follow the sun support model presentation

42nd Hawaii International Conference on. Determine which services will be provided, when they will be provided, and what skill set will be needed to provide those services. Every time you learn you have a new customer base, you find someone to support them. Additionally, you won't have to hire any customer service reps to work a night shift -- meaning you'll have happier employees who are working reasonable hours. 0000013744 00000 n 0000064539 00000 n But not every industry really requires that. ppt.gc.ca. [16] Josiane Kroll, Ita Richardson, Jorge LN Audy, and Jude Fernandez. hbspt.cta._relativeUrls=true;hbspt.cta.load(53, 'dfcc1cf6-fca7-455f-9c43-26ff2fba10ed', {"useNewLoader":"true","region":"na1"}); Get expert insights straight to your inbox, and become a better customer success manager. Sign-up and get customer insights, trends, and more in your inbox. What could shorter department turnaround times mean for what youre trying to achieve globally? Results are generally from case or field studies, resulting in identified challenges and best practices to improve the methodology. Although this seems like such an intuitive idea to work with, it is not practiced widely, misunderstood often and has had few documented industry success cases. This workflow model is specifically designed to help address customers' needs without regard to geolocation or time zone. 0000065082 00000 n To manage the workflow efficiently the principles shown in Fig. One shortcoming of this article is that we have only investigated the effect of FTS on speed, not on the product quality because of lack of suitable documented references. With Lucidscale, you have a single source of truth for every project, feature, and bug being worked on by IT engineers. When you use a follow the sun model, round-the-clock IT support is provided by following the sun from time zone to time zone. video calls) and process documentation. You most likely wont need to open multiple offices, especially at first, but perhaps a small remote office or a representative located remotely in a key area or time zone may satisfy your customers needs. Do you also have self-service options like a knowledge database? You will want to standardize on the technology and tools you use to support your agile methodologies and implement, monitor, revise, and manage your follow the sun model. Modes of communication in FTS approach may be asynchronous or synchronous. FTS feasibility study: In 2013 there was a feasibility study of FTS in the industry [18]. It is a model in which work from one site is handed over to another, which is many time zones away (for example, U.S.A to India), in order for the work to be advanced while one team rests for the night. We showed that there are three main research themes, namely challenges and best practices, location selection and hand-offs management. ppt.gc.ca. Your plan needs to include specific roles, processes, and training necessary to meet customer expectations. The top three best practices that were found in research are agile methods, the use of technology for knowledge sharing (e.g. Are you able to provide 24-hour service at this time? This in turn increases productivity. A follow the sun model can help your organization provide 24/7/365 support to customers across the globe, regardless of time or location. . This is where FTS potential gains a lot, as is evident in the bottom rows of the table. Although the advantages presented above could take your business to the next level, adopting a follow the sun model comes with its own set of challenges and disadvantages. Test the plan before implementation to ensure that hand-offs between sites will run smoothly and make tweaks to the processes as needed. It was developed so companies can provide round-the-clock customer service, literally following the sun around the globe. One such analysis is done using the calendar time [1] available for production. Though the teams faced initial setbacks due to cultural differences and technical glitches, by re-orienting their thinking they could successfully implement agile practices across all locations on a single working codebase. Expertise from Forbes Councils members, operated under license. 0000065768 00000 n It is commonly used and regarded as the "gold standard" in the field of presentation applications. When a task is handed off from one engineer to another, there is an up-to-date, accurate architecture diagram to work from.. 0000001156 00000 n Infosys concluded that applicability of FTS was limited and highly specific to the nature of the task at hand. Lucidscale connects to major cloud sources like Amazon Web Services (AWS), Microsoft Azure, and Google Cloud Platform (GCP) to pull in data automatically. Some sites could feel isolated and out of the loop. In addition, there is research about location selection and the effect of the number of selected locations. FTS is a special case of GSD which aims to achieve a 100% workday in software projects. @|Q%q_2.gINPQ1Aq!>(ob@d9I8j3.a(fdb@n@8nZk;aza azv(;@ r endstream endobj 129 0 obj <>>>/Metadata 126 0 R/Outlines 108 0 R/PageLayout/SinglePage/Pages 123 0 R/Type/Catalog/ViewerPreferences<>>> endobj 130 0 obj <>/ExtGState<>/Font<>/ProcSet[/PDF/Text]/Properties<>/XObject<>>>/Rotate 0/Tabs/W/Thumb 109 0 R/TrimBox[0.0 0.0 612.0 792.0]/Type/Page>> endobj 131 0 obj [/ICCBased 142 0 R] endobj 132 0 obj <> endobj 133 0 obj <>stream Please select this checkbox if you do not wish to receive marketing communications from Zendesk. One of the cornerstone principles of FTS is that certain assets are repeatedly shared between the offices at the end of the production circle or a working day so that the second team can continue the production/maintenance. The model you choose, develop, and refine should be the one that works best for you and your customers. 