Key Workflows in IT Services

Intake

Employees can report IT issues through multiple channels, including Slack, MS Teams, and a self-service portal, which are submitted as incidents.

IT fulfillers can also log incidents when employees report them through chat, voice, and email. AI agents can also help interpret intent and automatically raise an incident.

Standard service requests, such as granting software access or providing a standard asset, are captured using the Unified Service catalog via the portal, Slack, or Teams in the intake stage. Automated notifications keep employees updated through their preferred channels.

Triage

Priority rules automatically assign the incident a priority on the combination of urgency and impact as defined by the admins.

Omnichannel Routing or Assignment Rules automatically direct incoming work based on agent skill, availability, or predefined criteria. Einstein uses historical data to assist with assignment while AI agents help check classification and automatically associates related records and evaluates next steps.

Service requests automatically routed to fulfillment teams. Or, if an orchestration process is set up, the request is managed accordingly and may also need manager approval.

Investigation

If an incident cannot be resolved quickly or is designated a major incident, a problem is created by the fulfiller or automatically. The problem fulfiller conducts a root cause analysis (RCA) to identify the underlying cause of the recurring issue.

CMDB Service Graph and Asset Discovery provide a single source of truth for affected assets. Data 360 unifies operational data for analysis. Fulfillers can use the service graph and AI to do impact analysis and take help from experts in swarm channels.

For problems with a temporary workaround, problem fulfillers document a Known Error article. For problems that are not resolved but the risk is acceptable by the company, problem managers use the Accept Risk action to acknowledge and close the problem.

Troubleshoot

For problems that can be resolved, fulfillers define a permanent fix which initiates a change request. Support reps access resolutions from articles and use action plans for complex, multi-step fixes.

AI agents helps the support reps by summarizing findings and suggesting next steps. Change request approvals are streamlined for immediate action through notifications sent directly in emails or Slack to approvers. Service-level agreements (SLAs) track response and resolution against defined targets.

The change request undergoes risk assessment. Salesforce automatically calculates a risk score based on the attributes of the change. The change fulfiller uses the IT Services Calendar to schedule the change to make sure it occurs during a designated maintenance window and avoids any scheduled moratorium events.

Resolution

The approved change request leads into release management, which coordinates the formal deployment of the fix. The process uses defined release stages to control deployment and track all mandatory documentation.

The knowledge base is updated to capture the lessons learned and the resolution summaries provide critical grounding data for AI to help with future issues.

Service requests are immediately routed and fulfilled using defined service processes and action plans to automate necessary tasks and provide consistent delivery.

Monitor

Service outcomes are measured, patterns are analyzed, and improvements are implemented.

Tableau Analytics and Data 360 help IT leaders identify recurring issues, track KPIs, and manage team performance. Continuous CMDB updates ensure asset and service data remains accurate.