Benchmarking Your IT Support with AI: Where Does Your Organization Stand?

Enterprise operations are dynamic, and every process is mission-critical – especially its IT support arm.  

Consider this scenario: Businesses worldwide lose $1.55 million annually due to IT outages alone. This data highlights how crucial it is to have a robust IT support network in place. Recent research indicates that implementing AI in IT assistance can result in a 70% decrease in response time and a 30% boost in productivity. Not only are these figures astounding, but they also point to a profound change in the sector.

However, what if I told you that providing timely support alone is insufficient? Your company must measure its IT support against industry benchmarks to be genuinely successful, and artificial intelligence (AI) is a great friend in this effort.

This blog will explore what AI-driven benchmarking can do for your company's IT support, from idea generation to effective implementation techniques and beyond.

Benchmarking Your IT Support with AI

Using advanced technologies like Generative AI and Machine Learning (ML), benchmarking your IT support entails comparing the performance of your organization's support agents or technicians to internal benchmarks, industry standards, and best practices. Through the utilization of GenAI algorithms and machine learning skills, organizations and businesses can analyze extensive amounts of data to discern patterns, trends, and opportunities for enhancement in their IT support operations. This methodology makes proactive decision-making, resource management, and ongoing improvement of IT support efficacy and efficiency possible.

Why is Benchmarking IT Support with AI Important?

AI-powered IT support benchmarking is crucial for several reasons:

Evaluating Effectiveness

It enables businesses to evaluate the performance of their present IT support systems and pinpoint areas needing development. Companies can ensure they give their customers and workers the most excellent support possible by comparing their performance to industry standards and best practices. According to a survey, 79% of user service professionals say AI/automation tools are essential to their overall strategy. Another study found that 64% of businesses believe that artificial intelligence will help increase their overall productivity. These statistics underscore the significance of leveraging AI in assessing and enhancing IT support effectiveness.

Leveraging Technology

Companies can use AI for benchmarking to improve their IT support capabilities by taking advantage of recent technological developments. AI-powered solutions can identify and stop possible problems before they arise, automate repetitive operations, and offer real-time insights. This increases the efficacy and efficiency of IT support while freeing up time and resources that may be used for other critical strategic projects. According to a report by McKinsey, less than a year after many generative AI tools debuted, one-third of survey respondents say their organizations are using generative AI regularly in at least one business function.

Another report states that 80% of executives plan to implement automation in their IT networking in the next three years, and 76% intend to do the same in IT operations management. Furthermore, 40% of businesses use AI primarily to improve customer experiences. These statistics highlight the transformative potential of AI in streamlining IT operations and enhancing overall support capabilities.

Staying Competitive

It assists companies in maintaining their competitiveness in a fast-paced, more digital business world. By consistently evaluating and enhancing their IT support procedures, businesses may guarantee satisfying their employees' changing demands and anticipations. This increases client happiness and aids in luring and keeping elite personnel in the fiercely competitive IT sector. AI is expected to contribute a significant 21% net increase to the United States GDP by 2030, showcasing its impact on economic growth.

Also, 87% of companies believe AI will give them a competitive advantage. Moreover, the AI market is expected to reach $407 billion by 2027. These projections emphasize the critical role of AI in ensuring companies remain competitive by enhancing IT support capabilities and driving overall organizational success.

IT Support Areas That Must Be Benchmarked

Here are some areas that must be benchmarked:

Response Time

Calculate how long your IT support agent or technician can reply and handle user inquiries or problems. Examine previous data and current information to spot trends and forecast the best moments for responses. Using GenAI algorithms, prioritize and route tickets according to their urgency and complexity. The average time to reach a computer technician when calling the help desk is 1.97 minutes, while the average response time is 12 hours and 10 minutes. We can see the importance of efficient response times in ensuring timely resolution of user issues, thereby enhancing overall satisfaction.

Rate of First Call Resolution

Determine what proportion of user problems were fixed during the first contact with IT support. Use GenAI to identify the underlying causes of recurring problems and, when practical, automate the resolution process. Use sophisticated knowledge management systems to provide support agents with pertinent information so they can solve problems quickly.

The industry standard for first call resolution rate is 78% for retail, 76% for insurance, 71% for energy, financial, and call centers, and 65% for tech support. These benchmarks serve as critical indicators of IT support's effectiveness in promptly and comprehensively addressing user issues.

Volume of Tickets and Resolution

Evaluate how many IT support tickets are created over time and how quickly they are resolved. GenAI-driven analytics can help you spot patterns, forecast high ticket demand times, and adjust workforce numbers accordingly. Streamline workflows for ticket triaging, routing, and resolution by implementing automation technologies. On average, 59.8% of tickets are completed with one-time entries, and the average overall resolution rate is 76.2%, meaning that for every 100 tickets received, 76 are successfully closed within the given timeframe.

The efficiency of IT support operations in handling ticket volumes and ensuring timely resolutions is a must benchmarking area, as it reflects directly on user satisfaction levels.

