APPENDIX D

Case Study

This case study is organized in the same order as the book. It is intended to demonstrate the survey process at work. The case study begins with background information, then covers the eight steps of the survey process.

The company this case study focuses on, XYZ, is in the financial sector and is a large organization with more than 8,000 employees. It operates in North America only. Three years ago, all customer service teams in the organization began using a process workflow tool. Although minor improvements have been made to this tool over the past three years, no significant changes have been implemented.

The organization is now planning a major upgrade to this system and has asked employees for input, which will be used to make decisions about the scope of the upgrade. The company has administered two separate surveys: one for senior management and a second for people who use the workflow tool daily. This case study addresses the second survey.

XYZ has a two-tier customer service structure. Tier-one work requests are simple. They can be completed by one person with comprehensive product knowledge. Tier-two work requests are more complex and require multiple people with product expertise and some decision-making authority to complete the work.

The workflow management tool is a complex system with the following functionality:

Daily dashboard reporting on:

Service-level statistics by product, work role, service tier, and team

Backlog of work requests by product, service tier, and team

Ability to direct work requests through work queues based on date of work request, product, type of request, language of request, and role required to complete the request

Step-by-step processing for simple work requests, complete with job aids, process information, and supplementary documentation

Step-by-step processing for complex work requests with process information, but limited job aids and supplementary information

Ability to move a work request from one role to another role within a process flow based on which role should complete the step

Ability to assign “follow-up” status to work requests when waiting for additional information

Ability to show customers the status of work requests via a web interface.

The organization used the eight-step survey process outlined in this book. The user survey was administered online using a Zoomerang purchased package. The purchased package was used instead of the free tool because the survey included skip patterns. This functionality was not available in the free version.

Defining the Objectives

The survey process began with defining the objectives of the survey. XYZ identified two objectives:

To evaluate the satisfaction of employees who use the workflow tool on a daily basis. These employees include team leaders responsible for meeting service-level standards and customer service representatives who complete the work requests.

To understand what changes would most benefit employees in the next upgrade of the workflow tool.

Each objective was deconstructed into many variables and variations. Each variable and variation was further analyzed. An assessment was conducted to determine which of these variables and variations should be included in the survey to best achieve its objectives and provide the desired information.

For the first objective, evaluating employee satisfaction with the workflow tool, questions were based on the following variables:

Satisfaction with specific elements

Dissatisfaction with specific elements

Satisfaction with:

Usability

Content

Level of detail in process information

Level of detail in job aids

Level of detail in supplementary information

Ability to find or access content

Training

Timing of training

Level of detail

Format

Amount of training

Helpfulness with regard to day-to-day tasks

Job satisfaction with workflow tool

Improvement in day-to-day work

Increase in professionalism. (e.g., If the users previously operated in a paper-based manual environment (outdated)__and now operate in an environment with technology, do they feel more professional?)

For the second objective, identifying improvements that should be considered for the upgrade, questions were based on the following variables:

New areas of content

Usability of the existing system

Customer service representatives’ interest in specific new features, such as:

Calculator tools

Ability to email customers directly from the tool interface

Ability to import documents and attach them to a work request

Ability to combine two work requests into a single work request when appropriate

Ability to temporarily stop a work request to answer the phone, then begin a different work request.

Team leads were asked the questions above, as well as three questions about their interest in the following possible new features:

Reporting on the average amount of time to complete each type of work request, by product

Reporting on the average amount of time to complete each work request, by customer service representative

Reporting on the range of time to complete each type of work request, by product

Real-time data on backlogged queues so that resources can be redirected to work on those queues

Daily statistics on work completed by individual customer service representatives.

Although senior management requested additional questions, the business analyst team was careful to manage scope creep by ensuring that any additional questions traced back to one of the two objectives.

Identifying the Stakeholders

Once the objectives, variables, and variations were understood, the team set about completing analysis on stakeholders and identifying the potential participants. Some preliminary stakeholder analysis had been completed at the start of the requirements effort. After the objectives of the survey were defined, additional analysis identified the following stakeholders:

Senior management: Although this group did not participate in the user survey, it will use the results to determine which enhancements may be made in the next upgrade. Senior management will consider the results of the survey and cost per feature to finalize scope. Senior management paid for the cost of the survey.

