Business Case:
Our client, a multinational technology company, runs a support service platform where customers can troubleshoot issues and proactively check the health of their system’s software.
Using the platform was an involved process for users. They had to download and install software drivers on one or more data collection machines and run multiple PowerShell commands.
The considerable time investment of this process meant that many users abandoned it midway or avoided running health checks altogether. Users often required support from our client’s engineering team throughout setup, configuration, and execution. Our client also received a large quantity of support tickets from users who followed the steps incorrectly.
Even when users were able to complete all the required steps, they often did not know whether the health check was successful.
Key Challenges:
Our Solution:
We developed an easy-to-use Windows Presentation Foundation (WPF) application that provided one-click installation and automated health check support.
Solution Design:
We shadowed our client’s engineering team to understand their customers’ most common challenges. We found that user machines sometimes had policies that interfered with health check execution. The app’s clearly labeled menu options and buttons allow users to evaluate all machine prerequisites. The solution also allows users to enable and disable relevant policies and settings for the duration of the health check.
By offering one-click installation, our solution removes the need for multiple PowerShell steps and reduces manual error.
To improve visibility on the health check process, our app breaks the setup process into stages. Each stage is color-coded to signify success, failure, or progress. The app also validates user input, identifies mistakes and invalid values, and assists in troubleshooting via tooltips. Once users complete the health check, the application performs tests to confirm successful setup. If the setup is unsuccessful, the app provides a list of issues encountered, along with relevant correction documentation.
Business Outcomes:
Our client’s engineering and support teams, and customer-facing community have responded positively to our solution. Our client reported increased goodwill and efficiency for both themselves and their customers.
Within a week of launching, one in ten customers had downloaded and used the application. Use of our client’s support service platform has increased, as have the number of completed health checks.
Our client saw a reduction in support requests, freeing up their engineering team to focus on building new features and improving the platform.
Overall, the application saved time for both our client and their customers. It streamlined the health check process, even allowing users to set up multiple health checks simultaneously.