The Savillon Problem Solving Toolkit

2023/7/10. 7-Minute Read

I always keep Shigeru Miyamoto's quote about ideas in mind when problem solving. It reminds me to seek solutions that go beyond addressing a single issue, encouraging me to embrace a broader perspective when faced with challenges. However, you might wonder, "How can I make well-informed decisions? What tools are available, and how should I utilize them?" This article aims to shed light on my personal approach to problem-solving, specifically when it comes to generating multiple solutions. Join me as I dive into my thought process, providing insights into the tools I employ and how I effectively utilize them to navigate complex problem-solving scenarios.

In my professional life, I fully recognize that challenges are an integral part of the journey towards growth and success. From navigating intricate projects with demanding timelines to confronting unforeseen obstacles within the ever-evolving business landscape, I recognize the potential hurdles that may arise. Moreover, the dynamics of teamwork can introduce additional complexities, with interpersonal conflicts posing further challenges.

However, amidst these challenges, there is no need to reinvent the wheel! Extensive problem-solving methodologies designed by experts in the field have been thoroughly documented. Agile methodologies, Lean, Six Sigma, Project Management, and Design Thinking are some of the methodologies that are widely adopted today. By incorporating these methodologies and frameworks into the decision-making process, organizations and individuals benefit from a holistic and systematic approach. They foster a collaborative and data-driven mindset, enable flexibility and adaptability, reduce waste and inefficiencies, and prioritize customer needs.

In this regard, I'd like to share my experience working and adopting some tools from my design thinking and project management experiences that have helped me improve my problem-solving skills.

Feeling overwhelmed poses a substantial challenge for me. However, being a visual thinker, I have found that visualizing connections enables me to engage in more coherent and comprehensible thought processes. In this section, I am excited to share my go-to visual tools, including Network Diagramming Techniques in Project Management, Customer Journey Mapping, and Word Clouds in Design Thinking. These visual aids play a pivotal role in enhancing my understanding, facilitating problem-solving, and fostering creativity by visually representing complex concepts and relationships.

Network diagramming techniques, such as the Precedence Diagramming Method (PDM) and the Critical Path Method (CPM), are valuable tools used in project management. They visually represent the relationships between project tasks, highlight their dependencies and determine the minimum project duration. These techniques help me schedule activities, identify potential bottlenecks, and optimize resource allocation, ultimately improving project planning and execution.

Customer journey mapping is a visual representation of the entire customer experience, from initial contact to post-purchase interactions. It illustrates the different touchpoints and interactions a customer has with a business, allowing organizations to gain a deeper understanding of their customers' needs, emotions, and pain points. By mapping the customer journey, I can identify opportunities for improvement, enhance customer satisfaction, and develop targeted strategies to deliver exceptional experiences at every stage. By mapping a customer’s journey, I could put myself into the customer's shoes, how would I feel in the same situation, in what situations would I wish I had help, and understanding and what I could do to help.

Word clouds are graphical representations of text, where the size of each word corresponds to its frequency or importance within a given context. In design thinking, word clouds are often used to analyze user feedback, brainstorm ideas, or extract key insights from qualitative data. By visually presenting the most prominent or frequently mentioned words, word clouds provide a quick and intuitive snapshot of the main themes or concepts. They help me identify patterns, prioritize areas of focus, and generate innovative solutions based on the collective wisdom of stakeholders or users. After a Word Cloud, I could apply Mr. Miyamoto’s advice to choose the most important problems to ensure my solution met various needs from the customers perspective.

With my go-to tools of the Savillon Problem Solving Toolkit revealed, let me lead you through a practical example that proves its usefulness in real-life circumstances.

When working with contact center solutions, the final stage of product implementation required three sessions of training in the usage of the service. During my first trimester in the role, I was learning the capabilities of the service, while training customers who probably had more experience than me, leveraging their work with other contact center products. Nevertheless, customers frequently got confused by key important metrics such as call rates within campaign types, such as progressive and predictive campaigns. I felt fear when customers asked me questions that I wasn’t ready to answer live during training, as my experience with these was lacking. I noticed customers would often get frustrated at the hesitation in my answers, leading to a customer satisfaction rate of 80% on trainings. Training sessions would go well past the 2-hour mark we had established, impacting productivity of my day-to-day work. I had to find a solution to their dissatisfaction and my own lack of expertise. My problem-solving brain started to kick into gear.

First, I had to define my actionable steps into finding a solution. I staged my project management skills into establishing the full project implementation roadmap of contact center solutions, and highlighted the steps that involved the customer so I could identify possible problems that would require addressing in training.

Then, I created a customer journey map from the perspective of the customer's use of the contact center service. I mapped the interaction points, found the possible pain points, and highlighted the key issues that customers could find within the contact center. I also analyzed my recordings of trainings to find out how often a question would come up in each session and created a word cloud to visualize the most common problem questions customers asked.

I found myself at the intersection of resolving customer dissatisfaction and enhancing their understanding of the tool. I had a list of problem questions and their unique challenges. I asked my teammates for their experience with these campaigns and metrics. I shared my problems with my team, and we deep-dived into analyzing these metrics.

After properly identifying the problem questions, a solution was mapped out. I started to include content that laid out practical examples, case studies, and applications of these features. This led to 95% customer satisfaction with training. Customers would have questions, but after grinding my own experience, I was prepared to give answers faster and better overall, providing a better experience for customers.

In conclusion, the Savillon Problem Solving Toolkit presented a collection of tools and techniques that empowered me to tackle multiple challenges with confidence. Through the utilization of project management methodologies and design thinking approaches, such as Network Diagramming Techniques, Customer Journey Mapping, and Word Clouds, this toolkit equips me to problem solve while analyzing, strategizing, visualizing, and innovating. By leveraging the power of the Savillon Problem Solving Toolkit, I can deploy my problem-solving skills, drive meaningful outcomes, and navigate the ever-evolving landscape of challenges with clarity and creativity.