Reduced operational risk & accelerated response-time to our client IT issues.
Reduced operational risk & accelerated response-time to our client IT issues.
Reduced operational risk & accelerated response-time to our client IT issues.
Reduced operational risk & accelerated response-time to our client IT issues.
I uncovered escalation issues and then solved them by designing a case submission journey for IT users.
I uncovered escalation issues and then solved them by designing a case submission journey for IT users.
Role & Responsibilities
Mapped and analyzed the existing case submission journey
Identified user needs by extracting insights from customer support data
Collaborated cross-functionally
Balanced business goals with user needs to guide design decisions
Created a plan to validate the solution by defining and measuring KPIs, collecting user feedback, and running usability tests before launch
Outcome
Automated case priority allocation to streamline workflows
Reduced manual workload for internal staff
Increased accuracy of case priority assignments
Improved time to resolution for high-priority cases
Improved time to first response for high-priority cases
Implemented tracking for the % of cases categorized with the correct priority level
Increased % of correctly prioritized cases at intake
Background
Fixing Case Submission & Escalation Gaps for University IT Departments
Fixing Case Submission & Escalation Gaps for University IT Departments
Fixing Case Submission & Escalation Gaps for University IT Departments
As part of a broader digital transformation initiative at Jisc, I was responsible for solving existing client case submission issue and designing a scalable IT support experience for university partners across the UK to replace email-based issuing.
All issues—including urgent service outages, were handled via email chains between university IT departments and our internal service provider team. This created delays, confusion, and inconsistent handling of escalations, with no systematic way to route or prioritize requests.
As part of a broader digital transformation initiative at Jisc, I was responsible for solving existing client case submission issue and designing a scalable IT support experience for university partners across the UK to replace email-based issuing.
All issues—including urgent service outages, were handled via email chains between university IT departments and our internal service provider team. This created delays, confusion, and inconsistent handling of escalations, with no systematic way to route or prioritize requests.
As part of a broader digital transformation initiative at Jisc, I was responsible for solving existing client case submission issue and designing a scalable IT support experience for university partners across the UK to replace email-based issuing.
All issues—including urgent service outages, were handled via email chains between university IT departments and our internal service provider team. This created delays, confusion, and inconsistent handling of escalations, with no systematic way to route or prioritize requests.
User send a support request via email.
No prioritization system
Step 1
Internal team reads and process incoming email requests.
No triage process
Step 2
User receives email response from internal team.
Delays and security risks
Step 3
Previous IT case submission journey
User send a support request via email.
No prioritization system
Step 1
Internal team reads and process incoming email requests.
No triage process
Step 2
Previous IT case submission journey
User receives email response from internal team.
Delays and security risks
Step 3
User send a support request via email.
No prioritization system
Step 1
Internal team reads and process incoming email requests.
No triage process
Step 2
Previous IT case submission journey
User receives email response from internal team.
Delays and security risks
Step 3
Problem and Performance to date
Unstructured case prioritization & escalation gaps
Unstructured case prioritization & escalation gaps
Unstructured case prioritization & escalation gaps
Unstructured case prioritization & escalation gaps
While analyzing the legacy email-based case submission process and shaping its new digital counterpart, I uncovered a critical operational gap.
Insight:
There was no structured way to capture or handle case priority, posing a significant risk to how urgent issues were escalated and resolved and caused a lot of manual work for jisc service desk team
While analyzing the legacy email-based case submission process and shaping its new digital counterpart, I uncovered a critical operational gap.
Insight:
There was no structured way to capture or handle case priority, posing a significant risk to how urgent issues were escalated and resolved and caused a lot of manual work for jisc service desk team
While analyzing the legacy email-based case submission process and shaping its new digital counterpart, I uncovered a critical operational gap.
Insight:
There was no structured way to capture or handle case priority, posing a significant risk to how urgent issues were escalated and resolved and caused a lot of manual work for jisc service desk team
Problems
Not capturing priority
No data tracked
Interpret urgency from vague email descriptions
Risk of late escalations
Performance
High priority cases (P1, P2)
10 - 15 %
10 - 15 %
10 - 15 %
Low
Low
Default case priority
Manual
Manual
Manual process. Engineers should change priority to high for P1s
Challenges:
Addressing this issue came with its own challenges.