Training team: This team plans to use some of the findings to improve its training programs for the workflow tool.

Process owners from each department: This team intends to use the findings to plan future enhancements to content within the workflow tool.

Project team: This team will use the findings from the survey and subsequent decisions to finalize the scope of the next upgrade. Results of the survey will also be used as input for subsequent elicitation activities.

Team leads: The day-to-day work for this group will change based on what is implemented in the next upgrade.

Employees using the workflow tool: The day-to-day work for this group will change based on what is implemented in the next upgrade.

Identifying and Selecting Potential Participants

The stakeholder list was then further categorized to identify potential participant groups. This categorization revealed that the potential participants included team leads, tier-one customer service representatives, and tier-two customer service representatives. The potential participants were segmented into two groups: customer service representatives and team leads. Team leads were asked additional questions in the survey.

Given the size of the organization and the number of employees in customer service representative and team lead roles, a sample of the population participated in the survey. Employees from the following customer service departments were included in the survey on a proportional basis:

Individual life and health insurance

Individual savings and retirement

Group life and health insurance

Group retirement savings.

Within the customer service departments, employees were further identified and selected, on a proportional basis, based on the following criteria:

Primary language in which they provide customer service. The languages are English, French, and Spanish.

Length of time employed in the customer service department.

The survey did not distinguish employees by employment status (permanent full-time, permanent part-time, temporary full-time, or temporary part-time).

The business analysts on the project wanted to receive 100 responses. Because the survey was internal and employees were somewhat motivated to participate, the business analyst team expected a high response rate (close to 40 percent). Senior management emphasized the importance of participation, and a small incentive, gift certificates for a local mall, was offered to participants. To achieve the desired response rate, the business analyst team sent the survey to 330 potential participants. Of the 330 surveys sent out, 200 surveys, or 61 percent, were completed.

Writing the Survey Questions

Once the potential participants were identified and categorized, the business analysts set about writing the survey questions. Because the participants were employees of the organization and had knowledge about the content of the survey, transitions were not used between sections. The team felt that they were not necessary because participants would not be surprised when a new section began. Based on the stated objectives and variables, the following questions were developed for the survey.

Demographic Questions

The survey began with several demographic questions: three multiple-response closed-ended questions and one interval-scale closed-ended question. The demographic information was used to understand differences in responses.

1. What is your position in the organization?

a)____Team lead

b)____Tier-one customer service representative

c)____Tier-two customer service representative

2. In which department do you work?

a)____Individual life and health insurance

b)____Individual savings and retirement

c)____Group life and health insurance

d)____Group retirement savings

3. What is the primary language in which you provide customer service?

a)____English

b)____French

c)____Spanish

4. How long have you have been employed in the customer service department?

a)____Less than one year

b)____One to two years

c)____Three to four years

d)____Five years or more

Questions Related to the First Objective

To evaluate the satisfaction of employees who use the workflow tool on a daily basis, the team asked both closed-ended and open-ended questions. Although the business analysts originally planned to include only closed-ended questions, they decided to add two open-ended questions to determine whether there were other areas of satisfaction or dissatisfaction they were not aware of.

Because this objective dealt with satisfaction, the team wanted to understand participants’ opinions. Rating-scale closed-ended questions were perfect for this situation. The rating scale used was 5=strongly disagree, 4=disagree, 3=neutral, 2=agree, 1=strongly agree.

These are the questions related to the first objective of the survey.

1. What do you like most about the workflow tool?

What do you like least about the workflow tool?

2. Please rate how strongly you agree or disagree with the following statements by circling the appropriate number, where 5=strongly disagree, 4=disagree, 3=neutral, 2=agree, 1=strongly agree.

3. Please rate how strongly you agree or disagree with the following statements by circling the appropriate number, where 5=strongly disagree, 4=disagree, 3=neutral, 2=agree, 1=strongly agree.

4. In what ways does the current process documentation meet your needs?

In what ways does the current process documentation not meet your needs?

