The quarterly publication of the International Legal Technology Association
Issue link: http://read.uberflip.com/i/57001
There will be aspects of service that require local attention but global guidance. Angelos: Business engagements, although obvious, are still very challenging. In an economic environment where there is pressure to sustain revenues and profitability, engaging the business in nonbillable work can present timeline challenges. Change management might also seem obvious, but this also needs strong participation from the business and, for the same reasons cited above, can be challenging. Language differences can also present challenges. We have determined that while English is generally the most globally accepted form of communication, there are instances where it is more effective to work with support staff who can speak the local language. Finally, there can be various learning curves when figuring out cultural differences. As an example, the words "buy-in" can translate into different levels of compliance across cultures. If you could go back and redo your global support/training model, what would you change? Kristin: Ideally, I would have at least one local training resource in each region (Americas, EMEA and Asia). Without that, it makes it difficult to get an accurate understanding of the culture of the region and office. I would also recommend the same departmental and reporting structures across all regions to ensure cohesiveness. A team reporting into one department in one region and into another department in a different region presents greater challenges for signoff on process and structure changes. Finally, I would recommend a structure in which training departments in each region work more closely together on curriculum development initiatives. This provides the advantage of creating a global curriculum while incorporating region- specific differences. Nina: I would start with a centralized, global 24/7 service desk to process all tickets at all times. Standard policies, processes, procedures, training and working practices provide a solid foundation to ensure that service is consistent and of the best quality. Supporting this, I would have regional first-response/ second-line teams and a strong incident management team to manage the service. Angelos: It really depends on the overarching objectives and drivers of the business. If the business has a particular focus on IT efficiency, a single, global 24/7 service desk can be achieved fairly quickly. However, if user satisfaction and service delivery are primary drivers, providing an element of local or distributed support might be more desirable — though coordinating resources and processes in various offices might increase the implementation time. Peer to Peer 43