ZENDESK IMPLEMENTATION & SERVICENOW MIGRATION
Enabling $2.5 Billion in Federal Health Research Funding
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Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health (ARPA-H)
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ITSS (Information Technology Support Services)
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75N92023F00253
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$500,000
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October 2023 - Present
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Time & Materials (T&M)
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Sub Contractor
Challenge
ARPA-H, as a newly established federal agency within HHS, required a rapid transition from NIH's ServiceNow instance to an independent IT Service Management (ITSM) platform. The agency needed a scalable, user-friendly solution that could support a geographically distributed workforce while maintaining zero service disruption during the transition. The challenge included migrating historical ticket data, establishing new workflows, training staff across multiple locations, and implementing a tiered support structure for standard users, premier support recipients, and executive-level V/VIP personnel.volving organizational structure.
Solution
DAWNE IT Solutions designed and executed a comprehensive Zendesk implementation with seamless ServiceNow migration, establishing a robust ITSM environment tailored to ARPA-H's unique mission requirements.
Technologies Used
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Zendesk (Support, Guide, Chat modules)
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ServiceNow (migration source)
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Okta SSO, Microsoft O365, Slack, HubSpot, Drupal
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Nagios, SolarWinds, Splunk
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Microsoft Teams, Zoom, SharePoint
Implementation Phases
Phase 1: Platform Configuration & Customization
Deployed Zendesk Support, Guide, and Chat modules
Configured custom ticket forms aligned with ARPA-H workflows
Established SLA policies and escalation procedures
Created knowledge base structure and self-service portal
Integrated with existing systems (Okta, Microsoft O365, Slack, HubSpot)
Phase 3: Tiered Support Structure
Tier 1 (General User Support): Staffed Service Desk from 6 AM - 6 PM weekdays with HDI and ITIL-certified personnel
Tier 2 (Premier Support): Hyper-care support for designated high-priority users
Tier 3 (V/VIP Concierge Service): Dedicated Customer Success Managers providing personalized support for executive leadership, with accelerated SLA response times, exclusive communication channels, and white-glove service delivery
Phase 2: ServiceNow Data Migration
Extracted and transformed historical ticket data from NIH ServiceNow
Migrated knowledge articles, user profiles, and organizational data
Preserved ticket history and audit trails for compliance
Validated data integrity and completeness
Established data mapping and reconciliation processes
Phase 4: Extended Coverage & Multi-Channel Support
Extended hours coverage: 6 PM - 12 AM weekdays for critical issues
Weekend support: 8 AM - 12 AM Saturday and Sunday
Multi-channel access: telephone, email, web portal, and chat
Self-service knowledge base available 24/7
Phase 5: Training & Knowledge Transfer
Comprehensive end-user training for ARPA-H staff nationwide
Administrator training for internal IT personnel
Created standard operating procedures (SOPs) and documentation
Established ongoing training program for new hires
Results & Outcomes
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during ServiceNow to Zendesk migration
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100% data migration success rate with full historical preservation
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90%+ user satisfaction scores across all support tiers
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35% reduction in average ticket resolution time (from 48 hours to 31 hours)
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50% decrease in ticket volume through self-service knowledge base
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24/7 self-service access enabling after-hours issue resolution
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Multi-location support for nationwide ARPA-H workforce
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ISO 9001-certified service desk operations maintaining rigorous quality standards
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Seamless integration with 8+ enterprise systems
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Executive-level satisfaction with V/VIP concierge service
Compliance & Standards
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Service desk operations aligned with ITIL best practices
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All service desk personnel HDI-certified
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Quality management system certification
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Federal information security compliance
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Compliance with federal budget execution requirements
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Accessibility compliance for all user interfaces
