OCTOBER 2020 - 2021 Service Management Conference
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OCTOBER 2020
5 Ways AI delivers better World-first app Wilma Weaver in 2021 Service
business outcomes drastically improves Converation with Management
Servicely workers' mental health Brendan Cullen Conference
TABLE OF
CONTENTS
3 Deputy Chair's Report
4 5 Ways AI delivers better
business outcomes
Servicely
8 SAVE THE DATE - 2020 The
Unconvention - Follow the Sun
12 World-first app drastically
improves workers' mental
health
The Blackdog Institute
16 Wilma Weaver in conversation
with Brendan Cullen
20 NT Awards for Digital
Excellence
Nominate Now!
FROM THE
Dear Members
DEPUTY CHAIR
Brad Busch, our itSMFA Chair, was sadly involved in out for registration details which will be arriving in
a serious accident just recently and as a result I your in-box shortly. This promises to be a highlight
have taken over a number of his duties, including of our year and perfectly adapted to these
writing the introductory report for this edition of challenging times. Importantly the itSMF
The Bulletin. ‘Volunteer Of the Year Award’ will still be going
ahead – something I am looking forward to with
I would like to express on my own behalf, as well as great anticipation.
the rest of the Board, our best wishes to Brad and
his family and our hope that he makes a speedy and Our program of Virtual Events continue to be well
complete recovery. supported and I’d like to take the opportunity to
thank the small army of volunteers for their great
The ongoing COVID crisis has added a new and work in this area. And thanks to the wider Service
unfamiliar element of stress to our lives and some Management community which has adapted to this
people have found this very difficult to deal with. new format so enthusiastically. The success of
There is the continuing uncertainty about when we these events is a credit to everyone.
will resume our ‘normal’ lives and the enforced
social isolation, particularly in Victoria. And of As you would have seen a ‘Member Value Program’
course, there’s the disruption to our working lives is currently being developed, looking at how we
and the impact the pandemic has had on our can add to the member benefits package currently
professions. on offer. We have 15 passionate volunteers with a
broad range of skills and expertise hard at work on
itSMF Australia is however a social forum as well as this important initiative. Stay tuned for a progress
a meeting place where professionals exchange report on their valuable work in the near future.
ideas and I know I speak for many when I say to
those who may be struggling, that you are welcome Finally, I wanted to offer my own best wishes for
to reach out, to ask for help or to simply hear a the community as we adapt to these difficult times.
friendly voice. We’re all in this together and we It has brought out the best in us in regard to our
need to look out for each other – and ourselves. ability to adjust, to change and to continue to
flourish. But I would add, as I mentioned earlier,
Of course we have had to scrap the 2020 National that we also need to keep an eye out for those who
Conference (is anyone running one this year?) but may be finding the day to day struggle just that bit
we are not abandoning our responsibilities to host too hard. May I suggest that all of us do something
a get-together and forum for the exchange of ideas. ‘active’ to reach out and touch the lives of another
Except this year of course, it will be a ‘Virtual member, or friend, or colleague. It will help.
experience’.
Enjoy the Bulletin.
The presenters and format for our ‘Unconvention’
are currently being finalised and I’d ask you to look Brendan Cullen
Depty Chair, itSMF Australia.
3
5 Ways AI
Delivers
Better
Business
Outcomes
It’s 2020: technology is rapidly advancing, and with the
availability of better tech comes the expectation for all of us
to keep up with the digital trends.
Businesses everywhere are going Employee and customer loyalty aren’t
paperless, and that means everything what they were before either.
can be processed with just a couple of Excluding brand giants like Apple and
clicks. Gone are the days when people Nike, consumers and staff no longer
have to go through dozens of physical stick with a brand for a lifetime.
shelves to find a file.
Employees and customers prioritise
With all these advancements, their experience over the brand. And
customers and employees are getting for your business to keep up with that,
more impatient with any service delays you need to start automating a lot of
and it’s hard to find a valid excuse to your processes.
keep sticking with older means.
But, a lot of businesses still tend to turn
With proven speed and efficiency, no
away from the idea because of their
one wants to work in a business, start
perception of Artificial Intelligence (AI).
one, or work with one where the
They think that AI is:
systems and processes are outdated,
slow, and dysfunctional.
-Difficult to implement So it’s best to implement AI in your
-Not delivering a good user experience business, as arguably, it’s the future of
-Hard to understand the first time technology. Why wait any longer for
something that you can adopt and learn
Still much like the chatbots we all had a right now?
bad experience with at some point.
Doing so saves a lot of time and money
Understandable; we humans do have a and helps employees solve their
tendency to avoid what’s seemingly more problems more independently.
difficult, but it’s rather short-sighted to Ultimately, this will result in a workplace
say no to efficient processes that are that’s a lot more efficient.
rapidly and continuously improving.
