support performance customer key time employee kpi

5 IT Support KPIs Every IT Manager Should KnowI’m sure you are well aware how important and useful information technology(IT) departments are in a world where technology dominates nearly everyindustry from banking to logistics. Starting a new job and need the computersystem up and running? Not a problem. Working through an important financialdocument when the next ice age blows through, leaving you frustrated over animmovable screen that mocks your every futile move? Not a problem. Is yoursecurity system ignoring you while cyber space shattering viruses are invadingyour computer? Not a problem. The IT Department can solve all these issues andmore, making your internal systems run smoothly while protecting all thecompany’s sensitive information.So how can IT companies or departments keep up with the demand for expertlevel service, especially when most of the people asking for help are at theirwits end over what they should do next? As a first step, identify, measure andbenchmark IT support metrics within your business intelligence efforts.Tracking the data associated with these IT Key Performance Indicators in yourbenchmarking and business intelligence efforts will not only show the companyor department what is actually happening in terms of IT support operations,but it will also show what can be improved to boost the IT Department’sproductivity and efficiency.What are IT Support metrics?IT Support Key Performance Indicators are defined as the quantitative valuesused to determine how efficiently and effectively specific IT support goalsand objectives are achieved by the company’s Information Technology (IT)Department over a set period of time.Benefits of measuring and benchmarking KPIs for technical support in yourcompany business intelligence efforts include: 1. Improved customer experience 2. Improved productivity and performance management of IT employees 3. Reduced operational cost of the IT Department 4. Increased company network availability and uptimeLet’s take a look at a few Key Performance Indicator examples for theInformation Technology (IT) support function that you should add to yourbenchmarking and business intelligence efforts.IT Key Performance Indicator Example # 1: Cycle Time: Customer Support TicketResolutionUse the Cycle Time: Customer Support Ticket Resolution KPI for the ITDepartment to measure the number of hours required to resolve a customersupport, or help ticket. The clock starts running from the time the helpticket is opened and stops when the customer issue is resolved. A customersupport ticket is a mechanism used to track the detection, reporting andresolution of an IT problem encountered by the company’s employees, also knownas end-users.High values for this IT KPI example can be indicative of: * Inefficient call scripts and job help guides * Sub-par collection of information pertaining to the customer’s issue * Poor IT employee productivity and performance management practices * Insufficient IT employee trainingTo keep the value low for this IT support metric , IT managers should improvetheir performance management practices to identify the specific issue(s)causing prolonged customer support ticket resolution times. For instance, ifthe process pertaining to customer issue information collection is theproblem, standardizing the processes and formats for customer support ticketsubmissions will reduce the number of times IT employees have to contact thecustomer to figure out what the problem is because some crucial detail wasleft out of the submission form, thus reducing the overall amount of timeneeded to solve the issue. Standardized submission forms can also prevent theIT employee from exploring solution activities that have already beenattempted.IT Key Performance Indicator Example # 2: Mean Time to Repair (MTTR)Use the Mean Time to Repair (MTTR) KPI for the IT Department to measure theaverage number of hours required to repair the system, application or networkto full functionality following a failure, or service interruption.Measurement begins at the time the failure occurs and ends when the repair iscompleted and rolled out to all required locations, including servers,devices, workstations, etc.High values for this IT KPI example can indicate: * Poor IT employee training * Inadequate IT productivity and performance management practices * Inefficient issue response procedures * Systems not built to facilitate speedy debugging and recoveryTo keep values low for this IT Key Performance Indicator, seek to standardizeissue response procedures, periodically train IT employees to allow them tokeep up-to-date on current issue resolution practices and improve the trainingprograms themselves to ensure IT employees know how to resolve all relevantissues. High values for this Key Performance Indicator example for InformationTechnology can have a dire effect on the company’s business operations, suchas accessing important company data or customer records, which can harm thecompany’s ability to satisfy their customer’s needs.IT Key Performance Indicator Example # 3: Mean Time Between Failures (MTBF)Use the Mean Time Between Failures (MTBF) KPI for the IT Department to measurethe average number of days elapsed between network, system, or applicationfailures or outages. The moment the network, system, or application initiallyfails is considered to be the first measured date while the day the nextfailure occurs is considered to be the last measured date. Mean Time BetweenFailures (MTBF) includes the time required to perform any repairs after theinitial failure.For this KPI for IT managers, the longer the time period between failures, thebetter. If a system is failing every week, company employees will not be ableto efficiently get their work completed. Be aware that the value for Mean TimeBetween Failures (MTBF) includes only operational time, not repair or outagetime. Don’t worry though, those are separate metrics. To reduce the Mean TimeBetween Failures (MTBF) value, attempt to segment the time between failureswith the use of different systems and software packages. This allows ITmanagers and employees to identify the specific network, system or applicationthat is causing the issue.Low values for this IT KPI example can be indicative of: * Poorly developed networks, systems or applications * Sub-par IT employee repairs * Inefficient testing of the network, system or application before releasesIT Key Performance Indicator Example # 4: Support Tickets Closed per EmployeeUse the Support Tickets Closed per Employee KPI for the IT Department tomeasure the division between the number of customer support tickets resolved,or closed and the total number of employees processing and resolving customersupport tickets.Similar to Cycle Time: Customer Support Resolution, low values for this IT KPIexample can indicate: * Poor IT employee productivity and performance management practices * Inefficient or inadequate IT employee training * Non-standardized call scripts * Inadequate use of job help guides, FAQs and other helpful IT resourcesAs you might expect, it’s not a good thing to receive lots of calls concerningIT issues since that means there are a lot of problems that need to beresolved, but when it comes to productivity, the higher the value for this ITsupport metric, the better. Improving the values for this KPI for IT managersnot only ensures that employees are provided with targeted training, but alsoprovides managers with insights into what part of the process is causing aproductivity bottleneck. It is important to note that less productivity canprolong the period of time necessary to resolve all incoming issues, thusnegatively impacting the ability of the effected employees from performingtheir own duties.IT Key Performance Indicator # 5: Unit Cost: Customer Support TicketThe Unit Cost: Customer Support Ticket KPI for the IT Department measures thetotal expense incurred by the User Support & Services compared to the totalnumber of customer support tickets opened over the same period of time. Thougha bit different than the previous IT support metrics, defining the cost ofoperations is a must. This Key Performance Indicator Example for InformationTechnology, in consequence, keeps track of just how much money is being spentto bring computer support to each employee experiencing technical issues.High values for this IT KPI example can be indicative of: * Inefficient or inadequate IT employee training * Sub-par IT employee productivity and performance management practices * Poor dissemination of IT information on end-user-focused FAQ and IT resource channelsTo keep values low for this IT Key Performance Indicator, look to improveperformance management practices and keep customer, or end-user-facing FAQsand other self-service tools up-to-date on what end-users can do to fix ITissues themselves. After all, if customers are able to fix their own ITissues, fewer end-users will call IT employees for assistance which willreduce the overall amount of money the IT Department spends by having their ITemployee fix end-user issues. This, furthermore, allows IT employees to focuson other important tasks, thus improving their productivity in other IT-related areas.IT Key Performance Indicator Final Thoughts and ResourcesThanks for sticking with me thus far. Tracking IT support metrics andbenchmarks should be on the top of IT manager’s to do list. For those withinthe information technology businesses, doing so will not only bring a higherquality of service to their customers, but it will also make sure they canstay in the business of providing technological services. Heck, using IT KeyPerformance Indicators, metrics and benchmarks to improve IT Departmentoperations will even help in outperforming competitors and improve thecompany’s bottom line. Now, who wouldn’t like that?