Process 4: Confirm Resolution and Close the Request
Article
Published: April 25, 2008 | Updated: October 10, 2008
After the Help request has been fulfilled, you must confirm that the Help request has been resolved and then close the request in this process.
Figure 18. Close the request
Activities: Confirm Resolution and Close Request
The following table lists the activities involved in confirming resolution and closing the request. These include:
Updating the Help request.
Determining if the service has been resumed.
Determining if the incident has been resolved.
Verifying successful fulfillment.
Closing the Help request.
Table 18. Activities and Considerations for Confirming the Resolution and Closing the Request
Activities
Considerations
Update the Help request with the knowledge base articles and known errors that were reviewed or applied
Key questions:
Which articles or known error records were applied?
Was more than one article or known error record required to resume the service?
Did any article or known error record used make the incident worse?
Did some articles seem to apply but have no effect?
Input:
Help request
Knowledge base articles
Output:
Triggers to capture inaccurate information that is delaying service resumption efforts
Best practice:
Help requests should maintain a two-way association with knowledge base articles and known error records.
Has the service been resumed?
Key questions:
Has the service returned to its normal operating state?
Can the user confirm that the service is working correctly?
Inputs:
Monitoring tools
User comments
Outputs:
Additional actions to resume the service
Updated Help request
Has the incident been resolved?
Key questions:
Are there additional steps required to resolve the incident?
Were modifications made to the environment in order to resume the service that need to be backed out?
If no further action is taken, will the service fail again soon?
Were spare parts or standby systems used to resume service?
Inputs:
Monitoring tools
User comments
Outputs:
Additional actions to resolve the incident
RFCs to correct additional faults discovered during service resumption
Verify successful fulfillment
Key question:
Is the user receiving the intended benefit of the service requested?
Input:
User feedback
Output:
Updated Help request that indicates the outcome of the service fulfillment procedure
Best practice:
When possible, a CSR should contact the user directly to verify that the request was completed correctly. Direct contact can be in the form of a phone call or a personalized e-mail. The key to success for e-mail communications is to ensure that the message includes the Help request’s unique reference number and that replies to the e-mail are routed to a live person for a timely response.
Close the Help request
Key questions:
Was the request fulfilled successfully?
Are there any post fulfillment requirements or actions?
Was the procedure easy to follow and accurate?
Could the procedure have been executed by the user?
Is there a way to improve the procedure?
Output:
Key data points to generate improvements in the service fulfillment process and improvements to fulfillment procedures
Best practices:
The Help request should have specific fields dedicated to capturing closure data. Each field should be tied to a specific outcome with well understood values. All such fields should be mandatory and driven by drop-down lists to ensure consistency in data for reporting and evaluation.
Over time, it may become necessary to add fields or new classifications. Providing regular training to new and existing staff is critical to disseminating this information and continuing to drive consistency in the execution of the process.
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