Automates repetitive tasks to free
To help you see its benefits, here are five
reasons why AI is an advantage and not a up IT staff
curse to your business. It is a common misconception that “AI”
automatically means “robots”. After all,
The 5 ways AI helps small to the media continues to feed us with this
context of AI; it’s undoubtedly the most
medium businesses interesting aspect of it. There’s even a
Enables staff to resolve their issues movie called ‘A.I. Artificial Intelligence’
featuring a humanlike robot who
quicker and more independently develops sentience throughout the film.
Before the dawn of AI, IT staff were
While it’s true that the robots we’re
flooded with calls and requests from
familiar with from the movies we watch
other employees to fix issues as simple as
and the fiction books we read are a
a password reset. IT staff handle a myriad
product of AI, what people often overlook
of problems, so concerns like these are
is the fact that AI comes in different
not exactly the best use of their time.
forms: sometimes it’s robots, other times
In the same manner, it can be frustrating it’s a set of tools in business software
for the employees themselves to need to programs.
contact IT every time they need simple
What all these types of artificial
tasks done for them. Sometimes, they
intelligence have in common is that they
even have to wait a day or two, as their IT
implement a system that completes
specialist already has a lot on their plate.
repetitive and replicable tasks
Also, now that working from home is independently. That means humans don’t
becoming the norm amidst the global need to control them.
pandemic, it’s high time that companies
Carrying on from our first point, issues
start implementing automated help desks
that frequently come up are better simply
so that employees can troubleshoot on
automated than requested for help
their own.
repeatedly from the IT department,
Gartner, a research company, reported whose staff are probably busy with
that by 2021, 80% of emerging debugging more complex technical
technologies will have AI foundations. issues or monitoring and improving your
company’s databases.
AI can automate many back end processes To remedy these kinds of problems,
into easy-to-follow guides that staff can customer service agents are provided
execute without the hassle of seeking the with more training, and yet this doesn’t
help of others. seem to be enough to significantly
reduce call handling time.
Connects knowledge at the right
time to the person who needs it With new capabilities to automate
knowledge discovery, handling times will
Remember trawling through internal be drastically reduced, and customers can
databases and not finding what you’re quickly get the answers they need.
looking for? You’re sure you saw it in this
one specific folder just a few days ago. The graph below shows that switching to
Maybe it’s been moved or deleted, how AI for customer service needs results in a
would you know without shyly badgering massive annual cost saving:
your IT staff?
Improve data quality and call
Chatbot help desk automation is one of assignment
the AI forms with… not the best
reputation. It left a bad first impression to How many times have you called a call
many, and sadly, that impression stuck centre, only to be left on hold or bounced
with them through the years. But we can’t around different departments and
emphasise this enough: technology is specialists? Unfortunately, it seems par
evolving and advancing, and so are those for the course for call centres. But while
chatbots we all used to hate. it’s common, does that mean we should
settle for that kind of service?
Nowadays, users can hardly tell if they’re
talking to bots or people tasked to copy- Of course not.
paste spiels to solve others’ problems.
There are always ways to improve flawed
With the use of this technology, your
processes, routine as they are.
employees can quickly search for the
Automating service centres can improve
answers they need without spending too
data quality and help direct a call to the
much time on it.
person or department that can actually
And, these chatbots are available to serve resolve your enquiry.
you 24/7.
“By using a call centre AI software, you
Reduces call handling time can look at 16 months worth of data to
see what the most common call-in topics
Customers hate waiting. were and why customers are calling. This
helps you to better prepare your agents
A survey by Click Software on customer for the calls that they are most likely to
attitude revealed that 35% of customers receive,” said Jafar Adibi, head of AI at
stopped doing business with some of Talkdesk, which is a provider of cloud-
their favorite brands after a single based software for call centres.
instance where they had to wait too long
for their customer service representative The bottom line is that implementing AI
to get to their concerns. vastly improves employees and
customers’ experience whenever they
need help.
Your IT staff don’t have to use up a bulk Overall, this will help your business
of their time handling concerns that other become more efficient, and give a good
employees can learn to handle name to your brand and customer
themselves, and your customers won’t service.
have to wait forever while being
transferred from one agent to another Interested in automating your Service
just to get an answer to a query that AI Desk using advanced AI?
can solve in seconds.
Let us show you how to do more with
less.
About Servicely:
Founded by Dion Williams, ex Keystone management
solutions sold to UXC connect, Servicely is an Australian start
up shaking up the enterprise space with the world’s first
intelligent ITSM platform.
