Executive Summary
Wandering WiFi is a leading provider of wireless infrastructure solutions. This document is intended to describe the process of Wandering Wifi’s technical support team, analyze their problems, and revamp their current business process with new and innovative way of thinking to attain upper level-managerial support for the new process. We believe that by allowing our proposed revision to be implemented, we would help eliminate major problems that are currently creating an inefficient work environment. In addition, we will outline service and process related metrics and how they will be affected by our proposed process solution.
At wondering WiFi, having excellent technical support is top priority. The technical support business process at Wandering WiFi involves interactions with the end user(s), the client(s), and tier one and tier two support technicians. Essentially, our process focuses on the interactions and separation of duties between the technical support team and the end users. The process has been thoroughly analyzed by two current technical support Wandering Wifi employees and by an external source unfamiliar with the company. This perspective has given us the opportunity to attain a true fundamental understanding of what really goes on within the process, including the happy-path and exceptions flow, and provides for an unbiased view point.
Upon investigation of the participants and monitoring each of their actions, we were able to develop a current, or “as-is,” business process model. This allowed us to see that Wandering Wifi’s problems are heavily in accordance with a lack of task separation and an inability to determine the status of in-bound calls. To rectify these major problems, we redesigned the current process to integrate a vertical team management technique and an automated in-bound calls system.
Glossary & Key Terms
1. RA: Remote Access is where we have access to equipment remotely on our end.
2. GW: Gateway or router is where we can monitor users and networks around that equipment.
3. AP: Access Point is where the wifi is extended to increase coverage at locations.
4. AW: Air Watch is the online console that we use to monitor down sites and create cases.
5. Tier 1: Low level technician that answers calls.
6. Tier 1.5: Mid-level technician that configures GW, monitor sites, speaks to corporate and does outbound calls.
7. Tier 2: High level technician that checks off on all sites and monitors sites as well. Managers.
8. Vertical Team Management: is the process where Tier 1.5 technicians monitor down sites and work on escalated sites.
9. In-House System Monitoring: This responsibility is for Tier 1.5 and Tier 2 technicians.
10. KPI’s: The important factors that will make the business process more efficient and better.
11. Power Cycle- is where we physically reboot the equipment to fix the problem.
12. Hard Reboot- is another term for physically rebooting the equipment to fix the problem.
Business Context
Wandering WiFi, LLC, is a leading provider of wireless infrastructure solutions. The company was founded in 2003 by former employees (John Marshall and Alan J. Dabbiere) of Manhattan Associates, a corporate pioneer that first began using and installing wireless networks for the logistics industry in 1990[1]. They serve customers in airports, hospitals, grocery chains, hotels, retail stores and corporate offices. Wandering Wi-Fi provides software and services to thousands of locations and millions of users to meet the needs of employees, partners, vendors and guests. They have over 500 customers in the U.S., and provide WiFi hotspot solutions to businesses in retail, government, healthcare, education, transportation and more.[2] Wandering WiFi implements and provides support for wireless services to companies worldwide and as this company continues to grow, we want to help improve their technical support process to help improve their competitive edge.
Wandering Wifi has many departments including finance, accounting, sales, development, consulting, marketing, and information technology (IT) support. Among these departments, our focus is on IT Support as it plays a critical role in the company’s success. The IT Support representatives are responsible for answering questions from customers and clients regarding the use and trouble shooting of equipment. On average, 95% of their services involve answering calls for which they use hardware, software, and other applications to handle a customers’ request. The technical support employees also use an In-House System Monitoring that is available 24/ 7/ 365 days a year which allows them to correct network complications remotely without being at the actual location.
In order for Wandering Wifi to maintain superior services, management must monitor their key performance indicators. This allows allow them to measure the effectiveness of their business process.
From Wandering Wifi’s perspective, the following KPIs must be measured:
· % of calls answered before 3 rings
· % of request that could be handled immediately
· % of network errors caught and fixed before customer notices, and
· Creating case notes that have accurate information on end-user location
From the end users perspective, the KPIs are:
· Cost and ease of attaining services being provided
· Options in service selection
· Network speed and downtime
· Time to resolve issue
· Availability of technical support
Though these KPIs are only representing components of the technical support department, if they’re not carefully monitored and constantly improved upon, they will affect the organization as a whole. It is critical not only for management to monitor these activities, but also for the management team to make sure that their employees are fully aware of the KPIs are to update on where they need to improve.