2 traditional software development stresses on minimal job hand-offs, whereas FTS focusses on day-to day job hand-offs [1]. z.,'ECC4@ad4pw7?/.iyfhLV%=>=(TvxZN}!p7oN3~4T i+U[8 fZ)6 +r) These questions will help you determine if you have enough tickets coming in from each area in the world and if it's a standard practice to offer 24/7 support. 2. Follow the sun is also used by software development teams that are spread out across global sites. Employee turnover is the number of workers leaving your business at any given timeincluding voluntary and involuntary exits. Outline your company's customer journey and experience with these 7 free customer journey map templates. Follow-the-Sun in Action One of our partners, a large mobile advertising and app monetization company that gets 20,000+ tickets each week, leverages the follow-the-sun model with a total team of 85 associates to support their customers around the world. Most of the current code repositories are cloud based and accessible across geographies. Let's talk about providing 24-hour support without overwhelming one location and forcing staff to work overtime. I am talking about the follow-the-sun model, or FTS for short. In hbspt.cta._relativeUrls=true;hbspt.cta.load(53, '12501f7c-8e26-4e3c-9642-7afbe078156a', {"useNewLoader":"true","region":"na1"}); The follow the sun customer support model is designed to address customer needs without regard to geographic location or current time. Proceedings, pages 218{224. From our experience, I would like to point out the major ones: Under no circumstances should the FTS model be reduced to the distant custom support team. The various agile methodologies such as Scrum, Lean, Kanban, Extreme Programming (XP), DSDM etc., share much of the same characteristics and practices and are widely practiced in Globally Distributed Software Development. At any given time only one team owns the product unlike other global configurations in which multiple locations can own different parts of the product. Although there were very less successful cases, some companies still showed positive intent in applying FTS model. IEEE, 2005. Production sites involved in the software development are many time zones apart. These difficulties prove that a systematic approach is needed in achieving a quick time-to-market strategy, which in turn leads to the Follow the Sun software development scheme. Let's review the diagram below. With so many architecture models out there for you to base your system designs on, what makes a follow the sun model stand out? Our offerings for Salesforce include the same 24x7x365, follow-the-sun support with a guaranteed response of under 10-minutes for P1 critical issue . With many sites all working on the same project, the daily handoff can become a bottleneckespecially if the other team doesnt understand the problem or if their work introduces a new problem. Agile seems to be the best and most suitable for FTS based approaches because the principles of Agile anf FTS complement each other. For me, staying connected with clients in every corner of the globe was always important. 0000001891 00000 n We've got a true, "follow the sun" model, allowing access to support engineers [.] However, FTS is not. Apart from the usual difficulties faced in globally distributed software development, FTS also has the additional challenges of managing daily job hand-offs. These are reactive in nature. The implementation of FTS, if not practiced correctly, may result in failures and projects going over budget [10]. Deriving Mutual Benefits from Offshore Outsourcing: The 24-Hour Knowledge Factory Scenario. (2007). F @_|Ln VY*ay Te2`nf IBM Software Group Rational softwareRational User Conference 2003 Presentation Overview Changing Times - The trend towards globalisation . HWY1S%lI^t#ByFwOC+aPvrsjL A survey of major approaches for accelerating new product development. Regardless of where the bulk of customers are located, if you know that youre receiving a lot of tickets outside of your standard support hours, then its time to start thinking about a rotational support model. Presenting support model PPT slide template. 1 gives the relevant facts regarding various working schemes. In addition, passing the work to a new group lets people see the problem from a new perspective. 0000066494 00000 n 24 hours per day, 7 days per week. You will need to determine which agile methodologies are best for the various global teams that help you to track work, allows for continuous integration, keeps team members accountable, and facilitates work hand-offs.. Challenges and improvements in distributed software development: A systematic review. Subscribe to the Service Blog below. If all the IT teams within your company use a follow the sun model, the project could be completed in days. Lucidchart is the intelligent diagramming application that empowers teams to clarify complexity, align their insights, and build the futurefaster. You can, however, start planning for it. The most popular online Visio alternative, Lucidchart is utilized in over 180 countries by millions of users, from sales managers mapping out target organizations to IT directors visualizing their network infrastructure. Computer, 42(1):66-73, 2009. By submitting my personal information, I consent to Zendesk collecting, processing, and storing my information in accordance with the, By submitting my personal data, I consent to Zendesk collecting, processing, and storing my information in accordance with the, The value of agent education and training during economic slowdowns, What is employee turnover? Because of the hand-offs, work is owned by and worked on by one site at a time. ITSM Support Model ITSM is built on the core belief that IT is a concept that needs to be delivered as a service. 