At Servicely, we are passionate about simplifying the
complexity of using Artificial Intelligence to improve business
outcomes. We have developed the world's first end to end
service management platform with AI at the core, that
Observes how your best service desk agents resolve issues
and requests in order to generate feature-rich machine
models for training purposes. We use these models to
Augment your agents with intelligent automation to
significantly reduce their call handle times, and resolve these
issues instantly and Automatically with no human
intervention.
Registrations Open Soon -
- Members Free - Guest $50
Your itSMF Membership allows you to access some of the most up to date information through BrightTALK webinars
Save The Date:
Service Management 2021 is Coming!
Book the 1st-2nd September 2021 in your calendars because itSMF
Australia is bringing to you the Service Management Conference
2021!
Australia and the World has seen unprecedented change and
transformation during 2020 which will continue into 2021 and
beyond. Service Management 2021 will give us all the chance to
reconnect, share unexpected experiences and many new ideas.
Submissions to be a speaker are open now, so put on your thinking
caps and start submitting, as we cannot wait to see what you have to
share.
You can view the submission guidelines and submit here.
The SM Conference Organising Committee is working hard to bring
you an insightful and innovative conference, so keep your eyes
peeled as we share more details.
Registration for the Conference will open in early 2021.
We look forward to seeing you in Brisbane!
For more information, visit the website here.
Thank you to our 2021 Partners:World-first app
drastically improves
workers’ mental health
A mental health app has successfully halved
the number of new onset depression cases
amongst Australian workers in the largest
ever study of its kind.
The Black Dog Institute’s HeadGear economy $12 billion each year
app was tested by more than 2200 through lost productivity due to
workers and significantly improved sickness absence, presenteeism,
their wellbeing on several mental workers compensation claims and
health scores. The results are staff turnover. Previous research
published today in Psychological has shown that one in five
Medicine journal and can be read Australians (20%) have taken time
here. off work in the past 12 months due
to feeling stressed, anxious,
Mental illness costs the Australian depressed or mentally unhealthy.“This is the first time researchers control version of the same app
have ever been able to achieve that focused primarily on mood
reductions in depression incidence monitoring.
using an app alone,” said lead
author Dr Mark Deady, from the Participants assigned to receive
Workplace Mental Health Research HeadGear completed a daily 5-10
Program at the Black Dog Institute. minute ‘challenge’ with skill-based
tasks designed to boost mental
“Workplaces can be an ideal setting fitness through mindfulness,
to intervene and improve worker’s behavioural activation therapies
mental health, but until now this and coping strategies. They also
kind of evidence-based training has undertook screening to calculate
been inaccessible to many their risk of developing future
organisations and individuals, as mental illness, and were then
face-to-face programs tend to be followed up at 5-weeks, 3-months
more costly and only delivered in and 12-months after the 30-day
metropolitan areas. intervention period.
“Our findings point to the potential Workers who used HeadGear had
for apps like HeadGear to reach fewer depressive symptoms and
people in high-risk industries at were less likely to develop mental
scale with easily-implementable health issues at the 3-month
strategies to improve their follow-up, compared to those
workplace mental health.” receiving the control app, with this
benefit continuing beyond the 12-
During a randomised controlled trial month follow-up mark. Workplace
(RCT), researchers compared performance also improved, as did
HeadGear with a less intensive scores for resilience and wellbeing.
Researchers are now testing
modified versions of the HeadGear
app for apprentices, non-male-
dominated workforces and junior
doctors. To register an expression
of interest or to find out more
about joining these studies in
2020, contact wmh@unsw.edu.au.
Click here to Link to the article
Interested in The Blackdog Institute and
like to volunteer your services?
Click here to Follow the linkIntroducing an agile mindset is one way to improve your IT Service Management. But there’s much more you can do. Subscribe
to our blog and get tips for better service management every week. Visit blog.topdesk.com
www.ivanti.com.auWilma Weaver
in conversation
with Brendan Cullen
What is your current job title and industry and What ITSM related certifications do you hold, if
what do you enjoy the most about both? any?
Recently transitioned from the Northern Territory -ITIL4 Foundation
to Victoria, my current role being, Senior Service -ITIL v3 Expert
Delivery Manager with NEC Australia in the ICT -ITIL Master v2
Industry. What I enjoy most about both my role -ACS Certified Professional – MACS (Snr CP)
and industry is, building relationships, -ACS IP3P - International Professional Practice
understanding customer needs and working with Partnership (IP3)
amazing teams to challenge ourselves to deliver
the best experience every time! What has been your biggest workplace or career
challenge and how did you face it?
How long have you been an itSMF Member?
