What factors are contributing to the sudden 30% increase in support ticket volume for DXC Technology's Application Services in the last month?

Introduction

The sudden 30% increase in support ticket volume for DXC Technology's Application Services in the last month is a critical issue that demands immediate attention. This analysis will systematically identify, validate, and address the root cause while considering both short-term and long-term implications for the product and organization.

I'll approach this problem by first clarifying key details, ruling out external factors, and then diving deep into the product ecosystem, user journey, and relevant metrics. From there, I'll generate data-driven hypotheses, conduct root cause analysis, and propose validation methods and solutions.

Step 1

Clarifying Questions (3 minutes)

• Looking at the timing, I'm thinking there might be a recent product update. Has there been any significant change to the Application Services offering in the past 1-2 months?

Why it matters: Recent changes often correlate with support ticket spikes. Expected answer: Yes, a major feature update was released. Impact on approach: If yes, I'd focus on the new feature's implementation and user education.

• Considering user segments, I'm curious about the distribution of tickets. Are we seeing an increase across all customer types, or is it concentrated in specific segments?

Why it matters: Helps identify if the issue is universal or segment-specific. Expected answer: The increase is primarily in enterprise customers. Impact on approach: If segment-specific, I'd tailor the investigation to that user group's needs and behaviors.

• Given the scale of increase, I'm wondering about our support team's capacity. Has there been any recent change in our support team structure or processes?

Why it matters: Support team changes can impact ticket volume and resolution times. Expected answer: No significant changes to the support team. Impact on approach: If no changes, I'd focus more on product and user-side issues.

• Thinking about potential system issues, have we observed any performance degradation or increased error rates in our application monitoring tools?

Why it matters: Technical issues often lead to increased support tickets. Expected answer: Some intermittent performance issues have been noted. Impact on approach: If yes, I'd prioritize technical root cause analysis.