Resolving Network Incidents For Customer Satisfaction
By Mark Henry, Opmantek
With the rapid digital transformation that followed the onset of COVID-19, reliable networks are more important than ever. Managed service provider (MSP) customers expect immediate resolution of interruptions in service delivery and other network events at any time of day. Every second before a problem is solved, MSPs risk losing valued customers and damaging brand reputation.
Fortunately, MSPs can implement smart event management that identifies the root of the problem and minimizes network downtime. With smart event management in place, organizations can reduce time to resolution and service interruptions.
The Cost Of Network Downtime
A network incident is an unplanned event characterized by an interruption or sudden reduction in the performance of an IT service. When an incident occurs, it indicates an error in the IT infrastructure has occurred that requires resolution. Frequent or long-lasting network incidents can impact customer retention, harm the reputation of service providers, and drive away prospective clients. Gartner cites the average cost of network downtime to be $300,000 per hour. For example, an IT failure at Delta Air Lines in 2016 shut down the airlines’ systems for six hours and caused the cancellation of 2,300 flights. A month later, Delta reported that this failure cost approximately $150 million, including refunds and vouchers given to customers. Another software malfunction at the Royal Bank of Scotland in 2012 left 6.5 million customers unable to carry out banking transactions, resulting in a 56 million pound fine from regulators.
Besides high costs, interruptions also can result in lost productivity. According to a UC Irvine study, it takes people an average of 23 minutes to refocus after an interruption. Additionally, if an event occurs when key staff is unavailable, such as on a holiday weekend, companies can’t afford to leave it unsolved until the engineers return. Companies need an event optimization strategy that can address interruptions quickly regardless of when they occur.
Cutting Through The Noise With Operational Process Automation
To get to the bottom of network incidents, MSPs can opt for smart event management with operational process automation (OPA). Smart event management uses OPA to filter out and optimize the number of events that show up in the operations team’s inbox while providing the necessary information to troubleshoot and resolve the incidents.
Typically, event management tools send out several alert notifications for every error that occurs within a network. However, when a root problem causes a ripple of failures across a network, staff receive a massive influx of email alerts in their inboxes. Combing through these alerts to find the source of the problem takes up precious time. Meanwhile, customers cannot access services. The best event management systems suppress underlying incidents caused by a broader event to save critical time.
Similarly, smart event management should only report events that require action. OPA can identify the errors that call for action or approval from an employee and send those to the relevant staff members. OPA also can provide context around the event for effective resolution. Knowing the context behind an issue helps businesses perform proactive maintenance, increase the average time between events and decrease the likelihood of reoccurrence.
Another key capability of OPA is troubleshooting and recommending corrective actions to take without requiring the main IT engineering staff. If an incident takes place during a holiday when key IT staff are unavailable, businesses need a way for on-call personnel to access the necessary information to diagnose and resolve the issue. OPA stores key pieces of knowledge and ensures the system can implement solutions when the engineers are not available. Then, the on-call team can assess the options presented by the software, send any that require approval to the appropriate managers and get the network running again. This capability supports businesses as they scale to manage events effectively without the need to hire additional engineers.
Faster Resolution For Customer And Employee Satisfaction
Now that an increasing number of businesses have undergone digital transformations, critical IT services need the tools to optimize event management. OPA empowers operations teams to resolve events quickly without drowning in alerts, freeing them to focus on more complex tasks. Smart event management can help MSPs keep customers happy while easing the burden of operations staff.
About The Author
Mark Henry is a Senior System Engineer in Opmantek’s North American office located in Charlotte, NC. A serial entrepreneur, Mark specializes in the ground-level, tactical application of real-world processes including Agile Development, Test Driven Design, and Six-Sigma to deliver solutions that often outpace the market and his competition. To learn more about Opmantek, please visit opmantek.com.