Examined Service
Wandering WiFis main focus is to better serve the customer, so we decided to improve the Tech Support Tier 1 inbound call process/duties. The reason why we wanted to improve this process is to better improve our efficiency and professionalism of dealing with customers. While improving this process, we focused on dealing with the customer/client, which can be anyone who uses our service to get online. We have Tier 1 tech support employees, who take calls pertaining to WiFi related questions/problems. Each technician collects the information about the customer for example: name, location, phone number, and problem description. All the information that the technician will collect will be documented in a case for the specific location they specify. The reason why each technician does this is to have documentation of issues at the different sites. This helps the tier 2 technicians better understand common issues at sites and based upon that they can either fix common issues at a site or improve on the service. The problem to be solved is if the end-user/corporate-user can get online. If they can't get online, then an escalation will be sent to the higher up technician and they will look into the problem.
The main problems about this process is that Tier 1 tech support employees are highly understaff, they are trying to a 80 person job with only 20 people. With this problem customers might have to wait on hold for a while before they will even be able to talk to a technician that can assist them. Tier 1 technicians deal with end-user/corporate-user, which makes up 100% of the call volume within Tech Support. This is a problem because many of the Tier 1 Techs might not be able to help out specific clients that call in. Corporate-user is either a general manager at the location or a district manager reporting an issue at a specific location. Tier 1 taking a call from a corporate-user will most likely result in an escalation up to Tier 1.5 technician.
This problem can be easily fixed by separating the duties of specific inbound calls coming in. For example: we can have Tier 1 technicians taking only end-user calls, while Tier 1.5 will be taking corporate-user related calls. These calls will be forwarded to the appropriate technicians through an automated system that specifies the user as either a customer or a client. This will also improve in the customer service of the corporate-user because Tier 1.5 technicians are more professional and better at dealing with problems than the Tier 1 technicians. Also to help eliminate calls we can have the Tier 1.5 technicians monitor specific sites based upon specific location groups that are assigned to them. This process will catch down sites faster and that will most likely lead to fixing the problem at the site before people calling in saying there is something wrong at the location.
As-Is Business Model
Diagram
Text Description:
1. The Tier 1 technician will receive a complaint from a client/customer.
2. The Tier 1 technician will need to identify the type of user, either an end-user or corporate user.
a. If the user is a corporate user, then follow the corporate troubleshooting path.
b. If the user is an end-user, then follow the end-user troubleshooting path.
(Note: Both Paths go through the same process of troubleshooting, so the identification process is to document the type of user you are working with.)
3. The Tier 1 technician will need to identify what type of complaint is it, either a phone call or an email.
a. If the complaint is an email verify if email has a contact number.
i. If email does not have a contact number then process cannot continue.
END
ii. If email has a contact number, then continue to 3b.
b. If the complaint is a phone call verify user’s information and issue.
4. The Tier 1 technician will be opening a case pertaining to the user’s information provided. The information in the case will be name, location, phone number, and issue.
5. The Tier 1 technician verifies if the problem is just a General Question?
a. If the problem is a general question, then Tier 1 technician will answer question.
END
b. If the problem is not a general question, then Tier 1 technician will need to troubleshoot the location.
6. The Tier 1 technician will need to verify if the site has RA (Remote Access) to the equipment on site.
a. If the site does not have remote access, then Tier 1 technician will have to call up the site to troubleshoot.
i. The Tier 1 technician will verify equipment lights and make sure cabling is correct as well.
ia. If all lights and cabling is correct, then the Tier 1 technician will escalate it up Tier 2 to verify configuration of equipment on-site.
END
Ib. If lights are and cabling is not correct, then power cycle equipment.
iba. After power cycling equipment, if RA (Remote Access) is restored, proceed to 6b.
ibb. If power cycling equipment, did not fix RA (Remote Access), then escalate it up to Tier 2 to verify configuration of equipment on-site.
END
b. If the site does have remote access, then verify configuration.
7. The Tier 1 technician will need to verify if the configuration with that equipment is correct or not.
a. If the configuration is correct, then the Tier 1 technician will be troubleshooting the user’s computer.
b. If the configure is not correct, then fix the configuration issue.
i. If the configuration fixes the issue, then close the case.
