A lot of companies focus on customer service over everything else. They put a great deal of effort into making sure that the clients who are loyal to their company are taken care of above all else. What they may tend to neglect, however, is that within their own business there are requests from employees that are very similar to those of their outward-facing customer service.
Taking down a request, which is then meted out to IT or human resources to be solved or followed up, is a much more complicated process than it seems initially, especially when requests number in the hundreds across larger companies. When it comes down to implementing a system that can handle this process, working within an already understandable structure is vital.
Does Service Request Management Simplify Internal Communication?
The usual process for employee service requests follows a convoluted path:
- An employee encounters a problem, then calls or emails the person or group who he or she thinks is the proper service department.
- The department (usually IT or Human Resources) receives the call or email, catalogues the information, then sets out to solve the issue.
- Numerous communications are sent out via email or by using the phone to get more information or check status or let the person know the problem is fixed.
Basically what this breaks down to is multiple sets of emails and phone calls that bog down the process. Even though email is sent instantaneously and a call can only take a few minutes, the fact that it does take several people multiple communiques to solve a single issue slows down efficiency. Multiply that by tenfold or more, and it is amazing how much time can be taken up just getting down information.
Fragmentation is also an issue within service request management. Different departments can have their own process of recording and tracking information, either via paper or specific programs. What is missing is a cohesive and company-wide way to correlate all of these requests quickly and efficiently.
SharePoint and Service Request Management
This is where a quickly implemented, SharePoint-based solution can make all the difference. Using existing Microsoft Office services such as Outlook in addition to SharePoint, these programs can automate form creation and information entry, allowing service workers the time to concentrate fully on their primary tasks, rather than being mired in minutiae.
Requests can be easily routed and opened up to multiple workers instantly and simultaneously, streamlining the resolution process and making request information available within the company’s databases. Using the SharePoint architecture allows for faster information gathering, while the primary work gets done.
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