IT Briefcase Interview: A Conversation on A.I. in IT Service Management

IT Briefcase Featured Interview between an early user of SunView Software’s new ChangeGear 7 platform and John Prestridge, SunView’s vice president of product strategy

With the rise of the digital enterprise, IT has quickly realized an opportunity to transform ITSM toward a proactive, people-centric approach for better end-user satisfaction. Those unafraid of a challenge realized this was best accomplished by aligning the right people, processes and technologies around agile approaches.

Fortunately, a new wave of ITSM technology is simplifying these efforts on the back of artificial intelligence and machine learning. For instance, here at SunView, we recently released ChangeGear 7, our initiative to introduce practical AI for the enterprise. And many early adopters are seeing major results for their willingness to adopt the technology.

To get a peek behind the curtain, we sat down with a good friend and customer of ours, who manages an IT team for an Illinois county government workforce. Due to her role within the Illinois government, we have respected her request to remain anonymous. If you’re looking for a first-hand account on what AI looks like in IT, keep reading.

John Prestridge: What is your overall opinion on AI and machine learning in the enterprise?

IT Executive: A.I. and machine learning are the future. I truly believe that at some point the ticket will create itself while the tech is on the phone with the user. This will be huge in removing the administrative burden from the tech, who will instead be able to focus more on troubleshooting.

JP: Have you had any reservations using/trusting AI to handle requests? Have those reservations been addressed?

IT: My initial reservations are linked to some of our weaker areas (knowledge base, Sheriff tickets), and not necessarily the technology itself. Once we shore those areas up, I’m confident the technology can take control as it has shown that it is a reliable option to do the job.

JP: Who has been the biggest advocate for AI in your organization?

IT: Our entire team has been excited about implementing the technology. As any IT executive knows, change is much easier when your team is excited about and supports the initiative. So this internal team support has been huge. We have been extremely fortunate in that regard.

JP: You’ve had the advantage of being a beta tester for the Service Smart Technology addition to ChangeGear. What is your initial review/feedback on this upgrade?

IT: ChangeGear 7 helps us in a few ways. Chief among them, the solution provides consistency in incident creation and streamlines the entire process. And as our techs have quick access to the information needed to resolve issues, we can also reduce restore times.

JP: How will Service Smart Technology change your approach to ITSM?

IT: I’m hoping the technology will highlight the areas where we can focus and streamline a bit, such as our knowledge base. Oftentimes, we get so hung up on the day to day activities that it will be great to have a platform that can help us realize where our efforts are falling short.

JP: Has Service Smart Technology created a noticeable difference in time to resolution?

IT: It’s a bit early to tell, but I believe it will. We’re going to get our techs ready for day-to-day use. Then they’ll be able to use the Suggestion Center to easily view similar ticket resolutions, increasing response times and hopefully customer satisfaction.

JP: What would you say has been the most surprising thing about using AI in ITSM?

IT: The accuracy has really surprised us. From suggestions to predictive insights, the accuracy of the solution helps us see around corners and address issues before they arise.

From predictive insights to greater consistency in incident creation, artificial intelligence in ITSM poses great opportunity to improve operation speed and efficiency for the digital enterprise. And the good news? We’re only beginning to scratch the surface on the technology’s potential. A.I. is here to stay, helping take that potential and turn it into reality.

About John Prestridge

John Prestridge is the Vice President of Marketing and Product Strategy at SunView Software a leading provider of IT service management software that helps companies build smarter, more responsive IT services environment. He has over 25 years technology industry experience and has expertise in IT service management, IT operations management, cloud computing, artificial intelligence, and regulatory compliance.