User Satisfaction

Utilize sentiment analysis, feedback channels, or surveys to gauge user satisfaction with IT support services. They apply sentiment analysis and natural language processing (NLP) technologies to glean insights from customer comments. Use GenAI Sidekick chatbots or virtual assistants to deliver proactive, personalized support. 77% of business leaders recognize that offering personalized support experiences leads to increased customer retention. 88% of users say good support service makes them more likely to purchase again.

Help desk users report a satisfaction rate of about 83%. These statistics emphasize the correlation between personalized, proactive support and higher user satisfaction levels, indicating the importance of AI-driven approaches in enhancing user experiences.

Cost Effective

Evaluate how cost-effective IT support operations are by examining staffing, technology, and infrastructure costs. Use AI-driven predictive analytics to project future support expenses and find areas where costs can be reduced. Reduce manual intervention and operational overhead by implementing AI-driven automation solutions. Companies experience IT cost reductions of 25-40% by outsourcing services.

The average cost per ticket is a good indicator of efficiency in service and support. These figures underscore the significance of AI in optimizing IT support operations to achieve cost-effectiveness while maintaining service quality and user satisfaction.

Impact of AI on KPIs

By automating tedious jobs, offering predictive analytics, and raising the general effectiveness of IT support operations, AI can have a significant impact on these KPIs. AI-driven chatbots, for instance, can manage many support queries, which eases the workload for human agents and raises FCR rates. AI can also proactively address problems before they worsen by analyzing previous data to find patterns and trends. 90% of organizations using AI to create KPIs report KPI improvement.

Survey respondents who reported that their company had used AI to prioritize its KPIs were 4.3 times more likely to see better alignment between functions than those who did not. These insights highlight the transformative potential of AI in optimizing key performance indicators, leading to improved efficiency, cost-effectiveness, and overall effectiveness in IT support operations.

What are the Steps in the Benchmarking AI-enabled IT Support?

The following are essential measures in benchmarking AI-powered IT support: 

Step 1: Establish Goals

Clearly state the goals that the benchmarking process is trying to achieve. This can entail raising customer happiness, reducing downtime, or speeding up response times.

Step 2: Determine Metrics

Decide which key performance indicators (KPIs) will be utilized to gauge how well AI IT support works. Metrics like the first-call resolution rate, average response time, and employee and customer satisfaction ratings may be included in this.

Step 3: Choose Your Benchmarking Partners

Find companies that are renowned for providing the best AI-powered IT support available. These could be rival businesses, market leaders, or organizations from different sectors that have successfully incorporated AI into their backend operations.

Step 4: Collect Data

Compile information from your company and the benchmarking partners regarding the chosen KPIs. This may entail surveying people, evaluating past data, or utilizing AI-powered analytics technologies to obtain real-time insights.

Step 5: Analyze Data

Examine the information gathered to determine where your company is operating effectively and those that require development. Assess your performance compared to the benchmarking partners' to find the best practices you can implement.

Step 6: Implement Improvements

In light of the findings, create a plan to enhance your AI-powered IT support procedures. This can entail investing in fresh AI-powered technologies, modernizing current procedures, or giving support agents more training.

Step 7: Track Progress

To ensure that the enhancements have the desired effect, regularly track the effectiveness of your AI-powered IT support procedures. This could entail monitoring the chosen KPIs over an extended period and contrasting them with the benchmarking partners.

Step 8: Iterate and Improve

Over time, iterate and enhance your AI-powered IT support procedures by drawing on the insights gathered from the benchmarking process. This could be adding new features to current procedures, embracing cutting-edge technology, or implementing new best practices discovered through constant benchmarking.

Conclusion

Benchmarking IT support entails determining and gauging critical metrics and indicators that assist companies in evaluating the efficacy and efficiency of their IT support offerings. By examining these indicators, establishments can pinpoint opportunities for enhancement, arrive at data-driven conclusions, and streamline their IT support functions to augment user contentment, efficiency, and economy.

These KPIs can be further improved by integrating GenAI technologies by automating processes, offering predictive insights, and boosting overall efficiency. Organizations may ensure that their IT support services fulfill user needs and further the company's success by utilizing AI and regularly tracking and evaluating essential data.

Don't Get Left Behind. Invest in GenAI for Your IT Support. Book a Demo 

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FAQs

1.How important is IT support benchmarking? 

In order to compare an organization's performance to industry norms and best practices, IT support benchmarking is essential. It aids in pinpointing areas in need of development, streamlines support functions and raises user contentment and output.

2: How can businesses utilize benchmarking to enhance their IT support? 

Organizations can use benchmarking to evaluate their support performance and determine important metrics like customer satisfaction score, average resolution time, and first contact resolution rate. Organizations may pinpoint areas for development and make data-driven choices to optimize their support operations by comparing these indicators to industry benchmarks.

3. What effect does AI have on IT support metrics? 

AI has the potential to significantly influence IT support metrics through the automation of monotonous jobs, the provision of predictive analytics, and increased overall productivity.

4. What are some ways that businesses might use benchmarking to streamline their IT support operations? 

Organizations might utilize benchmarking to find areas for development, such as cutting the Average Resolution Time or raising the First Contact Resolution Rate. Organizations may optimize their support operations and increase customer satisfaction and productivity by making data-driven decisions and evaluating their performance against industry standards and best practices.