⚙️ Service Delivery Automation - Path to Organization Efficiency
Service delivery automation aims to improve the efficiency of an organization by automating processes already in use.
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👉 Introduction
Service delivery automation (SDA) is not new. In fact, it has been around for quite some years now. If you’re interested in service delivery automation, but are not sure what it means or if it is something for your organization, the following information will help you understand the concept and its benefits.
Service delivery automation aims to improve the efficiency of an organization by automating processes already in use. These processes do not have to be IT-related, as SDA can be used within any business function or department. Service delivery automation focuses on reducing cost and minimizing inefficiencies due to manual interventions that impact service quality and customer experience negatively.
🤔 What is Service Delivery Automation?
Service delivery automation is the automation of workflows and work steps within and across enterprises. Service delivery automation reduces the number of steps required to deliver a service, typically by linking together applications that are not normally integrated. Typically, service delivery automation requires the engagement of multiple teams, functions, clients, and applications.
To achieve service delivery automation, organizations must have a clear view of their operations—including all business processes and information systems—which can often be complex as multiple teams are involved in delivering services to internal or external customers.
SDA is the way of organizing workflows and work steps in a way that human intervention is minimized.
The goal of service delivery automation is to increase efficiency by reducing errors, saving time, and saving costs by not having humans do things computers can do faster and cheaper. The process can be broken down into three stages:
discovery,
analysis,
and automation.
In the discovery phase, you map out your processes so you can see what needs to be improved. Then you analyze how best to improve them. Finally, you automate the processes with software that makes improvements painless for humans involved in performing tasks or receiving services from other humans or machines. Service delivery automation applies AI technologies such as machine learning (ML) for any repetitive tasks where it makes sense over hiring someone full-time at a company just to do those specific tasks all day long (usually those are boring too).
Service delivery model requires the engagement of multiple teams, functions, client(s) and applications to deliver.
In a typical service delivery model, the engagement of multiple teams, functions, client(s) and applications is required to deliver. Issues with hand-offs and delays typically arise due to an inefficient service delivery process. The same service delivery process can be automated by leveraging intelligent automation capabilities. This brings significant improvements in time taken to deliver the services as well as reduction in errors.
The focus of service automation is to minimize the number of steps between the time a client expresses need for a service and the time it's delivered.
Service delivery automation is the process of minimizing the number of steps between the time a client requests a service and when they receive it. By focusing on eliminating elements that are time-consuming or prone to errors, automation makes it possible to deliver services to clients faster, more efficiently, and in a cost-effective manner.
Building these systems requires both strategy and forethought, as there are many factors to consider such as how much data is being used for the automation process, how many steps can be eliminated during the request process, etc. In order for this system to work effectively you will need
A service description repository that contains all information about each service including its name, description of purpose (e.g., purpose), information on who provides it (i.g., provider), cost (if any), what kind of user is allowed access into it (e.g., user access type) and so forth;
An automated approval workflow system which allows users with appropriate levels of authority
A software package that implements some form of automated execution logic
👍 Benefits of Automating Service Delivery
Automation tools can help organizations achieve their goals by reducing costs, improving processes, and increasing productivity. The technology can help to eliminate errors and deliver consistent results. Organizations that embrace automation often experience improved customer satisfaction and employee satisfaction.
🤔 How IT SDA is transformative for IT service management?
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Service delivery automation is a transformative tool for IT service management because:
It removes the need for human intervention. In traditional models, human involvement was required at every step of the process. This meant that you had to wait longer to receive your service and it was difficult to deliver a high standard of repeatability across all services. Service delivery automation brings together processes, documentation, tools and people into one streamlined approach which can reduce complexity and increase efficiency.
It’s a key to achieve speed and agility. Traditional approaches can mean that there is a reliance on manual workarounds, particularly when an issue arises or there’s a change in requirements from customers. This can slow down the whole process and cause unnecessary delays in delivering services where they are needed most quickly. The increased speed and agility achieved through service delivery automation means that your team can respond more quickly to new opportunities as well as changes in customer demand or requirements.
💡 How to Automate Service Delivery?
When you're looking to automate service delivery, the first thing you need to do is figure out exactly how you want your service requests handled. Take a look at your current manual processes—do you notice any areas that could be streamlined or steps that could be eliminated? These are important things to keep in mind when you're using an automation tool.
Next, take a look at the steps involved in delivering your services and see if any of them can be automated. Most modern automation tools will help with this step by offering templates for common services and letting you build your own from scratch if needed. Let's say one of the steps in your current process is assigning the correct support staff member to a ticket based on its priority. This can be easily automated using simple automation software; once it's set up, incoming tickets will automatically be assigned to the right person with no extra intervention needed!
Once these decisions have been made, select an automation tool that meets all of these criteria:
Low cost (or free) implementation
Easy-to-use interface so anyone can use it without having special knowledge or training
Compatibility with other systems used by employees (e.g., project management software)
Automation focuses on eliminating as many elements as possible that are either time-consuming or prone to errors.
It is the goal of automation to eliminate as many elements as possible that are either time-consuming or prone to errors. In an ideal situation, the number of tasks required for a service delivery is reduced to only those that require human interaction and allow for the best quality of work. A well designed automation tool will focus on saving time, money and resources while improving the customer experience from their perspective.
Service automation enables companies to prioritize high value tasks and automate low value tasks.
Service delivery automation (SDA) enables companies to create a service delivery model that allows them to focus on high value tasks, while automating repetitive, low value tasks.
While we're talking about how SDA can be used for IT services, the same basic concept can be applied to any number of industries and business functions. Imagine you run an online shoe store: you open your shop each morning and start checking in on inventory levels and stock prices, then check the storefront to see if there are images that need updating or new products that need listing. You spend half your day on these menial tasks instead of focusing on expanding your business with new marketing campaigns or starting a creative project like writing a blog (like this one).
With SDA tools, companies can automate many of these routine tasks. Not only does this increase efficiency by freeing up time for higher-value work, it also increases accuracy by eliminating human error in process-oriented tasks. If you had an automated system in place to manage inventory changes as products are sold at your online shoe store, you wouldn't have to worry about neglecting a product's status and ending up with negative reviews after selling out of shoes in the wrong size. In addition, customers would be able to more easily find what they're looking for because the system would ensure that items are listed appropriately according to size and color.
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Sincerely,
Stathis 👋