5. Please rate how strongly you agree or disagree with the following statements by circling the appropriate number, where 5=strongly disagree, 4=disagree, 3=neutral, 2=agree, 1=strongly agree.

6. Please rate how strongly you agree or disagree with the following statements by circling the appropriate number, where 5=strongly disagree, 4=disagree, 3=neutral, 2=agree, 1=strongly agree.

7. Please rate how strongly you agree or disagree with the following statements by circling the appropriate number, where 5=strongly disagree, 4=disagree, 3=neutral, 2=agree, 1=strongly agree.

Questions Related to the Second Objective

To determine which changes would most benefit employees in the next upgrade of the workflow tool, the business analyst team wrote three types of questions about possible scope items.

1. Multiple-response items were used to determine features participants wanted to see in the next release.

2. Rating-scale closed-ended questions were used to understand how important each possible scope item was to participants. The rating scale used was 5=not important, 4=slightly important, 3=average importance, 2= important, and 1=very important.

3. Ranking-order closed-ended questions allowed participants to prioritize three possible scope items.

The following are a sample of the questions related to the second objective of the survey. Participants were asked to select, rate the importance of, and rank proposed content improvements, usability improvements, and new features.

Which of the following content improvements would you like to see in the next release? Please select all that apply.

a)___New types of simple work requests

b)___More supplemental information for simple work requests

c)___Better job aids for simple work requests

d)___Enhanced process information for simple work requests

e)___New types of complex work requests

f)___More supplemental information for complex work requests

g)___Better job aids for complex work requests

h)___Enhanced process information for complex work requests

i)___Other; please specify___________________________

Please rate the importance of each of the following content improvements, where 5=not important, 4=slightly important, 3=average importance, 2= important, and 1=very important.

Please rank your top three priorities for content improvements from 1 to 3, with 1 being your top priority.

a)_____New types of simple work requests

b)_____More supplemental information for simple work requests

c)_____Better job aids for simple work requests

d)_____Enhanced process information for simple work requests

e)_____New types of complex work requests

f)_____More supplemental information for complex work

requests

g)_____Better job aids for complex work requests

h)_____Enhanced process information for complex work requests

If the background of every screen was changed from black to white would you be for_____or against_____the change?

Which of the following usability improvements would you like included in the next release? Please select all that apply.

a)_____Hot key functionality

b)_____Additional warning messages to prevent errors

c)_____Streamlined workflow for experienced users

d)_____Spell checker for user to user messages

e)_____Ability for users to provide on-line feedback during a work request

f)_____Ability to change language of work request during the workflow

g)_____Other; please specify_____

Please rate how important each of the following usability improvements are where 5 = not important, 4 = slightly important, 3 = average importance, 2 = important, and 1 = very important.

Please rank your top three priorities, for usability improvements, from 1 to 3 with 1 being your top priority.

a)_____Hot key functionality

b)_____Additional warning messages to prevent errors

c)_____Streamlined workflow for experienced users

d)_____Spell checker for user to user messages

e)_____Ability for users to provide on-line feedback during a work request

f)_____Ability to change language of work request during the workflow

Which of the following new features would you like to see in the next release? Please select all that apply.

a)_____Calculator tools

b)_____Ability to email customers directly from the tool

c)_____Ability to import a document and attach it to a work request

d)_____Ability to combine two work requests into a single work request when appropriate

e)_____Ability to temporarily stop a work request to answer the phone, then begin a different work request

f)_____Other; please specify__________________________

Please rate how important each of these possible new features is where 5=not important, 4=slightly important, 3=average importance, 2= important, and 1=very important.

Please rank your top three priorities for new features from 1 to 3, with 1 being your top priority.

a)_____Calculator tools

b)_____Ability to email customers directly from the tool

c)_____Ability to import a document and attach it to a work request

d)_____Ability to combine two work requests into a single work request when appropriate

e)_____Ability to temporarily stop a work request to answer the phone, then begin a different work request.