0000002691 00000 n In Agile Conference, 2005. By checking this box, I agree to Zendesk contacting me with marketing-related communications about Zendesk products, services, and events. A clear path will help your troubleshooting teams and engineers coordinate and get to the bottom of the issue faster., Mastering the handoff process (moving project tasks from one team to the next) is probably the hardest, but most crucial, element of successfully implementing a follow the sun model. Establish goals: Define your goals around your customer's needs in each location you service. However, if you implement a follow the sun customer support model, keep in mind that you'll want to make sure you have the right tools to ensure each site communicates with one another and can take effective notes on cases that need to be handed off. For example, our customer and partner Zuora offers 24/7/365 support coverage. [13] Alex Cameron. Adopting a follow the sun support methodology can help you provide high-quality, on-time service and support when your internal and external customers need you.. This is a BETA experience. Lucidchart is the intelligent diagramming application that empowers teams to clarify complexity, align their insights, and build the futurefaster. Several workflows seem to be using the FTS model, but in reality this is not always the case. Tiered support model with queries and system administrators. Are you ready to follow the sun?. This is a highly collaborative, communicative approach to customer service, and it's a delicate line to balance. When you keep everyone on the same page, service ticket times go down, security gets stronger, workflows become more seamless, and customers receive a better technical experience. You'll have increased response times, fewer delays in solving issues, and satisfied customers. However, it may be one of the most potent benefits for your business. Free and premium plans, Sales CRM software. FTS could provide significant benefit in dealing with these aspects. hb```b``b`2^21 Pc3HbL=6(TMA`2 DeI&6P)be7fLS;X|Oim5kQT,.Fj=,gwK,7# It is defined as the percentage of all of the calendar time (e.g., 24 * 7 = 168 hours available per week) that is used productively for work, so, a 40-hour workweek utilizes 23.8 percent of the calendar workweek, showing that there is a lot of room for calendar efficiency improvement. are manually changeable. Figure 5: Successful implementation of FTS depends on reliable software tools and utilities. [1] Erran Carmel, J Alberto Espinosa, and Yael Dubinsky. Note that it will only suit some business models. Technology Tools and Infrastructure to Support FTS. As an agency with many Ukraine-based staff members in February 2022, it was the kind of situation none of us wanted to believe would ever happen. Hand-offs are the central idea of the FTS approach. But as you grow, you begin to standardize, build out streamlined processes, and build teams. And when the shifts switch, you'll have each site hand off work to the next shift. [12] Miguel Jimnez, Mario Piattini, and Aurora Vizcano. A handoff from one site to the other can be occasionally empty due to public holidays or emergencies. Rimini Street Managed Services for Salesforce clients benefit from the responsive, client-centric support model that Rimini Street is known for with its Oracle and SAP enterprise software support. Mechanisms for transferring work in progress to the next site is the core idea of FTS. 0000063267 00000 n In the gaming and retail industries, for example, 24/7/365 support might be pretty standard. HVKn0Hi[dh;>~K@ HhD^ @)+{J:=,q&U^yZVf|7Gv1$[l3/ S 29= 25~xZOFXO_/Y 9vO,sI:bqgj-1`tIfZ{L#D9t5@R\B/PN=@7c8@T5jF/0'?daCE]7K'e%JtQSe,86^8Gv8[G@2S7 ^fH!7x%7Zo>.Wckhb|j\p{>K"N{cn; Do you want to provide complete 24-hour service? You can update your preferences or unsubscribe at any time. Free and premium plans, Operations software. The tools you use should emphasize team collaboration and the automation of reporting, scheduling, planning, and progress tracking. 