When evaluating the success of the IT support the issue that has to be defined is what are the KPIs. IT Support KPIs give you the information about the effectiveness of your IT department and manage the technical support in accordance with the organizational objectives. This guide will delve into the most helpful IT Support Metrics by which organizations measure their IT support so that one’s support department can be both effective and proactive.
IT Support KPIs – Technical Support
IT Support KPIs technical support is measurable parameters employed for assessing the effectiveness of your IT support team. Such measures assist in finding out weaknesses and defining whether your team provides satisfactory and efficient assistance. Some of the most important IT Support Indicators include:
- First Contact Resolution (FCR): A first call resolution is a metric that checks the number of problems solved without any transfers to other people or call-backs. A high level of FCR is used as a measure of the quality of support offered since it helps to reduce customer’s anger and time taken in solving problems.
- Average Response Time: This gives the probability of timely response of your team to support calls. Owing to the high demand for quick response times, the organization should get to a point where minor problems do not become major concerns to customers.
- Customer Satisfaction (CSAT) Score: This is an actual testament of how much customers rely on the support that they are given. That is usually collected after an interaction and measuring the success of your support team is done with its help.
- Resolution Time: One of which is the Average Time to resolve issues which measures the average time it takes before the complained issue is handled. Short resolution times suggest that your team is able to solve issues quickly and that is beneficial for the continuation of business.
- Ticket Volume: Measuring this means as the number of tickets can be useful to look for patterns or issues that have to be fixed. This also tells the management whether the staff he or she has hired is adequate in handling the set tasks.
- Escalation Rate: This metric shows the times an issue has been passed on to a more advanced level of support. A high escalation rate can be an indication that the people dealing with the customers directly do not have adequate knowledge or tools to deal with the issues adequately.
What Is KPI for IT Department?
The KPI for an IT department is not limited to the indicators that are used in technical support. While IT Support KPIs are oriented to the performance of support teams, IT Service KPIs and IT Performance Indicators are oriented to the general functioning of the IT department. All these KPIs help to align the IT department with the goals of the organization and ensure that it is a success. Some critical Key IT Support Metrics include:
- System Uptime: This is one of the most critical success factors that the IT department must track. It is the percentage of time that systems are up and running and are available for use. Low downtime is crucial in order to maintain the business operations and avoid interruptions.
- Incident Volume: Tracking incident volume is one of the essential IT Support KPIs for identifying potential systemic issues within the IT infrastructure. A decline in incident volume indicates proactive problem prevention.
- Change Success Rate: This defines the extent to which changes are made to the IT environment and the extent to which these changes are successful without the occurrence of disruptions. A high change success rate is an indication of good planning, testing and implementation of changes.
- Cost Per Ticket: This KPI determines the average expense incurred in handling support tickets. It is a key indicator to use in assessing the productivity of IT support functions and to determine where you can cut costs.
- Asset Utilization: This shows the efficiency of the IT department in the utilization of resources such as hardware, software and human resources. High asset turnover means that the IT department is effectively using all the available assets.
How Do You Measure the Performance of IT Support and Services?
In order to assess the performance of IT support and services, one has to use IT Support KPIs, IT Operations KPIs, and IT Support Performance Metrics. These metrics assist you in determining not only your team’s effectiveness but also the effectiveness of the IT services in supporting the business.
- Service Level Agreement (SLA) Compliance: SLAs are contracts between the IT department and the business that define response and resolution times. SLA compliance helps the IT department to meet its obligations and provide services within the set time frame.
- Mean Time to Repair (MTTR): MTTR refers to the average time that is taken to repair a failed component or to restore a service after an incident. A low MTTR is an ideal sign that the IT support team is very efficient in addressing the problems.
- Mean Time Between Failures (MTBF): MTBF is used to estimate the average time that elapses between two consecutive failures of a system or a service. A high MTBF indicates that the IT department is managing to sustain stable and reliable systems.