Which of the following new features would you like included in the next release? Please select all that apply.

a)_____Reporting on average amount of time to complete each type of work request by product

b)_____Reporting on average amount of time to complete each type of work request by customer service representative

c)_____Range of time to complete each type of work request by product

d)_____Real time data on which queues are backlogged so

resources can be redirect to work on those queues

e)_____Daily statistics by customer service representatives on work completed

f)__Other; please specify__________________________

Please rate how important each of the new features are where 5 = not important, 4 = slightly important, 3 = average importance, 2 = important, and 1 = very important.

Please rank your top three priorities, for new features, from one to three with one being your top priority.

a)_____Reporting on average amount of time to complete each type of work request by customer service representative

b)_____Real time data on which queues are backlogged so resources can be redirect to work on those queues

c)_____Daily statistics by customer service representatives on work completed

d)_____Reporting on average amount of time to complete each type of work request by product

e)_____Range of time to complete each type of work request by product

Organizing the Survey

Once the questions were written, the business analyst team began working on the organization and layout of the survey. The survey began with four demographic questions to allow the business analyst team to get to know the participants. Next were the seven questions related to the first objective. The survey ended with 13 questions pertaining to the second objective. Three of the questions for the second objective were answered only by team leads. Based on participants’ answers to the first demographic question, which identified their positions in the organization, skip logic was used to ensure that only team leads answered the last three survey questions.

The Pilot

When the questions were written and the layout complete, the business analysts conducted a small pilot with 20 people.

Five people were the other business analysts on the team.

Five people were stakeholders who will use the information: the project sponsor, process owners, and the project team.

Ten people were a representation of the sample of users.

The expected response rate was two to eight responses from the pilot group. In addition to the survey questions, the pilot group was asked the following questions at the end of the survey. These questions were preceded by a transition:

The survey has been completed. Please answer the following five questions to provide feedback on the survey.

The five questions were:

What was your general impression of the survey?

How long did it take you to complete the survey?

Was each question clear and easy to understand?

Were there any questions you did not understand the reason for asking?

Were there any questions you expected to be asked and were not?

The cover letter for the pilot was identical to the letter sent with the actual survey but included these additional paragraphs:

Ten people responded to the pilot, and only minor adjustments were made to the survey based on the feedback received.

Sending Out the Survey

The departments that would be affected by the upcoming changes to the workflow tool were aware that a survey was going to be conducted; a memo had previously been sent to all employees telling them about the project and requesting their participation if asked.

The cover letter for the survey read as follows:

A reminder was sent to participants halfway through the survey period. As mentioned earlier, 61 percent, or 200, of the 330 surveys sent out were completed.

Analysis of the results is below. After the analysis, the intended reporting for the question is shown for most questions. The reporting information appeared in several different formats, including a presentation and two different written reports. The actual reports have not been developed for this case study.

Results: Demographics

1. What is your position in the organization?

Results by position in the organization

Position	Number of participants	Percentage of participants
Team Lead	25	12%
Tier-one CSR	120	60%
Tier-two CSR	55	28%

Reporting

Position	Percentage of participants
Team Lead	12%
Tier-one CSR	60%
Tier-two CSR	28%

FIGURE CS-1: Participants by Position in Organization

2. In which department do you work?

Results by department

Reporting

The following chart shows departmental representation for the respondents.

FIGURE CS-2: Participants by Department

3. What is the primary language in which you provide customer service?

Results by language

Reporting

The following chart shows representation by primary language for the respondents.

The results for question 3 accurately represent the actual population of the customer service centers.

FIGURE CS-3: Participants by Primary Language

4. How long have you been employed in the customer service department?

Results by years of experience

Reporting

The following chart shows representation by years of experience in the customer service department for the respondents.

FIGURE CS-4: Participants by Years of Experience in the Customer Service Department

Results: The First Objective

Here are the responses that were reported for the first question related to the first objective, evaluating satisfaction with the workflow tool.

1. What do you like most about the workflow tool?

The ability to better manage my team’s workloads.

It makes me feel better able to do a good job.

The training is really good, and I started working feeling that I could do the job.

Further analysis shows 90 percent of participants with this response are tier-one CSRs with two years or less of experience.

