AI transforms the IT support experience
We
know
that
understanding
clients’
technical
issues
is
paramount
for
delivering
effective
support
service.
Enterprises
demand
prompt
and
accurate
solutions
to
their
technical
issues,
requiring
support
teams
to
possess
deep
technical
knowledge
and
communicate
action
plans
clearly.
Product-embedded
or
online
support
tools,
such
as
virtual
assistants,
can
drive
more
informed
and
efficient
support
interactions
with
client
self-service.
About
85%
of
execs
say
generative
AI
will
be
interacting
directly
with
customers
in
the
next
two
years.
Those
who
implement
self-service
search
into
their
sites
and
tools
can
become
exponentially
more
powerful
with
generative
AI.
Generative
AI
can
learn
from
vast
datasets
and
can
produce
nuanced
and
personalized
replies.
The
ability
to
understand
the
underlying
context
of
a
question
(considering
variables
such
as
tone,
sentiment,
and
context)
empowers
AI
to
provide
responses
that
align
with
the
user’s
specific
needs,
and
with
automation
can
execute
tasks,
such
as
opening
a
ticket
to
order
a
replacement
part.
Even
when
topics
come
up
that
the
virtual
assistants
can’t
solve
on
its
own,
automation
can
easily
connect
clients
with
a
live
agent
who
can
help.
If
escalated
to
a
live
agent,
an
AI-generated
summary
of
the
conversation
history
can
be
provided,
so
they
can
seamlessly
pick
up
where
the
virtual
assistant
left
off.
As
a
developer
of
AI,
IBM
works
with
thousands
of
clients
to
help
them
infuse
the
technology
throughout
their
enterprise
for
new
levels
of
insights
and
efficiency.
Much
of
our
experience
comes
from
implementing
AI
in
our
own
processes
and
tools,
which
we
can
then
bring
to
client
engagements.
Our
clients
tell
us
their
businesses
require
streamlined
proactive
support
processes
that
can
anticipate
the
user
needs
leading
to
faster
responses,
minimized
downtime
and
future
issues.
Clients
can
self-service
24/7
and
proactively
address
potential
issues
IBM
Technology
Lifecycle
Services
(TLS)
leverage
AI
and
automation
capabilities
to
offer
streamlined
support
services
to
IBM
clients
through
various
channels,
including
chat,
email,
phone
and
the
web.
Integrating
AI
and
automation
into
our
customer
support
service
tools
and
operations
was
pivotal
for
enhancing
efficiency
and
elevating
the
overall
client
experience:
-
Online
chat
via
Virtual
Assistant:
The
IBM
virtual
assistant
is
designed
to
streamline
service
operation
by
providing
a
consistent
interface
to
navigate
through
IBM.
With
access
to
various
guides
and
past
interactions,
many
inquiries
can
be
first
be
addressed
through
self-service.
Additionally,
it can
transition
to
a
live
agent
if
needed,
and
alternatively
open
a
ticket
to
be
resolved
by
a
support
engineer.
This
experience
is
unified
across
IBM
and
powered
by
watsonx,
IBM’s
AI
platform.
-
Automated
help
initiated
through
the
product:
IBM
servers
and
storage
systems
have
a
feature
called
Call
Home/Enterprise
Service
Agent
(ESA)
which
clients
can
enable
to
automatically
send
notifications
to
IBM
24x7x365.
When
Call
Home
has
been
enabled,
the
products
will
send
to
IBM
the
appropriate
error
details
(such
as
for
a
drive
failure,
or
firmware
error).
For
errors
received
which
require
corrective
actions
(where
valid
support
entitlement
is
in
place),
a
service
request
will
be
automatically
opened
and
worked
per
the
terms
of
the
client’s
support
contract.
In
fact,
91%
of
Call
Home
requests
were
responded
to
through
automation.
Service
requests
are
electronically
routed
directly
to
the
appropriate
IBM
support
center
with
no
client
intervention.
When
a
system
reports
a
potential
problem,
it
transmits
essential
technical
detail
including
extended
error
information,
such
as
error
logs
and
system
snapshots.
The
typical
result
for
clients
is
streamlined
problem
diagnosis
and
resolution
time.
-
Automated
end-to-end
view
of
clients’
IT
infrastructure:
IBM
Support
Insights
Pro
provides
visibility
across
IBM
clients’
IBM
and
multivendor
infrastructure
to
unify
the
support
experience.
