Orica Unveils Generative AI to Transform IT Service Desk Operations
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Orica Employs Generative AI to Revamp IT Service Desk Operations
Orica, a worldwide forefront in explosives and blasting technologies, has made a significant move to transform its IT service desk functions by incorporating generative AI using ServiceNow’s Now Assist tools. Following a two-year transformation journey, the company is now enjoying the advantages of automation, chatbot functionalities, and AI-driven self-service to improve both employee and customer interactions.
Quick Overview
- Orica merged generative AI with ServiceNow’s Now Assist to optimize IT service desk functions.
- The firm transitioned from a decade-old ServiceNow instance to a fresh setup after a 12-month re-platforming initiative with Thirdera.
- AI tools such as incident summarization, resolution note creation, and AI search have shown promising early results.
- Orica’s virtual agent deflection rate increased from 18% to 94%, leading to a substantial decrease in service desk demands.
- The integration seeks to lower Mean Time to Resolution (MTTR) and broaden AI application in other IT operations sectors, including event management.
- Future aspirations include multilingual AI support, with the technology potentially accommodating up to 12 languages.
Orica’s Path to Generative AI Integration
Orica initiated its journey to modernize IT operations two years ago. With a legacy ServiceNow instance that had become outdated, the company opted to reimplement the platform for a more effective and streamlined system. This re-platforming project, completed in partnership with ServiceNow ally Thirdera, spanned 12 months and positioned Orica back to an “out-of-the-box” ServiceNow configuration.
“Around two years ago, we chose to reimplement ServiceNow, and we undertook a 12-month re-platforming process with Thirdera to restore us to that greenfield out-of-the-box position,” stated Bradley Hunt, Orica’s Manager of DevOps and Regional Apps, during the ServiceNow World Forum Melbourne 2024.
Leveraging AI in IT Service Management
Upon completion of the re-platforming, Orica swiftly capitalized on the latest AI advancements. Within 18 months, the company introduced a variety of new functionalities, including a virtual agent, lifecycle events for HR and legal services, cloud discovery, and event management, among others. The deployment of these tools marked Orica’s initial foray into the realm of AI.
Initially, the organization tested external large language models (LLMs) through Azure OpenAI services, developing proof-of-concept AI tools integrated into their IT Service Management (ITSM) workflows. These preliminary experiments highlighted the potential advantages of AI integration in simplifying routine service desk tasks.
Now Assist: AI-Enhanced Functionalities
Orica transitioned to ServiceNow’s native generative AI suite, Now Assist, to further bolster its functionalities. The company promptly deployed capabilities such as incident summarization, resolution note creation, and AI search within six weeks.
“We were able to utilize [a ServiceNow accelerator] program, and within six weeks we implemented incident summarization, resolution note generation, and AI search [driven by Now Assist],” Hunt disclosed.
While the initial AI features such as resolution note generation provided only marginal time benefits, other features like live chat summarization and AI search quickly gained popularity among users. The ability to swiftly seek solutions, such as resetting a password, without traversing multiple knowledge articles was especially advantageous.
Enhancing Virtual Agent Effectiveness
A key success has been the effect of AI on Orica’s virtual agent. The deflection rate—the frequency with which the virtual agent successfully resolves an issue autonomously—surged dramatically from 18% to 94%. This enhancement has alleviated the burden on human service desk agents, allowing them to concentrate on more intricate tasks. Moreover, the interaction success rate of the virtual agent has doubled, augmenting user satisfaction.
“When observing the virtual agent [independently], the deflection rate [has escalated] from 18 to 94 percent, [which] is an extraordinary rise,” Hunt emphasized.
Minimizing Mean Time to Resolution (MTTR)
A critical metric Orica is attentively monitoring is the Mean Time to Resolution (MTTR), which gauges the speed of incident resolution. Even though the Now Assist tools had been recently operational for two months during Hunt’s presentation, Orica had already recorded a one-day decrease in MTTR across all incidents.
“We’re two months into this, [and] we’ve already reduced a day [from MTTR]. That’s across all incidents,” Hunt noted.
Future Goals: Widening AI Utilization in IT Operations
In the future, Orica aims to broaden its application of generative AI across additional areas of IT operations beyond ITSM. The company is investigating the potential utilization of AI for event management, software asset management, and other vital IT functions. Additionally, Orica seeks to boost AI’s multilingual support capabilities, enhancing its effectiveness in servicing the company’s global operations.
“Service management is excellent, but can we extend it to other realms of IT operations? Are we able to handle alerts, event management, and summarization of those?” Hunt inquired, underscoring the company’s long-term ambition for AI integration.
The plan entails further enhancements in deflection rates and the prospective launch of additional AI-driven features throughout Orica’s IT environment.
Conclusion
Orica’s integration of generative AI via ServiceNow’s Now Assist tools is redefining how the company oversees its IT service desk operations. With a concentration on automation, chatbots, and AI-enabled search, Orica has already experienced considerable advancements in areas such as virtual agent deflection rates, MTTR, and general service desk efficiency. As the organization continues to diversify its AI applications across other IT operations, the future appears bright for further improvements and cost reductions.
Q&A
Q: What is Now Assist, and in what ways is Orica using it?
A:
Now Assist is a collection of generative AI tools from ServiceNow intended to enhance IT operations by automating tasks such as incident summarization, resolution note generation, and AI-driven search. Orica employs Now Assist to improve its IT service desk, facilitating faster issue resolutions and lessening the burden on human agents.
Q: How has AI integration influenced Orica’s service desk efficiency?
A:
The inclusion of AI has substantially enhanced Orica’s service desk efficiency. For instance, the virtual agent’s deflection rate soared from 18% to 94%, meaning that significantly fewer tickets necessitate human interaction. This has contributed to easing the workload for service desk agents and increased user satisfaction.
Q: What obstacles did Orica encounter in AI implementation?
A:
A significant challenge was the transition from a decade-old, customized ServiceNow instance to a greenfield configuration. This process spanned 12 months and required collaboration with ServiceNow partner Thirdera. However, the re-platforming was crucial for enabling the new AI functionalities.
Q: What does Orica envision for future AI integration?
A:
Orica anticipates broadening AI’s application beyond IT service management into other IT operational areas, such as event management and software asset management. The company is also prioritizing advancements in AI’s multilingual capabilities to serve its global operations more effectively.
Q: Has AI contributed to reducing the Mean Time to Resolution (MTTR) for incidents?
A:
Yes, Orica has already recorded a one-day decrease in MTTR across all incidents within just two months of deploying Now Assist tools. The organization expects further enhancements as it continues optimizing its AI capabilities.
Q: In what ways is AI search benefiting Orica’s employees and customers?
A:
AI search allows users to discover solutions more efficiently without sifting through numerous knowledge base entries. For example, employees can instantaneously seek answers to common inquiries like “How do I reset my password?” and receive a summarized response, enhancing both speed and satisfaction.
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