Our AVA chatbot has streamlined IT support, saving over 520 hours of analysts time, enhancing service quality, and providing clients with faster, self-service solutions.

Background

In April 2023, NHS Midlands and Lancashire (NHS ML) launched “AVA,” an IT chatbot designed to streamline interactions and support requests across its customer base. The implementation of AVA was a strategic move to modernise the NHS ML IT Service Desk by transitioning away from traditional email support in favour of a more immediate, self-service solution. On May 1, 2024, email was phased out as a primary contact channel for most clients, marking a new era in NHS ML’s commitment to enhance efficiency and responsiveness through digital innovation.

The goal was clear: to encourage clients to utilise AVA as the primary method of IT support contact, allowing users to self-resolve common issues, and to optimise service desk operations by reducing the volume of direct service desk interactions.

Action

To drive adoption and awareness of AVA, we undertook a comprehensive promotion campaign targeting its customer base. Key actions included:

• Engaging clients through targeted communications that highlighted AVA’s features and advantages over traditional support channels, aiming to shift user behaviour toward self-resolution.

• Creating and integrating extensive self-help resources within the AVA chatbot to enable users to quickly find solutions without needing to escalate to a Service Desk Analyst.

At the outset, we conducted a baseline assessment to quantify the average time spent on direct service desk calls, establishing a benchmark of 8 minutes per interaction in May 2024. This metric was crucial for measuring AVA’s impact on service desk efficiency.

On May 1, 2024, we discontinued email support as a contact option for most clients, positioning AVA as the primary support tool.

Since May 2024, AVA has handled a total of 9,146 interactions. Notably, 3,902 of these interactions were resolved through self-service, with users independently finding solutions within the chatbot’s resources.

Impact

The integration of AVA has yielded substantial improvements in efficiency and resource utilisation for NHS ML’s IT Service Desk. Key outcomes include:

With 3,902 interactions resolved independently by users, AVA has decreased the demand for direct service desk engagement, allowing staff to allocate their time and expertise to higher-priority requests.

Based on the baseline of 8 minutes per interaction, AVA has saved approximately 31,216 minutes (over 520 hours) of Service Desk Analyst time in just five months. This time-saving allows analysts to respond more effectively to complex and high-priority issues, improving the overall quality of support.

By reducing the volume of basic support requests, we have been able to improve response times and focus resources on more complex queries. This shift has led to a noticeable increase in service quality and client satisfaction.

The successful implementation of AVA has not only improved operational efficiency at NHS ML but has also delivered a more responsive, streamlined experience for users. Through AVA,

we has enhanced the accessibility and quality of its IT support while making better use of its service desk resources, setting a new standard for digital transformation within the organisation.

For more information

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