It
highlights
potential
issues
and
provides
recommended
actions.
This
cloud-based
service
is
designed
to
help
IT
teams
proactively
improve
uptime
and
address
security
vulnerabilities
with
analytics-driven
insights,
inventory
management
and
preventive
maintenance
recommendations.
The
service
is
built
to
help
clients
improve
IT
reliability,
reduce
support
gaps
and
streamline
inventory
management
for
IBM
and
other
OEM
systems.
Suggested
mitigations
and
“what-if”
analysis
comparing
different
resolution
options
can
help
clients
and
support
personnel
identify
the
best
option,
given
their
chosen
risk
profile.
Today,
over
3,000
clients
are
leveraging
IBM
Support
Insights
to
manage
more
than
four
million
IT
assets.
Empowering
IBM
support
agents
with
automation
tools
and
AI
for
faster
case
resolution
and
insights
Generative
AI
offers
another
advantage
by
discerning
patterns
and
insights
from
the
data
it
collects,
engineered
to
help
support
agents
navigate
complex
issues
with
greater
ease.
This
capability
provides
agents
comprehensive
visibility
into
the
clients’
situation
and
history,
empowering
them
to
offer
more
informed
assistance.
Additionally,
AI
can
produce
automated
summaries,
tailored
communications
and
recommendations
such
as
teaching
clients
on
better
uses
of
products,
and
offer
valuable
insights
for
the
development
of
new
services.
At
IBM
TLS,
having
access
to
the
watsonx
technology
and
automation
tools
we
have
built
services
to
help
our
support
engineers
to
work
more
productively
and
efficiently.
These
include:
-
Agent
Assist
is
an
AI
cloud
service,
based
on
IBM
watsonx,
and
used
by
IBM
support
agents.
At
IBM,
we
have
an
extensive product
knowledge
base,
and
pulling
the
most
relevant
information
quickly
is
paramount
when
working
on
a
case.
Agent
Assist
supports
teams
by
finding
the
most
relevant
information
in
the
IBM
knowledge
base
and providing
recommended
solutions
to
the
agent.
It
helps
agents
save
time
by
getting
to
the
desired
information
faster.
-
Case
summarization
is
another
IBM
watsonx
AI-powered
tool
our
agents
use.
Depending
on
complexity,
some
support
cases
can
take
several
weeks
to
resolve.
During
this
time,
information
such
as
problem
description,
analysis
results,
action
plans
and
other
communication
takes
place
between
the
IBM
Support
team
and
the
client.
Providing
updates
and
details
for
a
case
is
crucial throughout
its
duration
until resolution.
Generative
AI
is
helping
to
simplify
this
process,
making
it
easier
to
create
case
summaries
with
minimal
effort.
-
The
IBM
Support
portal,
powered
by
IBM
Watson
and
Salesforce,
provides
a
common
platform
for
our
clients
and
support
agents
to
have
a
unified
view
of
support
tickets,
regardless
of
how
they
were
generated
(voice,
chat,
web,
call
home
and
email).
Once
authenticated,
the
users
have
visibility
into
all
cases
for
their
company
across
the
globe.
Additionally,
IBM
support
agents
can
track
of
support
trends
across
the
globe
which
are
automatically
analyzed
and
leveraged
to
provide
fast
proactive
tips
and
guidance.
Agents
get
assistance
with
first
course
of
action
and
the
creation
of
internal
tech-notes
to
aid
with
generating
documentation
during
case
closure
process.
This
tool
also
helps
them
identify
“Where
is”
and
“How
to”
questions,
which
helps
identify
opportunities
to
improve
support
content
and
product
user
experience.
Meeting
client
needs
and
expectations
in
technical
support
involves
a
coordinated
blend
of
technical
expertise,
good
communication,
effective
use
of
tools
and
proactive
problem-solving.
Generative
AI
transforms
customer
service
by
introducing
dynamic
and
context-aware
conversations
that
go
beyond
simple
question-and-answer
interactions.
This
leads
to
a
refined
and
user-centric
interaction.
Additionally,
it
can
automate
tasks,
analyze
data
to
identify
patterns
and
insights
and
facilitate
faster
resolution
of
customer
issues.
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