IT's the Real Thing
Most of us probably do not associate the world's most popular soft drink with IT - unless, of course, you're the type that enjoys a cold Coke while resolving user issues. For Sarit Hershkovitz, Coca-Cola is more than a beverage; it's a job that requires a sophisticated team of experts to provide non-stop technical support for all sectors of the organization. As the head of the help desk team at Coca-Cola Israel's Central Bottling Company, Sarit must coordinate different IT centers to serve the needs of thousands of users, 24 hours a day. How does she do it? Pushing the definition of "hard work" to a new level, Sarit has succeeded in promoting a powerful SysAid Internal Campaign that has won the commitment of senior management and administrators. Now that's refreshing!
Sarit Hershkovitz
Help Desk Manager, IT Division,
CBC - Coca-Cola Israel
Q. What is your IT background?
A. I've been in IT for more than ten years, and I've worked in call center management for seven years.
Q. How long have you been using SysAid?
A. Since December 2008.
Q. What unique challenges does your IT department face?
A. Our IT department provides services to several companies within the CBC group, and the work is tremendously demanding. We have about 100 administrators in our support team - 12 in the first level support team, and the rest spread throughout different locations. We provide support for thousands of people with a diverse range of needs and technical experience. The job requires expertise in support, infrastructure, and applications. Because our customers represent such a heterogeneous mix of different needs and technologies, the scope of our knowledgebase must be very broad. Possessing expertise that covers the entire technological spectrum requires a lot of experience and hard work. We provide around the clock support almost 24/7 (excluding Saturdays,) all year-round.
Q. Before SysAid, what helpdesk software did you use?
A. We used SAP-CRM Version 5.0 for our first level administrators. We found it too cumbersome for our call center and its features were not helpful or tailored to our needs. It quickly became apparent that we desperately needed a new solution. We considered many options including Microsoft, PeopleSoft, Oracle, and others, but they did not meet our expectations and needs. They were relatively expensive, required intensive customization, and were simply beyond our
budget-range. One of our IT consultants then suggested that we try out SysAid. It looked promising, so we decided to give it a try. Within three months, we succeeded in implementing SysAid throughout our IT division.
Q. What factors motivated you to switch to SysAid?
A. As a group that values service as a distinctive part of our company's vision, Coca-Cola switched to SysAid with the primary intention of improving service quality. Part of my job includes evaluating the quality of the IT division's service-orientation. I needed to report directly to senior management about the level of service my team met, but I lacked the proper measurement and tracking system. I knew that without better helpdesk software, our support team would not be able to provide reports that accurately reflect the failures and successes of our system.
I was also able to demonstrate how cost-effective SysAid is. SysAid itself is very affordable. It quantifies the service activities of our helpdesk, so we can accurately evaluate how our resources are being used and if we are truly maximizing productivity. When I showed senior management how simple, convenient, and intuitive SysAid is to work with, they became very enthusiastic.
Q. Which tips can you give IT managers who want to implement SysAid within their own organizations?
A. First of all, you should appeal to people on an intellectual level. You need to initiate cross-departmental meetings and share with different representatives the benefits on SysAid on an organizational and personal level. People of course respond to incentives, so it helps to organize festive, colorful, and fun activities. Most importantly, you must get management's support. It's impossible to effectively implement any new software if you don't have that.
Q. Why did you to start the SysAid Internal Campaign in Coca-Cola?
A. Our support team really craved change. We had gone through such a hard time with our previous system, and I saw how SysAid could transform the day-to-day activities of our IT department for the better. In particular, I wanted to get my second level administrators on board. Prior to SysAid, they had never used any kind of helpdesk software, but only communicated via email. It was very important to persuade them that SysAid would in fact benefit them.
Q. What steps have you taken in your SysAid Internal Campaign? What are your strategies?
A. I decided to create a festive atmosphere that would engage administrators and promote awareness. I decorated the support center with the SysAid posters we received, and I bought lollypops, balloons, and streamers.
If I could, I would do something much more grandiose, company-wide. It would be great to have the resources to educate all the departments about how SysAid can improve the overall quality of service.
Q. How do you motivate your administrators to use SysAid?
A. Again, the biggest challenge was winning over my second level administrators. With my management's support, I was able to show them how easy SysAid is to use. With SAP-CRM, every service request took at least 7 minutes to document and process. With SysAid, it takes an average of one minute! Its documentation is quite fast, and I quickly get all the information I need for analysis. It's also very easy to customize, which we find absolutely crucial.
Q. What feedback have you received from your levels 1, 2, and 3 administrators?
A. The feedback has been absolutely fantastic. They think it's an amazing system. I have administrators who've worked with many different helpdesk software products in various support centers, and they just love SysAid. That's an enormous compliment, because they have a lot of experience and hold very high standards. In addition, the second level support's managers are now able to more easily and efficiently follow their team's services and activities.
Q. How has SysAid simplified your day-to-day tasks?
A. It's much easier to supervise the support center's activities. Tracking service requests is so much simpler. Furthermore, our customer base is always expanding, and we can now effectively handle the growing demands with the same number of administrators. SysAid helped meeting these new challenges.
Q. How would you describe your management style?
A. I am very collaborative. I share my visions with others, and want everyone to be included in all new projects and developments. I believe in the necessity of meeting with representatives from every department. If management, consulting, HR, and other departments are part of change processes, implementation can go much more smoothly. The more people included, the better - because in the end, they are the ambassadors of change. Orchestrating that kind of collaboration and cooperation can be challenging, but it's worth it. Furthermore, I would characterize my style as supportive and mission-oriented.
Q. On a more personal note, how would you describe yourself?
A. Actually, my management style and my personality are one and the same!
Q. And how do you relax after a long day at work?
A. I don't! Well, I do enjoy a good book, and I take every opportunity I can to rest. I really love sleeping.