As we build Atomicwork, we spoke to a bunch of IT leaders and managers about a bunch of things, among which was what their most common IT requests were.

This is that list, in a rough order of occurrence:

– VPN access

– Request for password reset

– Account locked out

– Request to install software

– Request for OS upgrade

– Can’t access shared files

There are of course a few more, but these are enough to get into our topic. Why did we go about looking for these? Because we wanted to check if the platform we’ve built enables most of these to be automated away.

The answer is yes, but let’s zoom out a bit first, and spend a paragraph on the basics.

IT folks can just zoom straight on to the next section.

What are service requests, and why do we want to note down what the most common are?

IT service requests are basically all user-initiated requests for information, advice, or services. How does this usually happen? Through a ticket or a service catalog, which is assigned to an IT agent, who then attempts to fulfil the request.

This process, manual, and time-consuming, is critical to ITSM, because it is the simplest, easiest, and most trackable way of servicing internal users.

Except that has now changed.

What AI is doing to traditional service requests: Making them conversational 

For a while, we didn’t really understand as an industry how AI was going to change ITSM. But with GenAI, we now have a more than clear picture.

The future of service requests is going to be conversational, with AI and automation helping both sides of the ITSM table. For users, GenAI can help them write and explain their service requests better. On the other end, workflow automation can help fulfill requests faster, especially the ones that don’t really need human intervention. Rules-based workflows can be executed quickly, resulting in a faster and better experience overall.

Some specific ways in which AI can change IT service requests are:

1. Automating the bulk of routine requests

We can now talk about the list of most common IT service requests that I drew up above. Let’s consider two of these, one that needs approval, and one that doesn’t. A request for a software, like Figma, is a simple workflow, all the agent has to do is check if the systems are compatible, the software is available, and approve the upgrade. This doesn’t need an agent’s time. And with AI, it won’t. The system will check if the upgrade is applicable and then go ahead and do it.

Now consider a request for password reset. This needs approval, as the agent has to check if access is approved. Again, AI can follow the workflow and send the approval to the concerned manager (if needed), and once approved, can provide access. These are simple workflows, and that’s the point. For none of these workflows is the time and effort of an IT agent needed.

GenAI can automate the bulk of such routine requests. And free up the agent to work on more important problems.

2. Making service request fulfilment conversational

Microsoft Teams, Slack and chat becoming the default mode of interaction for both consumer and business communication. So there is no reason why critical operations for an organization, like service requests, cannot be addressed and executed conversationally. In fact, we are betting on conversational ITSM being the future of service management.

Why?

Firstly, chat is just easier and more natural for end users. IT has to respond to this preference for text-based communication. But the other point also is that most service requests don’t need to become tickets and can be resolved immediately. This can become easier on chat and instant answers. Both of these will increase exponentially the performance, efficiency, and effectiveness of the IT team.

3. Slot-filling and other such magic

One of the more frustrating things about IT requests and resolutions is the time it takes to actually fill up a long form asking for something. Now imagine this, you have typed out that you need a 15” MacBook Air, and hit enter. A ticket will automatically be raised, which will also fill out the screen size field in the ticket. This immediately improves usability and speed.

This is just the beginning of how AI will set about changing IT service requests and fulfilment. There’s a lot more change coming to the world of ITSM, making life so much easier for end-users.

By Sairam Krishnan, AtomicWork

Meet the Atomicwork team at stand 595 at SITS, The Service Desk & IT Support Show, on 17-18th April 2024, ExCeL London. You can now register for your free ticket here.