Episode 1: AI & Automation in Service Management - Is it an Opportunity or Challenge?

Enjoyed this introductory video to the first topic!!!

A1: I admit that we are a little hesitant on the AI approach when it comes to self-service. However, we have implemented it in the a service desk management capacity with utilizing Freddy (Freshservice AI) for solution article suggestions. Automation capability has sky-rocketed with the introduction of Freshservice’s Orchestration Center. We have leveraged this functionality in many ways to automate some of the most common tasks our agents handle. Doing so has allowed us to free up agent time and help give users faster responses and resolutions to their service requests.

A2: The process I mentioned above has been challenging because it required looking at the ITSM tools we use differently. This showed us where we were being stagnant in our growth as well as where we were being hard headed and refusing to change. With some conversations and some demoing we were able to show stakeholders how significant automating a few processes could be. Once adopted it has opened the gates to allow us to continue to venture down that path and we hope to leverage AI in the future. The challenge with that is utilizing AI but not losing that personal touch that we have built with our end users.

A3: Realistically it is both, every opportunity comes with its own set of challenges. But challenging work is fun work and when we are able to find ways to solve those difficult business problems it becomes rewarding work. 

Looking forward to seeing how AI and Automation has impacted others of the Refresh Community!!!!

Q1. How have you integrated AI & automation techniques in your IT services and operations? 

This question isn’t relevant to me in my current role although I probably don’t stop to think about where AI is already helping me when writing stuff. For example, using Otter.ai to transcribe webinars or that I’m unaware of how much Gmail uses AI.

Our industry surveys show that adoption is happening. For example, this data from last year:

How has your organization adopted the following types of intelligent automation?

Source: ITSM.tools (2021)

Q2. What challenges have you encountered while implementing AI & automation?

I see the challenges faced by others though, starting from the need to treat AI adoption as a people change (because it affects traditional ways of working), through the effort needed to get AI-based engagement right, to recruiting the necessary skills.

As with any new capability, it’s important not to start with something that will prevent future adoption. It’s hard to get people to come back to a poor experience.

Q3. Do you perceive it to be an opportunity or challenge?

For me, it’s a great opportunity that has its challenges. The data below shows that most of us can see the potential but we need to be careful how we execute.

Would using AI at work improve your job and customer satisfaction?

Source: AXELOS, ITSM Benchmarking Report (2022)

AI & Automation in service management is an opportunity when its capabilities is fully optimized to meet a set of needs in a target area of the business.

To achieve full optimization of AI & Automation capabilities, it is important that the platform that powers the AI & Automation service to be deployed should be flexible to integrate the user properly through

1. Easily accessible, detailed and explicit documentations.
2. Understanding the users needs and walking the user through the features of the platform.

AI & Automation being a challenge is a question of

1. Perspective
2. Will jobs be displaced hence deepening inequalities in the area of application.
3. Will it cost the business more to implement when such variables as 
   • Trust within the business
   • Data privacy
   • Users safety
   • The amount of disruption that the business can accommodate.

These variables can be more than the above listed and in most cases be unique to the different businesses. 

If it is going to cost a business more in certain areas that are best known and unique to the business, then it becomes a challenge implementing AI & Automation.

The onus therefore lies with platform providers to interact more with businesses to get insight on what is the uniqueness of these business and use such information to implement a more robust AI & Automation solution that can integrate seamlessly to power the automation needs of businesses.