What do you like least about the workflow tool?

There is not enough information in job aids to complete the process without a lot of experience.

Further analysis shows 82 percent of participants with this response are tier-two CSRs with four years or less of experience.

Processes for complex work requests do not have enough information.

98 percent of participants who stated this are tier-two CSRs who work on complex work requests. This result was anticipated, because 90 percent of complex tier-two work requests do not have complete process information.

I have to go outside the tool to email customers with updates.

2. Please rate how strongly you agree or disagree with the following statements by circling the appropriate number. The rating scale used was 5=strongly disagree, 4=disagree, 3=neutral, 2=agree, 1=strongly agree.

Reporting

Results from questions about overall satisfaction and dissatisfaction revealed that:

97.5 percent of participants find the workflow tool easy to use.

76 percent of the participants who selected “strongly agree” are tier-one customer service representatives. It must be noted that 95.9 percent of tier-one customer service representatives have worked only in an environment with this workflow tool—i.e., they’ve worked only for XYZ organization and only in departments or on teams that use this workflow tool.

72.5 percent of participants think the information available to them when completing a work request is acceptable.

73.5 percent of participants find the training provided helpful.

70 percent of participants have noticed an improvement in their ability to complete work since the workflow tool was implemented.

68 percent of participants who selected “disagree” or “neutral” within this group are tier-two customer service representatives. Tier-two customer service representatives do not have access to as much information as tier-one customer service representatives.

3. Please rate how strongly you agree or disagree with the following statements by circling the appropriate number. The rating scale used was 5=strongly disagree, 4=disagree, 3=neutral, 2=agree, 1=strongly agree.

Reporting

Most participants were satisfied with the logical order of the process flow, the readability of screens, and the correlation between screen layout and workflow. However, 75 percent of participants were “neutral” about the screen-to-screen time or disagreed that the transitions were fast; this indicates dissatisfaction with the performance of the tool. The organization may want to consider including improving performance requirements in the scope of the project.

Also, 40 percent of participants were neutral about the screen flow or disagreed that it is effective. This may indicate a need to streamline the screen flow for experienced users.

4. In what ways does the current process documentation meet your needs?

It is complete for process flows.

Supplemental information helps me answer infrequently asked questions.

In what ways does the current process documentation not meet your needs?

There is not enough detail in the process flows.

85 percent of dissatisfied respondents were tier-two CSRs, who do not have access to fully documented process flows.

Job aids and supplemental information are often unavailable.

90 percent of dissatisfied respondents were tier-two CSRs. Job aids or supplemental information do not exist for all of their work requests.

5. Please rate how strongly you agree or disagree with the following statements by circling the appropriate number. The rating scale used was 5=strongly disagree, 4=disagree, 3=neutral, 2=agree, 1=strongly agree.

Reporting

60 percent of participants are satisfied with the level of detail included in process information; 27.5 percent of participants are dissatisfied.

Further analysis shows that 82 percent of participants who selected “strongly disagree” are team leads; the remaining 18 percent are tier-two CSRs. All participants who selected “disagree” are tier-two CSRs. This result is reasonable given that tier-two CSRs do not have access to comprehensive process information. Team leads have been trying to address this issue for some time.

The survey found similar levels of satisfaction and dissatisfaction with job aids and supplementary information.

Satisfaction with the ease of finding content needed to complete a work request was fairly evenly distributed across the rating options.

6. Please rate how strongly you agree or disagree with the following statements by circling the appropriate number. The rating scale used was 5=strongly disagree, 4=disagree, 3=neutral, 2=agree, 1=strongly agree.

Reporting

Satisfaction with training was positive.

100 percent of participants rated the trainer’s competency highly.

75 percent stated that training was given at the right time.

70 percent felt the training approach was good.

67.5 percent felt the amount of training was appropriate.

7. Please rate how strongly you agree or disagree with the following statements by circling the appropriate number. The rating scale used was 5=strongly disagree, 4=disagree, 3=neutral, 2=agree, 1=strongly agree.

Reporting

Job satisfaction feedback was consistent with other feedback obtained in the past five years.

