Smarter Service Management Solutions with AI

The era of waiting in long support queues beholden to complex workflows is quickly becoming a relic of the past. AI-powered solutions transform how employees and customers get help from IT and other departments, as well as how those departments communicate with each other, especially when integrated with organisations' existing enterprise collaborative tools like Microsoft Teams.

Modern workplaces are embracing AI-powered support agents that provide immediate assistance. Gartner predicts that by 2026, over 80% of enterprises will implement some form of AI-powered support automation.

All-in-One Support Across Every Channel

Freshworks' FreddyAI is an excellent example of this technology in action. This AI engine powers Freshworks' suite of products, using machine learning to handle routine tasks, offer smart suggestions, and create personalised support experiences. It's marketed as an OmniChannel solution, which simply means that the same tools and knowledge are available across all platforms, whether it's mobile messaging apps like WhatsApp or social media platforms like Facebook and Instagram. Having one central integrated AI helps with the consistency of support offerings and improves the reach of your organisation for assisting both customers and employees.

One of the best ways that FreddyAI is particularly valuable is its seamless integration into existing business platforms. When implemented in Microsoft Teams, natural language AI becomes an always-available support resource accessible within an environment where employees already spend much of their day.

Smarter Teams Integration

The Microsoft Teams integration allows employees to message the AI directly and have it respond based on the trained data and knowledge base. There is no need to change context or prompt from a specific application. Ask it to reset passwords, troubleshoot issues, or access company resources and it immediately searches for and pulls relevant information from your knowledge base.

The AI training required to establish correct responses and seek authorisations is minimal, as it runs your workflows, such as the PowerAutomate example below, with its own in-built approval stages, so any request that triggers a manager approval will still require human input and FreddyAI will inform the user of the progress of their request.

FreddyAI OmniChannel integration also allows users to:

💬Query the Knowledge Base: Search using natural language and a familiar chat interface

⚡Receive instant answers: Resolve common IT questions without needing resources

📔Access troubleshooting: Self-help for further problem solving with guides and articles

🗳️Submit tickets: Escalate incidents and calls to the relevant team only when necessary

This approach can feel more normal as most people are already comfortable with instant messaging and using Teams as opposed to repeatedly filling forms, which can impede user experience. However, it's important to establish clear escalation paths for complex issues and get users in touch with human agents to prevent frustration if AI is unable to resolve.

ServiceNow and Operational AI Agents

Other platforms are adding their own AI capabilities, which improve the time to resolution and the number of tasks addressed. ServiceNow has recently launched several AI utilities, including pre-built AI models, AI agents that autonomously collaborate across IT, HR and CRM platforms as well as their generative AI NowAssist.

With tailored AI approaches for each component of enterprise service delivery, such as the AIOps module pictured above, which analyses alerts and creates incidents based on monitored systems only when necessary.

ServiceNow aims to have an impactful AI tool built into every facet of an organisation that is working seamlessly with people, systems and data. The ServiceNow AI models continuously adapt to keep their workflows accurate and improve productivity, efficiency, and output through automated information management. As with Freshworks, these individual tools are built into the ServiceNow ITSM business automation platform but are managed individually through the AI Agent Orchestrator.

Independent of the Service Desk

The impact on IT service desks has been dramatic for organisations implementing AI agent technology. Support tickets for common issues drop significantly, often by 25% or more thanks to deflections handled entirely by AI support agents. Additionally, Generative AI tools can allow the service desk to respond quickly, with powerful automations for ticket escalation and resolution.

The main benefits of assistive AI agents and generative AI include:

🛎️Reduced IT Service Desk Volume: Routine questions no longer require human involvement

🕗24/7 Support: Employees can access help anytime, not just during IT service desk hours

🏃Improved Productivity: Less wait time means employees can resolve issues faster

📖Knowledge Base Utilisation: Organisations see better ROI on their knowledge base usage

This 24/7 availability means less downtime and frustration when problems arise outside normal business hours or across different time zones.

Making Knowledge Bases Useful

Let's be honest, most company knowledge bases are under-utilised. Organisations invest significant resources in creating documentation that employees rarely access. Virtual AI agents like FreddyAI change this dynamic by making that information accessible through conversation.

The knowledge base transforms from a rarely visited repository to an active resource powering everyday support interactions.

As Knowledge Base usage and uptake improve with AI, organisations can leverage:

📚 Streamlined knowledge: Easily integrating documents from multiple sources

🧠 AI-generated answers: Deliver concise, relevant information on demand

✏️ Custom responses: Create controlled FAQs and guided workflow funnels

🎯 One-click access: Seamless availability during all customer interactions

📈 Performance insights: Track usage metrics and optimise effectiveness

The Future of Support

As remote and hybrid work models become permanent fixtures of the modern workplace, AI support agents like FreddyAI in Microsoft Teams will become essential components of IT service management. Organisations can simultaneously reduce costs and improve satisfaction by empowering employees to help themselves through intuitive, conversational interfaces.

The internal-facing benefits of AI are only just now being realised, with improvements not just for customer support and user experience. Soon, the days of waiting hours for simple IT tickets to be completed will be a thing of the past, and for workforces all across enterprise managed services, that future can't come soon enough.