Amit Patel is Senior Vice President at Consulting Solutions, a nationally recognized leader in technology solutions and services. Its key practice areas include Advanced Analytics and Data Science, Agile + Product + Design, Application Development, Cloud & Infrastructure, Cybersecurity, Delivery Leadership, Energy, and ERP (SAP & Oracle).
The company’s scalable engagement models—from individual technology consultants to strategic enterprise programs—enable clients to tap into world-class talent, expertise, and services to drive technology and enterprise transformation initiatives.
M.R. Rangaswami: What are some of the biggest ITSM challenges that AI and automation can address?
Amit Patel: AI and automation can be used to transform incident management, since they can categorize and prioritize incoming tickets based on their content to ensure that the most critical issues are promptly addressed. Also, AI’s ability to predict potential issues based on historical data and current trends supports proactive incident management to minimize problems—or avoid them altogether.
Similarly, AI/automation can be used to help balance ITSM workloads by predicting peak usage times and adjusting staffing levels accordingly.
M.R.: What role can AI and automation play in enhancing customer experience in ITSM?
Amit: AI chatbots and virtual assistants can provide around-the-clock customer support, addressing many routine service requests and inquiries on a 24/7 basis. This improves the overall availability of assistance and decreases wait times. For example, password resets and status updates can be handled automatically, freeing agents to focus on more complex issues.
Because AI can analyze historical interactions, it can also provide tailored and personalized recommendations based on the customer’s previous issues and preferences, enhancing the overall experience. It can also ensure that provided responses and resolutions adhere to best practices, reducing the variability that often comes with human agents.
M.R.: What are some examples of how AI’s predictive analytics can help to identify potential issues before they become problematic?
Amit: As mentioned previously, AI can analyze historical performance data, enabling it to identify normal operating patterns. When deviations start to occur, AI is able to predict impending performance bottlenecks or failures so that ITSM can “head them off at the pass” before they impact users. In this same way, it can also forecast future capacity needs by analyzing current trends and usage patterns.
AI can also analyze historical patterns in network traffic and user behavior to predict possible security threats. For example, it can detect unusual login attempts or sudden spikes in data access. By identifying such anomalies earlier, organizations can respond more swiftly to potential attacks to mitigate risks.
M.R. Rangaswami is the Co-Founder of Sandhill.com