00PM EDT

Everyone has questions about metrics, but they don’t always know where to go to get answers. Enter Jeff Rumburg, our metrics master! If you’ve ever wondered about averages and ranges for some of the industry’s top KPIs or looked for better ways to diagnose performance gaps, this is the webcast for you. We’ll focus on a range of concepts, including the link between metrics and business outcomes, metrics and continuous improvement, the cause-and-effect relationship between KPIs, metrics, and accountability, and metrics as a diagnostic tool for continuous improvement. Fast-paced and packed with valuable insight, this webcast will help you better leverage your metrics to drive strategic value for the business.

Your Host and Metrics Expert: Jeff Rumburg, MetricNet CEO

Your Q&A Moderator: Angela Irizarry, MetricNet President

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Metrics that Matter – Productivity

On Demand – Watch Now!

Air Date: February 27, 2020 at 2:00PM EST

Agent salaries and benefits represent more than half of all service delivery costs. As a result, if agent utilization is high, cost will be correspondingly low. Conversely, when agent utilization is low, agent costs, and hence cost per contact or cost per ticket, will be correspondingly high. 

Just as world-class service delivery organizations are obsessive about maintaining high customer satisfaction levels, they are equally committed to keeping their costs in check. They do this primarily by maintaining tight control over agent utilization. This has the effect of minimizing cost per contact and cost per ticket. That said, extremely high agent utilization can actually increase your costs by driving agent turnover and absenteeism higher. Whenever agent utilization rates approach 60–70 percent, a service desk will experience relatively high agent turnover because they are pushing the agents too hard. Extremely high utilization leads to burnout, higher turnover, higher absenteeism, and lower morale in the service desk. 

Learn how to capture and calculate agent utilization in this new MetricNet webcast! Additionally, Jeff Rumburg will reveal why this KPI is so important, share the key drivers of agent utilization, and provide benchmarking ranges for this critical KPI.

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Metrics that Matter – Service Level

On Demand – Watch Now!

Date: March 23, 2020 at 2:00PM EDT

It’s human nature to be impatient when in need of technical support or customer service. It doesn’t matter if customers are calling their bank, their cable company, or their company’s internal technical support department. They want a resolution to their problem or an answer to their question right then and there!  Unfortunately, they are often met with barriers to quick resolution such as long speeds of answer due to understaffing or terribly complicated IVR logic that leads to behavior based on frustration including call abandonment.  

Many service level agreements include targets for call abandonment, average speed of answer, and mean time to resolve. Although a low abandonment rate, speed of answer, and mean time to resolve are worthy objectives, many service delivery organizations go too far in trying to enforce aggressive service levels. Those who pursue this strategy typically believe that aggressive service levels are a prerequisite for achieving high customer satisfaction levels. The truth is that aggressive service levels will not necessarily lead to higher levels of customer satisfaction.  

Learn how to set appropriate service level targets in this new MetricNet webcast! Additionally, Jeff Rumburg will define the most common service level metrics, reveal why service level targets are so important, and provide benchmarking ranges for the most common service level metrics.

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Metrics that Matter – Productivity

On Demand – Watch Now!

Air Date: February 27, 2020 at 2:00PM EST

Agent salaries and benefits represent more than half of all service delivery costs. As a result, if agent utilization is high, cost will be correspondingly low. Conversely, when agent utilization is low, agent costs, and hence cost per contact or cost per ticket, will be correspondingly high. 

Just as world-class service delivery organizations are obsessive about maintaining high customer satisfaction levels, they are equally committed to keeping their costs in check. They do this primarily by maintaining tight control over agent utilization. This has the effect of minimizing cost per contact and cost per ticket. That said, extremely high agent utilization can actually increase your costs by driving agent turnover and absenteeism higher. Whenever agent utilization rates approach 60–70 percent, a service desk will experience relatively high agent turnover because they are pushing the agents too hard. Extremely high utilization leads to burnout, higher turnover, higher absenteeism, and lower morale in the service desk. 

Learn how to capture and calculate agent utilization in this new MetricNet webcast! Additionally, Jeff Rumburg will reveal why this KPI is so important, share the key drivers of agent utilization, and provide benchmarking ranges for this critical KPI.

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Metrics that Matter – Cost

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Aired Date: January 30, 2020 at 2:00PM EST

Cost per unit is a common metric throughout our economy. Many of you know the cost of a gallon of gas, or the cost for a cup of coffee, or the cost of a movie ticket. Yet surprisingly, many service and support managers do not know their own cost per contact or cost per ticket. 

In any service delivery organization, cost, or more accurately unit cost, is critically important. cost per ticket is a measure of how efficiently a service desk conducts its business. A higher than average cost per ticket is not necessarily a bad thing, particularly if accompanied by higher than average customer satisfaction and service levels. Conversely, a low cost per ticket is not necessarily good, particularly if the low cost is achieved by sacrificing service levels or customer satisfaction. Every service desk should track and trend cost per ticket on a monthly basis. 

Learn how to capture and calculate cost per unit of work in this new MetricNet webcast! Additionally, Jeff Rumburg will reveal why this KPI is so important, share the key drivers of cost, and provide benchmarking ranges for both cost per contact and cost per ticket.

Benchmarking Roundup: Summary of 2019 Call Center Benchmarks on BrightTALK

On Demand – Watch Now!

Date: December 4, 2019 at 2:00PM EST

Many Call Center professionals are unfamiliar with the key performance indicators (KPIs) that are important to track and trend and even fewer are aware of what constitutes acceptable performance. In this session, Jeff Rumburg will share the results of MetricNet’s 2019 Global Benchmarking Initiative for Call Centers, discuss the methodology, define the KPIs used for benchmarking, and share performance data from more than 140 companies worldwide.

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