HAVI Global Solutions Success Story

The Challenge

HAVI Global Solutions (HGS) knows the challenges of scaling help desk operations to meet the needs of its employees all too well: Its 600 domestic staff members were all looking toward a single department for solutions to their software headaches. As a result, HGS’s IT department became overwhelmed with work and soon realized it lacked the resources to keep pace with the amount of calls they received from frustrated employees. It became clear that HAVI needed to find a quick solution to their software woes.

Originally, Mark McKinzie, IT operations manager at HGS, decided to create unique video content as one way to scale software training communications in a more productive way. That seemed like a perfect solution for HGS, but McKinzie soon realized that he and his team didn’t have an efficient way to deliver the content to their coworkers. After searching for the right solution, McKinzie and his team came across BrainStorm’s user-friendly QuickHelp software but it also turned out to be the best way to bring scale to the IT department and the software adoption process.

"After the initial BrainStorm implementation, the staff had trouble rolling it out successfully due to single sign-on issues and the timing of deployment," McKinzie said. Since the solution was installed right during the holidays, the education material was lost in translation. Even though the SSO challenges were a result of internal technical issues at HGS, BrainStorm volunteered to come up with a solution, since the issue was causing employees to have a difficult time accessing QuickHelp.

Eventually, HGS was able to seamlessly deploy the software without any headaches. Shortly thereafter, HAVI was taking full advantage of QuickHelp’s benefits, including ease of authentication, full integration into Microsoft Office, and the high quality video tutorials provided. HGS was also able to deliver its custom content in a much easier fashion than before.

These conveniences proved to be important for a number of reasons. For example, it empowered stressed employees to solve issues on their own time. On the other hand, HGS’s help desk also reduced the lower-hanging-fruit types of questions and brought scale to the department. No longer did employees have to reach out for lower-level software questions, and IT teams now had the ability to steer workers to a highly accessible database with interactive material.

After solving the single sign-on issues, HGS used QuickHelp during special sessions called “Lunch and Learns”, which prepared team members for an upcoming migration to Microsoft Lync. If and when there was an issue, BrainStorm was there every step of the way.

Any time there was a concern, BrainStorm was able to work with them and successfully respond to their requests. McKinzie said he was thoroughly impressed with BrainStorm’s attention to customer service and felt that the software provider acted as if HGS was one of their only clients.

The Results

Shortly after BrainStorm fixed the SSO challenges, HGS started seeing positive results. The volume of help desk calls has drastically reduced in the five-plus months that the company has used QuickHelp, and BrainStorm software helped contribute in part to a 46-percent decrease in help desk calls this year at HGS, McKinzie said. The new system has brought stability and scale to the department, and QuickHelp’s popularity is growing rapidly among employees. There are more than 150 hits each month – a significant improvement from the pre-QuickHelp era.

“They actually get things done in real-time instead of taking time to call the help desk. People are going out there and looking themselves instead of us getting a call,” he said. “They’d rather see if there’s a video out there. They get a sense of satisfaction. They take a little more pride in it.”

QuickHelp has also indirectly opened doors for the company’s IT representatives. It gives the staff the ability to better learn the tools employees use on a daily basis, as well as the power to better educate other staff members without investing a large amount of time. In making the software adoption process more convenient and user-friendly, McKinzie added, his team can focus on other areas of their business and develop skills in other areas.

“We’re really into career development,” he said. “If they’re on the phones less, they can actually work on their career development. Whether it’s working on projects, learning project management skills or whatnot, it’s a big bonus.”

To see similar results in your organization, contact BrainStorm today!