Like the private sector, most government agencies struggle to keep up with constant changes in technology. To keep users operating at peak productivity, there must be a way to answer a large volume of questions quickly and provide easy access to training tools. Software upgrades, application migration, new device deployment and mobility initiatives keep IT departments stretched to capacity, and even the most robust team—and their subcontractors—isn’t always staffed or trained to provide help with an adoption issue or application functionality question. Many agencies underestimate the ongoing call volume six-months or even one-year following a software migration, because as user productivity improves, so does the need for answers to sophisticated application questions. This case study explores how Vitalyst has helped the FAA meet user demand for instant software help 24×7 with full-time staff based in the U.S., and the innovative ways they provided ongoing training to help maximize productivity.
Challenge
For 15 years, the FAA had relied on Lotus Notes as their email suite. In 2014, as a result of the Cloud First policy, the agency migrated to Office 365 which meant a new email platform and new suite of desktop applications for 60,000 end-users. The challenge, however, was that the FAA’s existing outsourced IT solution—comprised of three different vendors—lacked the capacity, expertise and ability to instantly scale to respond to the anticipated volume of “how-to” questions. Plus there was no plan in place to drive end-user training and adoption. The solution also required a vendor that was Microsoft Certified and could provide support 24×7.
Solution
After conducting an exhaustive search for an additional support solution, the FAA contracted with Vitalyst via a Sole Source, IDIQ contract. Initially, Vitalyst support was accessible via the existing FAA IVR menu, but when the call volume overburdened the system, Vitalyst quickly set up a dedicated toll-free number to bypass that system and help users reach the domestically-based support team. During the 90-day software transition, Vitalyst fielded over 12,000 support calls, and delivered nearly 23,000 ad-hoc training solutions for Office 365 plus SharePoint, Lync, ProofPoint, Windows Mobile, VBA and other Microsoft applications.
User productivity soared, and it quickly became evident that Vitalyst services were having an extremely positive impact on user adoption and productivity. As a result, the contract was restructured and extended. Currently, the FAA intends to include Vitalyst as part of their revamped Service Desk solution in 2016 as it has proven to provide a much needed service to all users. To date, Vitalyst has fielded an additional 4,000 calls and is experiencing a customer satisfaction rating of 95.3%.
