Find out what it takes to become Service Desk Manager of the Year in the industry’s IT Service & Support Awards.
What made you decide to enter the awards?
The SDI plays a big part in what we do here at the CGI Service desk offices in Bridgend. I am very proud not only to work for the first ever outsourced 5 star service desk in the world, but to also be within the desk that has also consecutively retained the 5 stars for 4 years in a row, makes me extremely proud to be part of that achievement.
My journey in CGI so far has been both enjoyable and challenging, I have worked with my peers to deliver the very best to ensure that our customers receive the best service. I entered the Service Desk Manager of the Year award to benchmark my performance and to see how I personally stack up against competitors, to help give me a different perspective and see just how much that I may stand out from the competition whether that’s through innovation, diversity, customer service, investment in people and strategic thinking. I hope that this will help me to understand how I can do things better; identify areas for improvement to help develop me into a better leader. That in itself is more valuable than the prize itself.
What was the best part of the process for you?
For me, the most enjoyable part has to be the excitement. When I discovered that I had made the shortlist I was shocked and extremely excited. Knowing I was one of six people to be invited to provide a presentation. Although very nervous at the thought to stand up in front of people and talk about me I couldn’t wait to tell people my story. Now that I have made the final, I am completely blown away! Again, I am truly excited to attend the event and learn as much as possible and enjoy the experience.
In the last 18 months, what was the most successful initiative you have implemented to help your business improve its performance?
I worked on a business case for a number of months that recently got approved and implemented (end of January 2017). I noticed that there was a business need to upgrade the memory in the agents work stations across the entire service desk, feedback from the agents in 121 meetings and member surveys revealed that this was a pain point for the agents too. Over a period of many months, I compiled lots of data to evidence that an upgrade would increase productivity in the work place, moral and in turn translate into an even better service for our customers. The impact once the upgrade was implemented was a huge success, agents are much happier, their workstations are working much smoother and our customer experience has also improved.
Which aspect of your service do you believe your customers appreciate the most and why?
I come from many years of working in a customer service tailored environment. This has developed me into what a lot of people refer me to as, a great people person. This allows me to build nurturing relationships with my customers. I believe this is a crucial part of growing a successful business. In this age of automation and innovation, caring for your customers has never been more important. I have a great working relationship with my customers and operate an open door policy approach, they know that at any point they can call me, email me with a request, concern or escalation and have the confidence in me to help them achieve their goal. I have received great feedback from my customers and feel that this is all the evidence that I need to tell me that my customers appreciate the support that I offer them.
What one thing do you think really makes you stand out as a service desk professional?
I believe that I am a very supportive leader and co-worker. Rather than look to achieve higher than others, I much prefer to help others and myself achieve common goals to ensure that the end result given by all of us as a management team is that of the highest standard. I get my enjoyment out of my job by helping others develop and get a real buzz and great sense of personal achievement from this.
How are you preparing to evolve your service desk over the next few years? Please share your most exciting plan with us!
As well as running my own team, I assist the other Team Leaders across the entire Service Desk by providing reports, hints & tips on improving their quality KPI. With the recent success I have had with the business case, we have in turn also seen this impact the quality KPI as another improvement. I am currently looking into the next step of a new business case for a workstation upgrade which will be to completely replace all work stations in service desk to modern machines which will be an even bigger productivity & moral increase for the service desk. Plans for this are set for 2020 when Microsoft pull all support for Windows 7 which will be the ideal time for a desktop refresh and upgrade to Windows 10.
What does it mean to you to have won Service Desk Manager Of The year?
Getting to one of the final three flabbergasted me and in itself was a true achievement, but to be the overall winner of Service Desk Manager of the year is an absolute credit. In my eyes, winning this award in this industry is the equivalent to an actor winning an Oscar. It has helped both me with my career within CGI, and also CGI as a business as it is a testament to the development that CGI has provided.
How can you become the Service Desk Manager of the Year in 2018?
To enter simply take a look at the ‘How To Enter’ web page here. Or why not speak to a member of the SDI awards team? Simply email us at awards@sdi-e.com or call us on 01689 889100.