END
ii. If the configuration does not fix the issue, then go to 7a.
8. The Tier 1 technician will need to verify if troubleshooting the user’s computer fixed the issue.
a. If the troubleshooting fixed the issue, then close the case.
END
b. If the troubleshooting did not fix the issue, then escalate it up to the Tier 2 technicians.
END
Metrics
Service Metrics:
There are several vital service metrics that needs to be accounted for to have an ongoing customer based relationship with end-users.
1. The first service metric is to fix the problem in a timely manner. If this is done, then the end user will greatly appreciate your professionalism and good customer service.
2. Give the end-user an option to take a survey to verify the performance of the technician that they worked with. This will help identify when technicians are performing over and beyond and also when they fall short of fixing the problem.
3. The last service metric is to make sure you use proper grammar, have energy, and be patient with the user. Not all users will be computer savvy, so you need to know what to say and how to say it depending on the type of user you have on the phone. Patience will get you a long way, while talking to some users on the phone.
If these service metrics are met, it will increase the customer experience with the process and you will retain loyal customers that can be long term users. In the long run the company will most likely be more profitable and will have a happier customer based relationship with its end users.
Process Metrics:
There are several vital process metrics that needs to be identified to increase the efficiency of our process.
1. The first process metric is to make sure that every Tier 1 technician answers the inbound call before 3 rings, if not on a call. The reason for this is to make sure the process is constantly being done in a timely manner. The faster you pick up the phone, the quicker you can solve the issue of the user.
2. The second process metric is to make sure service is up and running. If this is done, then the chances of a call being generated from that location will drastically decrease. It will save money by not having high inbound calls and having locations with little or no problems with the system.
3. Another process metric is to make sure the Tier 1 technician verifies all the information in the case is accurate. This is vital for escalations and for auditing purposes, if it’s not accurate, then it could cause issues with internal projects.
4. Last process metric is to make sure the problem has been solved or been escalated up by a Tier 1 technician. If the problem has not been fixed, tier 1 technician should communicate appropriately to the escalated group that needs to be aware of the issue.
These metrics will increase productivity within the inbound call process. Productivity will save the company money and it will keep its employees and customers happy with good efficiency.
Critique/Diagnosis
The flaws in the current system are few and far between. It was hard for us to be able to identify how to improve the system, but after excessive calibration we were able to figure out some vital flaws in the process.
1. The first flaw in the system was having Tier 1 technicians handling every inbound task. This might not seem that bad, unless you realize they take inbound emails, inbound projects, and inbound calls all at once. This can spread the Tier 1 technicians a little thin based upon the responsibilities that they have.
2. The next flaw in the system is not having the man power to tackle the process appropriately. They are right now having 20 Tier 1 technicians doing an 80 man job with the current process.
3. The last flaw in the system is not having designated technicians to solely deal with corporate inbound calls and monitoring specific locations status. This would help relieve the amount of calls coming into the call center and it will decrease amount of down sites as well.
How we found out the flaws in the system was not by interviewing managers, but by
talking with the Tier 1 technicians. The nice thing about this process is that Ryan and Peter are currently Tier 1 technicians at the company and were able to give there insight about the Tier 1 work that was done. After a couple of group conversations with them, we were able to identify that they could barely get anything done other than taking calls.
Improvements/Innovation
After we figured out what was wrong with the current process it was actually not that hard to figure out ways to improve it. These will be some of the ideas on how to improve the process model to be more cost effective and productive.
1. The first way to improve the process was to separate the duties for specific roles. The company is currently going to implement a new Tier group called Tier 1.5. These technicians have not been assigned a certain task yet, so we setup specific tasks to decrease the work load of the Tier 1 technicians. The responsibilities of the Tier 1.5 technicians is to have corporate inbound calls/emails transferred to them directly, so the more experienced technicians will be able to work with them.
2. The second way to improve the process was to create another process that would help decrease the call volume for the Tier 1 technicians. This process is called Vertical Management Process. This process will be performed by Tier 1.5 technicians, which there responsibility will be to fix and monitor specific locations that they are assigned to. This way it will help fix sites faster and in a timelier manner.
3. The last way to improve the process is to do other projects that will help increase performance at specific sites. They can do this by auditing sites by looking at previous cases at locations. Also they can go through sites equipment to make sure everything is up to date and working properly. These projects will help improve the service and by doing this the calls should decrease for Tier 1 technicians.