75 percent of participants feel the workflow tool has improved their daily work.

50 percent believe the workflow tool has boosted their professionalism.

FIGURE CS-5: Workflow Tool Has Improved Daily Work

FIGURE CS-6: Workflow Tool Has Increased Professionalism of CSR Role

Results: The Second Objective

1. Which of the following content improvements would you like to see in the next release? Please select all that apply.

Option	Number of participants who selected the option	Notes
New types of simple work requests	145
More supplemental information for simple work requests	55
Better job aids for simple work requests	100
Enhanced process information for simple work requests	115
New types of complex work requests	80
More supplemental information for complex work requests	80
Better job aids for complex work requests	80

Option	Number of participants who selected the option	Notes
Enhanced process information for complex work requests	80
Other; please specify	35	Responses included: Process information in short form for experienced CSRs More work requests translated into FrenchMore work requests translated into Spanish.

Reporting

“New types of simple work requests” was the option most often selected.

“Enhanced process information for simple work requests” was the second most frequently selected option.

“Better job aids for simple work requests” was the third most often selected area for improvement.

“New types of complex work requests,” “more supplemental information for complex work requests,” “better job aids for complex work requests,” and “enhanced process information for complex work requests” were selected with equal frequency.

Other desirable options identified by participants were:

Condensed process information for experienced customer service representatives

More work requests translated into French

More work requests translated into Spanish.

Results could also be reported in order of how often each option was selected.

Option	Number of participants who selected the option
New types of simple work requests	145
Enhanced process information for simple work requests	115
Better job aids for simple work requests	100
New types of complex work requests	80
More supplemental information for complex work requests	80
Better job aids for complex work requests	80
Enhanced process information for complex work requests	80
More supplemental information for simple work requests	55

2 Please rate the importance of each of the following content improvements, where 5=not important, 4=slightly important, 3=average importance, 2= important, and 1=very important.

Reporting

New types of simple work requests and better job aids for simple work requests were seen as very important.

More supplemental information for simple work requests was deemed important.

New types of complex work requests, more supplemental information for complex work requests, better job aids for complex work requests, and enhanced process information for complex work requests were seen as not important.

It must be noted that 60 percent of participants do not work with complex work requests. Options pertaining to complex work requests were rated “very important” by tier-two customer service representatives.

3. Please rank your top three priorities for content improvements from 1 to 3, with 1 being your top priority.

Reporting

The priorities for content improvements are as follows, from highest priority to lowest priority:

New types of simple work requests

Enhanced process information for complex work requests

New types of complex work requests

Better job aids for complex work requests

More supplemental information for simple work requests

Better job aids for simple work requests

Enhanced process information for simple work requests

More supplemental information for complex work requests.

Results were compiled by totaling the number of times the option was selected as a first, second, or third priority.

4. If the background of every screen were changed from black to white, would you be in favor of_____or against_____the change?
In favor of: 150
Against: 50

Reporting

Seventy-five percent of participants prefer a white background.

FIGURE CS-7: Color Preference for Screen Background

5. Which of the following usability improvements would you like to see in the next release?

Usability improvement	Number of participants who selected the option
Hot key functionality	45
Additional warning messages to prevent errors	185
Streamlined workflow for experienced users	95
Spell checker for user-to-user messages	195
Ability for users to provide online feedback during a work request	15
Ability to change the language of a work request in the workflow	60
Other; please specify	0

Reporting

Usability improvement	Number of participants who selected the option
Spell checker for user-to-user messages	195
Additional warning messages to prevent errors	185
Streamlined workflow for experienced users	95
Ability to change the language of a work request in the workflow	60
Hot key functionality	45
Ability for users to provide online feedback during a work request	15

No other areas for improvement were identified by participants.

All bilingual participants selected “ability to change the language of a work request in the workflow.”

6. Please rate the importance of each of the following usability improvements, where 5=not important, 4=slightly important, 3=average importance, 2= important, and 1=very important.

Reporting

Additional warning messages to prevent errors and spell checker for user-to-user messages were seen as very important.

Hot key functionality was considered the next most important usability improvement.

Ability for users to provide online feedback during a work request was deemed not important.