0000004606 00000 n Handoffs management in follow-the-sun software projects: a case study. Research in Follow-the-Sun software development has been done since 1990. With this intuitive, cloud-based solution, everyone can work visually and collaborate in real time while building flowcharts, mockups, UML diagrams, and more. Based on the discussions in the Principles of FTS section which explains the minimum criteria for a work flow to be considered as a FTS approach, the following do not fit in this category [1]: Agile software development practice consists of a set of principles which advocate continuous improvement, adaptive planning, early delivery and flexibility in responding to change. Agile has several characteristics which support FTS adoption [6]. The process of hand offs must be smooth and conflict free. Having multiple subteams on deck to keep a project moving along 24 hours a day empowers your entire IT department to set realistic short-term deadlines, avoid working overtime, and complete roadmaps more efficiently., Think about what your IT team is really trying to accomplish on your roadmap for the next year. The. Focus on those regions first. That's why as the assets are transferred to the next team, you need to ensure that detailed workflow documentation and technical tasks do not require further clarification. A customer service platform with mobile access might allow you to stagger your shifts between home and work, and to cover different time zones, without having to hire a remote representative. One of the important concepts evolved in the past decade or so is the Follow the sun (FTS) software development. Managing and continuing recruiting and growing regionally helped implement the FTS model for all departments and reinforced the ability to provide top-notch customer service. In any case, one thing is clear: To provide the highest level of customer service, your support team must decide when to be available. However, since we are talking about the FTS model, we already imply that our teams are most likely disproportionate and may need to be more interchangeable regarding specific tasks. At the same time, I can attest that it takes considerable investment, time and human resources. Some key assumptions in deriving the above principles are listed below: Follow the sun approach involves daily handoff of the work which suggests that there will be some reduction in the project duration. 0000016106 00000 n Consider these basic steps and questions you need to ask before diving into a follow the sun methodology. Global business processes such as call centres or help desks are not counted under the FTS umbrella. Figure 1: Follow the Sun approach follows a 24h task hand-off based approach to software development. Determine when your customers need you the most so you can define your goals around their needs. They also need to train employees on how to use the software and then respond to any service tickets upon deployment. They meet their global support goals by working together, providing a combined 18 hours a day of coverage. on, pages 185194. FTS is a global software development strategy. -- Created using PowToon -- Free sign up at http://www.powtoon.com/ . Because it is always daytime somewhere in the world, you need a way to support customers around the globe no matter what time zone they are in and without too much delay. 0000003713 00000 n Response times are increased, delays in problem-solving are reduced, and customers are satisfied. As well, such expansion can always have a positive impact in terms of brand development and brand promotion. Shifting to a remote-based model streamlined our FTS approach with the ability to provide client services without opening an office location first. It may take more time than anticipated to ask questions and receive answers. 0000067875 00000 n [6] Carmel, Erran, Yael Dubinsky, and Alberto Espinosa. [18] Josiane Kroll, Rafael Prikladnicki, Jorge LN Audy, Erran Carmel, and JudeFernandez. 0000063228 00000 n PowToon is a free . For some companies, it means providing anytime, anywhere, 24/7/365 supportthe original definition of the follow-the-sun model. Carmel [6] argues that only the nature of some phases of the development cycle such as testing are well suited for FTS. Keeps Support and the business informed so IC can focus on resolution. Figure 6: Five essentials for applying the FTS model in practice. trailer <]/Prev 478482>> startxref 0 %%EOF 170 0 obj <>stream Because of these reasons FTS is best suited for Agile. IEEE, 2007. The follow the sun model is a service and support method that is designed to address and satisfy customer needs without regard to geographic location or current time. Its also a great record to have on hand to show various stakeholders just how much your department can accomplish in any given window of time., Visualizing your cloud infrastructure in a centralized location that is accessible to all global team members will create an accurate and consistent picture of your follow the sun model from day one. We have showed earlier that using the concept of calendar efficiency, FTS gives lot of room for decreasing the development time. ](Ohg2jFy0tz H`?d/r_@IEPCZGr H The truth is, follow-the-sun support is simply a method meant to satisfy customers, regardless of time or location, and that too can be a reality for even small- to mid-size businesses. Another important benefit of the FTS model is the opportunity to learn more about new markets and lay the foundation for the further development of the definite regional market. Prashanth G.L, Santosh Malagi, Laurens Van Den Bercken, Ade Setyawan Sajim and Bernd Kreynen are the authors of this blog. Its also important to have daily stand-up meetings. This efficiency further increases with the number of locations and shifts. They are required to fill in a request form through a portal. [19] Treinen, James J., and Susan L. Miller-Frost. Open Scholars Know How to License Their Work for Maximum Impact<br /> 29. F9,Y%9Q@o:B"w7Fy||:R_q};gxJ2#'S2"8S$I(y'_`}WHw6(iEM:+9%Wl )ThVXNo"iN U=v f4. Slide 1 of 2. If the workdays among satellite offices overlap, work can be passed from an office that is shutting down for the day to an office that is still open or just starting its day. Prezi, for example, has teams in two locations: San Francisco and Budapest. 