Business Issue and Solution-Storytelling

Challenge and Situation

In the beginning of the process of reviewing my business issue, I wanted to have a good understanding  of the issue and what I wanted to accomplish.  In my industry, the companies are highly regulated and  proper oversight is required to protect the clients and company’s brand.  As technology continues to  advance, companies are wanting to be more efficient and protect client’s sensitive information.  Identity  theft is a growing issue that companies face on a daily basis.  Having proper staffing levels will improve  the ability to protect clients and minimize burnout.  I am a manager in a call center environment and I  was approached by another department asking to support a need they have encountered and having my  team support this request.  My employees are already taking on a lot of work and supporting other  department initiatives that were recently presented.  Before I wanted to respond to this new request, I  wanted to ensure we had enough data and facts to validate whether we could meet the teask and  support it to the highest level being asked upon the team.  Once the information could be reviewed, I  could provide a recommendation.

Application

I started the process in evaluating the other department’s ask by gathering data so I understood why my  team was approached and could we provide the best support.  I wanted to ensure we were reviewing  this need with a growth mindset and minimizing any type of fixed mindset.  This request could provide  my team with a new opportunity to learn and grow as employees.  In having this data, I could make sure  we had the band width to support the need and make sure any other work we are doing as a  department has impact.  I also used this time to interview staff in my department to see their  engagement level as well as ensure they did not already feel overwhelmed with their current workflow.   This information would be critical as I moved forward in the process and deliver my recommendation to  other department heads.

As I moved forward in sharing this issue, I thought about the Design Thinking questions that were shared  in the videos.  These questions included is this a human related problem, how do you understand the  problem, is there a level of uncertainty and what data is available to review.  These questions helped me  validate that this business issue was appropriate for my assignment.  In answering these questions, I  understood this issue would be applicable to design thinking.  The problem included supporting clients  with a high level of efficiency and insuring there was no skill atrophy through the process.  In reviewing  the problem, did I have a good understanding of the issue at hand and what it means to the  department?  There was a level of uncertainty with how employees would learn this new function and  still be efficient in other types of work they support at the same time.  For the last question,  understanding what data was available to understand the need and what priorities would be needed to  be successful in supporting the request.

To apply Design Thinking, having all the pertinent information to understand the story was critical.  I  wanted to create a plan that would ensure success if we moved forward in supporting the other  department.  As I began the storytelling, I wanted to know my audience, sequence of events and be able  to reflect on the story to add my recommendations.  I started with interviewing employees who already  supported this function and I wanted to understand how long was training as well as what part of their  time was needed to be efficient to support this type of work.  I also wanted to know if there was enough  work for my team to support if we took part in assisting this other department.  As a last part of the  work, I wanted to know how my employees felt about taking this new work on and if this would impact  their engagement.

Insight and Approach

When I reviewed the data, I recognized my team was more available to assist after seeing the hold times  and what types of calls they were already supporting.  The request that my team was asked to support a  month earlier was very low volume and the need for our team to continue supporting was minimal.  This  gave me an opportunity to recommend we stop supporting one department due to call volumes and  start supporting this new initiative that could add value to meet the client’s expectations.  In discussing  this with my team, they were happy to support a new function that gave them the opportunity to learn  and grow.  In this part of the storytelling, I had buy in from my staff to take this new challenge on and  move forward.  I needed to shift my recommendations to support the new request and remove the  previous request due to not having enough volume for my team to support.  I did this by sharing data  and how my team could be best utilized to support the company.  I created a presentation that shared  the initial finding and how I came to the decision that supported taking on the new work but balancing  that with eliminating the previous work that had no impact for my team to continue performing.  In the  presentation, I shared my recommendations that the storytelling was very compelling to provide a clear  understanding what made the most sense in moving forward.  The outcome was very successful and my  team appreciated having their voice heard while maintaining a positive impact with supporting our  business partners within the company.


Business Issue and Solution - Storytelling Challenge and Situation In the beginning of the process of reviewing my business issue , I wanted to have a good understanding of the issue and what I wanted to accomplish . In my industry , the companies are highly regulated and proper oversight is required to protect the clients and company ’s brand . As technology continues to advance , companies are wanting to be more efficient and protect client ’s sensitive information . Identity theft is a growing issue that companies face on a daily basis . Having proper staffing levels will improve the ability to protect clients and minimize burnout . I am a manager in a call center environment and I was approached by another department asking to support a need they have encountered and having my team support this request . My employees are already taking on a lot of work and supporting other department initiatives that were recently presented . Before I wanted to respond to this new request , I wanted to ensure we had enough data and facts to validate whether we could meet the teask and support it to the highest level being asked upon the team . Once the information could be reviewed , I could provide a recommendation . Application I started the process in evaluating the other department ’s ask by gathering data so I understood why my team was approached and could we provide the best support . I wanted to ensure we were reviewing this need with a growth mindset and minimizing any type of fixed mindset . This request could provide my team with a new opportunity to learn and grow as employees . In having this data , I could make sure we had the band width to support the need and make sure any other work we are doing as a department has impact . I also used this time to interview staff in my department to see their engagement level as well as ensure they did not already feel overwhelmed with their current workflow . This information would be critical as I moved forward in the process and deliver my recommendation to other department heads . As I moved forward in sharing this issue , I thought about the Design Thinking questions that were shared in the videos . These questions included is this a human related problem , how do you understand the problem , is there a level of uncertainty and what data is available to review . These questions helped me validate that this business issue was appropriate for my assignment . In answering these questions , I understood this issue would be applicable to design thinking . The problem included supporting clients with a high level of efficiency and insuring there was no skill atrophy through the process . In reviewing the problem , did I have a good understanding of the issue at hand and what it means to the department ? There was a level of uncertainty with how employees would learn this new function and still be efficient in other types of work they support at the same time . For the last question , understanding what data was available to understand the need and what priorities would be needed to be successful in supporting the request . To apply Design Thinking , having all the pertinent information to understand the story was critical . I wanted to create a plan that would ensure success if we moved forward in supporting the other department . As I began the storytelling , I wanted to know my audience , sequence of events and be able to reflect on the story to add my recommendations . I started with interviewing employees who already supported this function and I wanted to understand how long was training as well as what part of their time was needed to be efficient to support this type of work . I also wanted to know if there was enough work for my team to support if we took part in assisting this other department . As a last part of the work , I wanted to know how my employees felt about taking this new work on and if this would impact their engagement . Insight and Approach When I reviewed the data , I recognized my team was more available to assist after seeing the hold times and what types of calls they were already supporting . The request that my team was asked to support a month earlier was very low volume and the need for our team to continue supporting was minimal . This gave me an opportunity to recommend we stop supporting one department due to call volumes and start supporting this new initiative that could add value to meet the client ’s expectations . In discussing this with my team , they were happy to support a new function that gave them the opportunity to learn and grow . In this part of the storytelling , I had buy in from my staff to take this new challenge on and move forward . I needed to shift my recommendations to support the new request and remove the previous request due to not having enough volume for my team to support . I did this by sharing data and how my team could be best utilized to support the company . I created a presentation that shared the initial finding and how I came to the decision that supported taking on the new work but balancing that with eliminating the previous work that had no impact for my team to continue performing . In the presentation , I shared my recommendations that the storytelling was very compelling to provide a clear understanding what made the most sense in moving forward . The outcome was very successful and my team appreciated having their voice heard while maintaining a positive impact with supporting our business partners within the company .