With those adjustments, we will be able to increase productivity and increase possibly
expansion with good customer service. In the long run it will lead to more clients and more clients mean more money.
To-Be Process Model
Creating the to-be was a bit more troubling then one would realize. We all knew what needed to be done, but actually implementing it was the true task. With the help of Professor Olsen, we came to conclusion on creating a whole new process within the process model. Dividing the tasks would lead to a more efficient way to do things. Think about an assembly line. If you had one person making the entire car would not be put together effectively and not as efficiently. On the other hand, if the car was sent through an assembly line, in which, each person had a specific job then there would be more cars and the quality of the car would be increased. Also, it would seem that training the technicians to do what needed to be done would have another effect. As a lower tech, the tech would do low level troubleshooting and communication with end-users and would be trained as such. As a higher tech, the tech would have more experience and training in dealing with remote installs, communication with corporate and clients, and ability to fix sites before they happen.
So we created 2 new techs out of the tier 1 techs: tier 1 and tier 1.5. In doing so, we can effectively create a way for each level of support to focus on their own task at hand and we implemented this as shown on the next page.
So essentially, what we have is the model creating an extra process: the process of monitoring down sites, creating an open case and fixing the open cases. So, we start out with the tier 1 technician taking the call or receiving the email and identifying if he/she is from corporate or end-user. If he/she is an end-user then it will be fixed just like the process in the “as-is.” The only difference is that the escalation would go to the tier 1.5 rather than the tier 2, if the issue is not resolved. If the caller or email is from corporate then it is escalated to tier 1.5 and the process would then continue to be fixed as in the “as-is.”
The most indefinite change would be the site monitoring. In which the tier 1.5 would monitor sites using Airwatch. If a site is seen to go down then a case is created and a new process starts. From then on the tier 1.5 would take care of all cases. The ones escalated from tier 1 and the ones that the technician has found showing down in Airwatch. The tier 1.5 tech would then have to decide which issue is more important. The cases are labeled as low, normal and high. The business rules show which has higher priority. Then the tier 1.5 tech would start to troubleshoot the issue. First the tech would check to see if he/she has remote access, if so the technician would check the configuration if the configuration is correct then the case is closed and he site is called for verification. If there is no remote access, then the site is called to check cabling and the lights on the equipment. If the cabling is correct and the lights on the equipment are correct, then the equipment has to be hard rebooted. If the cabling is not correct, then the cabling has to be plugged in correctly. If the lights are not correct, then the equipment has to be rebooted. Once the issues are resolved, then the technician would work on other projects.
Business Rule Table
| Task | |
| The client does not have enough information. | Return message requesting more information. |
| No RA to GW. | Hard Reboot the equipment or call to hard reboot the GW and troubleshoot equipment. |
| All equipment is plugged in correctly and lights are correct. | Escalate to tier 1.5 |
| Equipment is not plugged in correctly. | Plug in equipment correctly. |
| Lights are not correct on the modem, GW, or switch. | Hard Reboot the equipment. |
| If the client has not paid in 3 months. | The site status is switched to Accounts Recievable Hold and WiFi is restricted. |
| High priority cases are shown. | High priority cases are taken care of first. |
| Normal priority cases are shown. | Normal priority cases are taken care of if there are no high priorty cases. |
| Low priority cases are shown | Low priority cases are taken care of if there are no high or normal priority cases. |
Obstacles/Issues
The only real obstacles that we found are the amount of employees that are going to be attached to this new process. To effectively implement this process the man power has to be provided. Currently there are 20 tier 1 techs present during each hour the working day of the office. There are a total of 40 tier 1 technicians. In order to implement this there has to be at least 80 technicians: 40 tier 1.5 technicians and 40 tier 1 technicians. If a tier 1.5 is not present then the process can be down. Another problem is management. Tier 2 technicians are supposed to manage the employees, but that would be hard if the employees moral is down and do not work, which takes away from the man power. It would be in the best interest to have some tier 2 workers focus on management only and have it so that motivation in the work place increases. There are a lot of irate customers and sometimes that can be taxing for a technician. So motivation driven manager is needed to implement this process.
“The job of a manager is to find solutions, not find excuses.” –Horst Schulze former CEO of the Ritz Carlton.
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