2008. If a system goes down or a major bug cripples workflows, employee productivity and customer experiences can plummet quickly., More than ever, customers expect instant action and response when they experience a technical problem with a product theyre using. That means customers requests and communications are coming in quickly and oftenand these businesses must meet that demand. Do you know where you fall in industry benchmarking when it comes to customer service? Believe it or not, the Covid-19 pandemic certainly influenced the decision to bring this powerful idea to life with local client support branches and personnel on every continent. 2013. Some other day to day tasks enabled by software include logging time spent by developers, issue tracking, real time reporting, code reviews, and documentation. No one prepared us for the pandemic, but it changed the world and how we look at work tremendously. There is only one site that owns the product at any point in time. Adding more man power to the project is not of much interest in software development, because of the wisdom gained long ago from the seminal Brooks law adding manpower to a late software project makes it later [3]. Multiple teams may be working on the product over a certain amount of time, but one defined team is responsible for overseeing the process from start to finish. This will help avoid any confusion on who ultimately owns the process., Take stock of all the team members available to maintain your IT architecture. 0000066419 00000 n Two case studies reported on the application of FTS in software development is elaborated below. Time to market is the amount of time it takes from the moment the product is conceived until the product is available for use or sale. [14] Josiane Kroll, Sajid Ibrahim Hashmi, Ita Richardson, and Jorge LN Audy. You may opt-out by. Agile methodologies fit well with follow the sun models because all work is completed within set iteration cycles. The sun never sets for businesses that rely on remote support, and global support, for customer service. Naturally, the language and culture barriers do not seem like such big obstacles these days. 0000002089 00000 n A subteam can consist of one or more members. PjYIh$ 3lKPt[?7\p rNt[n@rS +@G9z|t- ]P$>(h)tQ c5+${._~;i$ X~,h XOjcL^W? Start off by asking key questions. In this article, based on my personal experience, I will point out some of the tasks the FTS model helps to solve best and what you should know about the FTS model to help your agency reach its goals. Figure 3: Comparing FTS model with other global workflows [1]. To say that life during the global pandemic has recentred our focus on health is an understatement. 0000007104 00000 n 0000069194 00000 n Global software development (GSD) is now the need of the hour more than ever. Pearson Education India, 1995. To make collaboration and handoff even easier, engineers and process owners can @mention each other to focus attention on specific shapes of the diagram. This project involved five global teams distributed across five different countries. The method literally follows the sun so work is performed during normal work hours anywhere in the world. This is very important especially for industries whose products become outdated in a very short time (e.g. You can turn light-speed production and service delivery into one of the signature advantages of your brand. Several reasons such as misinterpretation of specifications, multiple rework cycles, lack of proper coordination and communication between teams, time zone issues and cultural differences were attributed to the projects failure. A follow the sun model can help your organization provide 24/7/365 support to customers across the globe, regardless of time or location. The traditional "follow the sun" model is a type of global workflow in which issues can be handled by and passed between offices in different time zones, increasing responsiveness and reducing delays. As someone who has been working with the top 100 pharma companies, I know that preparation and planning are key. Working normal daylight hours keeps employees happy, healthy, and motivated to work while your company is still able to offer round-the-clock service. Here's how to deliver an experience that meets people's high and evolving expectations. Initial handoffs mainly consisted of daily work summaries, which were later augmented by knowledge transfer activities. Agile places a lot of emphasis on continuous integration (using automation) encouraging every team to maintain an updated and testable version of the code which can be used by the next production site. Since hand-offs are such an important aspect of Follow-the-Sun software development, recent research studied hand-offs management. In Global Software Engineering Workshops (ICGSEW), 2013 IEEE 8th International Conference on, pages 1823. It is always noon somewhere, right? It is quite possible that hundreds of software developers and testers can be working on a project in cycles. Learn how to use a follow the sun model for your IT and cloud teams. [7] Monica Yap. WDSGlobal case study: In 2004 a study conducted within the company of WDSGlobal reported the following list of what worked in FTS software development (when doing Extreme Programming) [7]: The study reported the following lessons that were learned: The study involved teams from the USA, UK and Singapore.

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