- User Feedback: Gathering feedback from the end-users is an informal research that is used in addition to the formal metrics. The feedback received from the users can be used to identify the areas where there is a possible shortage of IT support and possible ways to enhance it.
- Net Promoter Score (NPS): NPS gauges the probability of the customers or employees referring other people to your IT support services. A high NPS means that users are happy with the service and are willing to recommend the service, which is good for the IT department.
KPI for Technical Support Team
The performance of a technical support team is usually measured by the achievement of the IT Support KPIs that have been set for the team. These KPIs offer a reference point for performance and guarantee that the team plays a role in enhancing the efficiency of IT support. Some critical KPIs for a technical support team include:
- Employee Utilization Rate: This KPI shows how efficiently the technical support team is working and how they are managing their time and resources. High usage rates mean that the team is working to the optimum level of productivity.
- Training and Certification Levels: This is a measure of the proportion of the team that has the right certification or has undergone through the right training. High training and certification levels are important to guarantee that the team is prepared to offer the support needed.
- Problem Resolution Rate: This KPI measures the number of times issues are solved without having to be passed to the next level of support. A high problem resolution rate is an indication of a well informed and competent technical support staff.
- Team Collaboration Metrics: These metrics determine the efficiency of the technical support team in terms of its interaction with other departments, for instance, development or operations.
The issues are more challenging when they are solved individually, and therefore, there is a need for collaboration in order to enhance the quality of services.
KPI for Service Desk Manager
The service desk manager plays a central role in the provision of IT support and therefore must be very competent. Some of the most common IT Service Desk KPIs are leadership, operational, and customer KPIs. Key KPIs include:
- Team Efficiency: This measures how well the service desk manager is in a position to ensure that the team is solving problems efficiently. Some of the key ones are average handling time, first contact resolution, and ticket backlog.
- Customer Satisfaction (CSAT): The CSAT score is a direct measure of the service desk manager’s capacity to guarantee that the customer is satisfied with the support received.
- Cost Management: This KPI measures the budget and cost control of the service desk. Cost control is an important aspect in ensuring that the support is quality but at the same time is affordable.
- Staff Turnover Rate: A low turnover rate means that the service desk manager is doing a good job in maintaining the morale of the employees and retaining the best brains in the organization.
ITIL Service Desk Metrics
ITIL service desk metrics are a number of predefined parameters that are used to assess the performance of IT support services. These metrics are derived from the ITIL framework and include key IT Support KPIs such as:
- Incident Management Metrics: These metrics provide information on how the service desk is handling the incidents, the time taken to respond, resolve and even the number of open incidents. Incident management is one of the key aspects of efficient IT support.
- Problem Management Metrics: These metrics are centered on finding the root causes of the problems and not just the symptoms of the problems. Proper problem management results in the reduction of the number of problems over time and more stable IT systems.
- Change Management Metrics: These metrics measure the performance of the service desk in managing changes to the IT environment, change success rate and change effect.
- Service Request Metrics: These metrics indicate the level of effectiveness of the service desk in managing and delivering services like requests for new hardware or software. The quick and efficient provision of the services requested is crucial to ensuring that the users are satisfied.
It is therefore important to identify and measure the KPIs of IT Support in order to be able to tell whether the IT department is delivering good IT support or not. The following measures will help you ensure that your IT support team is not just meeting, but exceeding expectations: First contact resolution, system uptime, and SLA compliance. Using the ITIL service desk metrics increases the chances of effectively managing and improving on the IT support services hence offering a strong foundation for the improvement cycle.
Through the adherence to these IT support best practices, the consistent analysis of your IT support performance indicators, and the IT Support Benchmarking. Just bear in mind that the aim is not only to solve the issues when they occur, but to have a preventive IT culture where problems are solved before they affect your users.
Signa Tech offers a range of Remote Infrastructure Management Services to assist you in achieving and sustaining a high level of IT support and guarantee that your IT Support KPIs are achieved.