The project faced misalignment between teams, difficulties onboarding new members, and delays in responses from the Salesforce team due to their waterfall approach.
Progress was further hindered by the absence of baseline metrics and measurable outcomes, making it difficult to track performance or success.
Challenges:
Addressing this issue came with its own challenges.
The project faced misalignment between teams, difficulties onboarding new members, and delays in responses from the Salesforce team due to their waterfall approach.
Progress was further hindered by the absence of baseline metrics and measurable outcomes, making it difficult to track performance or success.
Challenges:
Addressing this issue came with its own challenges.
The project faced misalignment between teams, difficulties onboarding new members, and delays in responses from the Salesforce team due to their waterfall approach.
Progress was further hindered by the absence of baseline metrics and measurable outcomes, making it difficult to track performance or success.
Challenges
Tech
Salesforce skill gap
Waterfall
UX
Lack of baseline metrics
No measurable outcome defined
UX
Lack of baseline metrics
No measurable outcome defined
Ops
Lack of ownership
Team constantly changes
Alignment issues
Opportunity
How might we fix case prioritization to avoid escalation delays
How might we fix case prioritization to avoid escalation delays
How might we fix case prioritization to avoid escalation delays
How might we fix case prioritization to avoid escalation delays
While the initial goal was to digitize the support case creation process, I recognized a deeper opportunity: addressing how cases were prioritized.
By identifying case priority at the point of creation, we could avoid escalation delays, reduce risks to service delivery, shorten resolution times for high-priority cases, and help internal teams triage more effectively
While the initial goal was to digitize the support case creation process, I recognized a deeper opportunity: addressing how cases were prioritized.
By identifying case priority at the point of creation, we could avoid escalation delays, reduce risks to service delivery, shorten resolution times for high-priority cases, and help internal teams triage more effectively
While the initial goal was to digitize the support case creation process, I recognized a deeper opportunity: addressing how cases were prioritized.
By identifying case priority at the point of creation, we could avoid escalation delays, reduce risks to service delivery, shorten resolution times for high-priority cases, and help internal teams triage more effectively
User choose a service and answer a few questions about case
Prioritizaton system
Step 1
The system determines the priority level and direct user to the right path
Triage process
Step 2
User fill in form for low priority or
User being guided to escalate via phone for high priority cases
No delays and risk
Step 3
New IT case submission journey
User send a support request via email.
No prioritization system
Step 1
Internal team reads and process incoming email requests.
No triage process
Step 2
Previous IT case submission journey
User receives email response from internal team.
Delays and security risks
Step 3
User send a support request via email.
No prioritization system
Step 1
Internal team reads and process incoming email requests.
No triage process
Step 2
Previous IT case submission journey
User receives email response from internal team.
Delays and security risks
Step 3
Approach
Approach
Structure case priority to improve resolution times
Structure case priority to improve resolution times
Structure case priority to improve resolution times
Structure case priority to improve resolution times
Through in-depth stakeholder interviews and analysis of existing customer pain points, I explored how priorities were being identified and handled. This research uncovered the following insights:
There were four priority levels in place.
Priority 1 and 2 required immediate escalation.
Priority 3 and 4 did not require an immediate response.
Through in-depth stakeholder interviews and analysis of existing customer pain points, I explored how priorities were being identified and handled. This research uncovered the following insights:
There were four priority levels in place.
Priority 1 and 2 required immediate escalation.
Priority 3 and 4 did not require an immediate response.
I identified two distinct flows
Customers are explicitly directed to escalate via phone to ensure fast response.
Urgent cases
Customers complete a streamlined form to submit requests without unnecessary escalation.
Non-urgent cases
Customers are explicitly directed to escalate via phone to ensure fast response.
Urgent cases
Customers complete a streamlined form to submit requests without unnecessary escalation.
Non-urgent cases
Customers are explicitly directed to escalate via phone to ensure fast response.
Urgent cases
Customers complete a streamlined form to submit requests without unnecessary escalation.
