Talking with Juhi McClelland, VP & Exec, Technology Support Services at IBM GTS

In this episode of Pioneers of Possible, we had the pleasure of speaking with Jui McLennan, the Vice President and Business Line Executive for IBM’s Global Technology Services, technology support services part of the business. Jui shared some fascinating insights into the scale and complexity of their support operations, as well as her personal journey and influences.

The Scale of Support

Jui revealed that IBM’s technology support services receive a staggering 60 million interactions a year, with 6 million of those interactions resulting in service tickets. With such a massive scale, it’s clear that IBM’s support operations are crucial for their clients, many of whom have mission-critical systems that could result in significant financial losses if they were to experience downtime.

A Global Perspective

Based in Raleigh, North Carolina, Jui highlighted the global nature of IBM’s operations, with a presence in over 130 countries. This global reach allows IBM to provide support to clients around the world, ensuring that their technology infrastructure remains up and running.

Personal Journey and Influences

Jui’s journey into the world of technology support services was influenced by her father’s involvement in the high-tech industry in India. She also shared the impact of her grandfather’s values and encouragement, which instilled in her a strong sense of independence, a commitment to education, and a drive to challenge stereotypes.

Embracing Technology and Innovation

In her role, Jui has been at the forefront of leveraging technology to enhance IBM’s support services. She discussed the implementation of cutting-edge technologies such as Watson, blockchain, and augmented reality to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of their support operations.

Leveraging Watson for Support

• IBM has integrated Watson, IBM’s AI platform, into their support processes.
• By leveraging Watson’s natural language processing capabilities, clients can interact with Watson to seek solutions to their technical issues.
• Additionally, IBM’s support agents use Watson to diagnose and resolve client problems, resulting in faster and more effective support.

Implementing Blockchain for Client Support

• IBM implemented blockchain technology to enhance support operations.
• The use of blockchain allowed for secure and transparent record-keeping, ensuring the integrity of support processes across 130 countries.

Embracing Augmented Reality

• IBM’s agents use augmented reality to visualize and troubleshoot complex technical issues remotely.
• This innovative approach has revolutionized the way support is delivered, particularly for clients with diverse and distributed technology infrastructure.

The Future of Technology Support Services

As technology continues to evolve, Jui emphasized the need for support services to adapt and innovate. IBM’s commitment to providing value to their clients through cost savings, extended equipment life, and advanced support technologies demonstrates their dedication to staying at the forefront of the industry.

In conclusion, our conversation with Jui McLennan shed light on the incredible scale and complexity of IBM’s technology support services, as well as their unwavering commitment to leveraging technology and innovation to deliver exceptional support to clients around the world. Jui’s personal journey and influences have undoubtedly shaped her leadership in this dynamic and critical field, and her insights into the future of support services are both enlightening and inspiring.

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