7. Please rank your top three priorities for usability improvements from 1 to 3, with 1 being your top priority.

Reporting

The priorities for usability improvements are as follows, from highest priority to lowest priority:

Spell checker for user-to-user messages

Additional warning messages to prevent errors

Ability to change the language of a work request in the workflow

Hot key functionality

Streamlined workflow for experienced users.

Ability for users to provide online feedback during a work request was never selected as a priority for this release.

Results were compiled by totaling the number of times the option was selected as a first, second, or third priority.

8. Which of the following new features would you like to see in the next release? Please select all that apply.

New feature	Number of participants who selected the option
Calculator tools	70
Ability to email customers directly from the tool	175
Ability to import a document and attach it to a work request	160
Ability to combine two work requests into a single work request when appropriate	55
Ability to temporarily stop a work request to answer the phone, then begin a different work request	145
Other; please specify	0

Reporting

New feature	Number of participants who selected the option
Ability to email customers directly from the tool	175
Ability to import a document and attach it to a work request	160
Ability to temporarily stop a work request to answer the phone, then begin a different work request	145
Calculator tools	70
Ability to combine two work requests into a single work request when appropriate	55

No other new features were identified by participants.

9. Please rate how important each of these possible new features is, where 5=not important, 4=slightly important, 3=average importance, 2= important, and 1=very important.

Reporting

The ability to temporarily stop a work request to answer the phone, then start a different work request, the ability to email customers directly from the tool, and the ability to import a document and attach it to a work request were seen as very important.

Calculator tools and the ability to combine two work requests into a single work request when appropriate were deemed not important.

10. Please rank your top three priorities for new features from 1 to 3, with 1 being your top priority.

Reporting

The priorities for new features are as follows, from highest priority to lowest priority:

Ability to email customers directly from the tool

Ability to temporarily stop a work request to answer the phone, then begin a different work request

Ability to combine two work requests into a single work request when appropriate

Ability to import a document and attach it to a work request

Calculator tools.

Results were compiled by totaling the number of times the option was selected as a first, second or third priority. The first two features, the ability to email customers and the ability to stop a work request and begin a new one, were considered to be important priorities by equal numbers of participants (205). Just 15 participants thought calculator tools were a top priority.

Only team leads were asked the following three questions.

11. Which of the following new features would you like to see in the next release?

Reporting

New feature	Number of participants who selected the option
Reporting on the average amount of time to complete each type of work request, by product	25
Reporting on the average amount of time to complete each type of work request, by customer service representative	25
Real-time data on backlogged queues so that resources can be redirected to work on those queues	25
Daily statistics on work completed by individual customer service representatives	25
Reporting on the range of time to complete each type of work request, by product	10

No other new features were suggested by participants.

12. Please rate the importance of each of these possible new features, where 5=not important, 4=slightly important, 3=average importance, 2= important, and 1=very important.

Reporting

Reporting on the average amount of time to complete each type of work request, by customer service representative; real-time data on backlogged queues so that resources can be redirected to work on those queues; and reporting on the average amount of time to complete each type of work request, by product, were seen as very important.

Daily statistics on the work completed by individual customer service representatives were seen as important.

Reporting on the range of time to complete each type of work request, by product, was thought to be of average importance.

13. Please rank your top three priorities for new features from 1 to 3, with 1 being your top priority.

Reporting

The priorities for new features for team leaders are as follows, from highest priority to lowest priority:

Real-time data on backlogged queues so that resources can be redirected to work on those queues

Reporting on the average amount of time to complete each type of work request, by customer service representative

Daily statistics on the work completed by individual customer service representatives.

Reporting on the average amount of time to complete each type of work request, by product, and reporting on the range of time to complete each type of work request, by product, were not deemed to be priorities for this release.

Results were compiled by totaling the number of times the option was selected as a first, second, or third priority.

Conclusions

In summary, the survey was seen as successful. Senior management found the information very useful. The team made sure it understood the audience for each report and presented the right amount of information. The team’s ability to trace the results of the survey back to its objectives ensured that the stakeholders received the information they had expected.