Success Story -

About Kent County

Kent County is the fourth largest County in Michigan and home to Grand Rapids, the second-largest city in the State. Kent County IT (KCIT) services 20 different county agencies that employ over 2,000 employees. KCIT supports a robust infrastructure which includes servers, switches/routers, databases, desktops (PCs, laptops, tablets, printers, scanners), phones (cell & desk), along with custom applications.

Industry

Local Government

Software

Point Of Business Platform

Benefits

• Track and update service issues, problems, and changes to the infrastructure promptly and efficiently.
• Manage technology requests from public works sites.
• Manage county facilities building requests and equipment preventive maintenance schedules.

The Challenge

When KCIT had the opportunity to replace their service management system, they specifically searched for a solution that was robustly capable yet flexible enough to meet their broad and ever-changing needs. KCIT required a solution that was easy to access by employees across the county, regardless of their IT experience. Also, the solution's interface needed to be adaptable and satisfy the diverse requirements of the agencies served by KCIT. KCIT surveyed each functional area to identify requirements - IT, health, public works, jail maintenance, and county facilities – to assess the individual requirements for a service request tracking solution.

KCIT's goal was to organize information within a single solution that accepts requests, track progress, serves different needs and has a responsibility to its customers. KCIT required a system that could efficiently handle any repair ticket or service request, and manage facility availability based on reported problems or issues. Keeping the county staff informed and satisfied was vital.

The Solution

After a thorough search, the choice was clear; Wendia's Point of Business (POB) software satisfied each line of business need in a single solution. Using the POB Service Desk Management (SDM) module, staff can easily submit and update issues from any device. Service tickets receive a priority to track severity and can route to management staff for approval. KCIT also uses POB to manage infrastructure change requests. The POB SDM solution provides issue overview reports, custom dashboards, and current issue snapshot reports. These reports are crucial to management acceptance.

The Results

"POB adapts to our unique processes instead of us having to change our processes to adapt to the software." — Customer Service Coordinator, Kent County IT

The initiative delivers reports, automates processes, and updates issues in real-time to meet customer needs across all departments. POB successfully enables KCIT to:

• Track and update service issues, problems, and changes to the infrastructure promptly and efficiently.
• Manage technology requests from health administrative staff across all of their clinics.
• Manage technology requests from public works sites.
• Track jail cell availability.
• Key entry management for jail facilities.
• Manage county facilities building requests and equipment preventive maintenance schedules.
• Manage printer inventory, warranty dates and related costs.

The County Jail

Monitoring jail cell availability has been an ongoing problem for Kent County. The KCIT team configured POB to track jail cell maintenance activity to alert jail management when cells are undergoing maintenance. Once the maintenance activity is complete, POB sends an email to all deputies indicating that the cell is available for use. This level of automation leads to flexibility in cell assignments and a safer environment.

Tracking inventory of issued keys to staff within the jail was a complex process for facilities which involved paper files and storage. POB simplified tracking keys issued to staff and removed the need for paper files. Whenever staff left the facility, POB quickly identified which keys were issued ensuring keys were returned prior to departure. Accurate key management saved costs with rekeying doors and remaking keys along with removing potential safety issues when staff separated from the facility.

"Customers really like the new self-service portal as well as the ability to email their requests directly to the service-tracking tool." — Customer Service Coordinator, Kent County IT

Key Results

• 65% increase in self-service usage
• Information is available at a glance with overviews and dashboards
• Technicians can easily view all their assigned work
• Managers can easily view their team's assignments
• POB can be customized for individual tastes and needs
• Infrastructure changes – recent past, present, and future – can be easily viewed in one place
• Notifications of upcoming infrastructure changes are sent out automatically to the county staff

About Serviceaide

Serviceaide is a leader in modern service management. Serviceaide's vision is to transform service management, across ITSM, ESM, and Customer Service. Serving customers around the world, Serviceaide applies breakthroughs in artificial intelligence, machine learning, and natural language processing to deliver better experiences, provide enhanced self-service and empower service owners. Serviceaide transforms service through digital labor conversations, automation, and knowledge.