Non-urgent cases
01
Using urgency and impact to determine case priority
Using urgency and impact to determine case priority
Using urgency and impact to determine case priority
Using urgency and impact to determine case priority
I designed the new case creation journey to determine priority based on user input. Customers are asked two simple questions about urgency and impact. Their responses allow the system to automatically assign the correct priority:
High-priority cases (P 1 and 2)
Customers will be guided to escalate by phone (image on the right)
Lower-priority cases (P 3 and 4)
Customers will be asked to fill out a standard form to submit their request without unnecessary escalation. (image on the right)
02
02
How can we make the escalation message clearer and easier to understand
How can we make the escalation message clearer and easier to understand
How can we make the escalation message clearer and easier to understand
How can we make the escalation message clearer and easier to understand
Use simple, user-friendly language to reduce confusion.
Minimize cognitive load
Short sentences, focus on key different points.
Make it easily scannable
Use simple, user-friendly language to reduce confusion.
Minimize cognitive load
Short sentences, focus on key different points.
Make it easily scannable
03
03
Design exploration
Design exploration
Design exploration
Design exploration
Here you can see how the questions design evolved over time through iterative feedback and design review loops
Here you can see how the questions design evolved over time through iterative feedback and design review loops
04
04
Redesign the "post case submission" journey
Redesign the "post case submission" journey
Redesign the "post case submission" journey
Redesign the "post case submission" journey
The journey for updating an exisiting case also needs to be revised, since the original design was created before we started asking these additional questions.
When I presented the designs for update journey, we agreed that users cannot change urgency and impact at this stage, as it affects SLAs (Service Level Agreement).
My main focus in the design was to:
Clearly show what the user selected.
Make selections easy to review.
Communicate clearly that they cannot change it here.
Guide the workaround if an update is needed.
The journey for updating an exisiting case also needs to be revised, since the original design was created before we started asking these additional questions.
When I presented the designs for update journey, we agreed that users cannot change urgency and impact at this stage, as it affects SLAs (Service Level Agreement).
My main focus in the design was to:
Clearly show what the user selected.
Make selections easy to review.
Communicate clearly that they cannot change it here.
Guide the workaround if an update is needed.
Impact
Impact
My contribution
My contribution
My contribution
My contribution
Before my work
A single undifferentiated submission journey caused user confusion.
Internal teams were unaware of urgent cases unless directly escalated.
Risk of delayed responses to high-priority cases increased customer frustration.
After my work
Before my work
Clear, priority-based journey improved user understanding.
Urgent cases escalated efficiently via phone, ensuring timely handling.
Internal teams optimized workload with clear expectations of urgency.
Established a foundation for future enhancements by tracking KPIs.
A single undifferentiated submission journey caused user confusion.
Internal teams were unaware of urgent cases unless directly escalated.
Risk of delayed responses to high-priority cases increased customer frustration.
After my work
Clear, priority-based journey improved user understanding.
Urgent cases escalated efficiently via phone, ensuring timely handling.
Internal teams optimized workload with clear expectations of urgency.
Established a foundation for future enhancements by tracking KPIs.
Outcome
Outcome
Our achievements
Our achievements
Our achievements
Our achievements
Improved time to resolution for high priority cases
Improved time to first reponce for high priority cases
Track data for % cases categorised with correct priority level
Improved % of cases correctly prioritised at intake.
Improved time to resolution for high priority cases
Improved time to first reponce for high priority cases
Track data for % cases categorised with correct priority level
Improved % of cases correctly prioritised at intake.
Takeaway
Takeaway
Lead with curiosity, not judgment
Lead with curiosity, not judgment
Lead with curiosity, not judgment
Lead with curiosity, not judgment
When you encounter a situation, person, or idea, approach it with an open mind and a desire to understand, rather than immediately forming an opinion, criticism, or assumption.
It’s about shifting your mindset from:
Judgment → You're wrong.
toCuriosity → “What makes to make that conclusion? What’s your perspective?
When you encounter a situation, person, or idea, approach it with an open mind and a desire to understand, rather than immediately forming an opinion, criticism, or assumption.
It’s about shifting your mindset from:
Judgment → You're wrong.
toCuriosity → “What makes to make that conclusion? What’s your perspective?