Stepping into an Account Director role at the cusp
Approximately 10 Years of heading into a consecutive contract term with
significant reduction in revenue, requiring a
What itSMF Membership Benefits do you get most reduction in resourcing and delivering an
value from? increased scope of services. Not one to walk away
from a challenge, I faced it head on with a full team
-Seminars approach, formulating a plan along with my newly
-itSMF Website incl. Bulletin, Knowledge Sharing formed leadership team, reduced risk to existing
-Conference resources, clearly and honestly communicated,
-ITIL Online while executing the plan. Years on and looking
back, it was a success due to the extensive
What do you enjoy most about being an itSMF knowledge, experience, strength and resilience of
Member? our team and true partnership approach with our
customer.
Connecting with people and being part of a
community. The IT Service Management Have you ever applied your ITSM skills outside of
community and its people are passionate about work?
what they do, and they enjoy talking to other like-
minded people and sharing knowledge and Unconsciously, I feel I apply ITSM skills to many
experiences. Along the way, there is a whole lot of aspects of my life, particularly the service
learning and friendship growth. management component and continual service
improvement. My mind naturally assesses my
Has being an itSMF Member benefited you current state, preferred future state, what is
professionally? required to get there and plans the required steps
to get there. I work hard at enjoying and
Absolutely! With very little to no technical celebrating getting there before naturally
background, ITSM and my growth as an itSMF reassessing :) More recently, with a series of life
member has helped me carve my career in the ICT changes and challenges, I have taken a more Agile
Industry. I have progressed over the past 10 years approach and have built quite a resilience to
from an itSMF Member, to itSMF State Branch Chair change!
(NT) to now being a Director on the itSMF Australia
National Board.What do you see as the biggest challenge or ‘next take the initiative and drive your career forward by
big thing’ for ITSM professionals over showing you are willing to learn and grow.
the next couple of years and what do we as Understand your customers and collaborate across
ITSM professionals need to do to address these teams to deliver.
challenges/opportunities?
What do you like to do when you are not working?
I believe ITSM is the ‘next big thing’ and ITSM
Professionals need to stand up and stand out from Eat chocolate, drink hot chocolate and exercise so
behind the technical guise, stand with our technical that I can continue to eat chocolate and drink hot
counterparts and focus on connecting with people chocolate. I love spending as much time as possible
and connecting people with services and digital with family and catching up with friends. Listening
technology solutions. Join the business. The to music, mostly music my two sons (my greatest
relevance and necessity of good strong customer source of inspiration and pride) have written,
service, motivated high performing teams, stability produced, recorded and performed, as well as, of
of infrastructure and creating the best customer course, old 80s music. Movies are a must and I look
experience is the priority for the future. 2020 has forward to exploring outer Melbourne and beyond
certainly heightened the ICT Industry as essential to once restrictions ease and we are no longer
keeping people connected not only to services but to considered a hot spot here in Melbourne :)
each other. Of course, infrastructure is essential, but
bringing the right services, to fit the need and One word that could describe your experience of
delivering the best experience is critical. itSMF Australia?
To meet the challenges and opportunities of the Connection
future we also need to grow our next generation of
ITSM Professionals. Increase our engagement of Have you ever been to an itSMF Conference, if so
students and graduates, extend the sharing of what was your conference experience like and do
knowledge and experiences to build and develop you have a lasting memory?
ITSM capability.
Yes, I have been to a number of itSMF Conferences
across Australia and each have contributed to my
What's the most valuable piece of advice you have growth and many positive experiences. The key
been given in your professional career? note speakers have often left lasting impressions on
me particularly Turia Pitt and Matina Jewell. Their
“There are no boundaries, work with no boundaries bravery and strength not only to live through but to
unless someone tells you otherwise.” share so eloquently their life journeys, the lessons
they have taken from this and the knowledge they
What advice would you give young people who have share about the importance of mindset, connection
chosen a career in technology? and leadership. The Gala Dinner and Awards night at
the Grand Ballroom here in Melbourne was amazing.
If the question is related to a career in technology as On a more personal note, winning an itSMF Award
opposed to the broader ICT Industry, my advice for Best Service Desk Project (2008) with my Team
would be to specialise in Cyber Security. However, if was very special, although I was not there on the
the question is related to advice for a young person night, I received an excited phone call from the
starting their career in the ICT Industry, my advice Project Lead and my Manager to share the news.
would be to broaden your knowledge and build your
capability by taking every opportunity that comes
your way. You are in charge of your development,Brigh
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DISCOUNTSAre you the next NT itSMF Service Management
Champion of the Year? Do you know an individual,
project, organisation or team who has achieved
excellence in ICT this year?
Nominations are now open for the NT Digital Excellence
Awards 2020. The awards formally celebrate individuals
and organisations for outstanding digital achievement
and innovation in the NT, and is the premier NT ICT
event of the year.
There are award categories for individuals, projects,
organisations and teams who have achieved excellence
in ICT this year.
Nominations close 23rd October
2020, only two weeks way, so get
your nominations in now!You can also read
