Learn more: http://earthlinkbusiness.com Challenges The hospital needed to rein in the cost and management challenges of its after-hours help desk, but with more than 200 mostly custom medical applications to support, it doubted that an external team could do the job. Solution CHW’s longstanding, positive relationship with EarthLink for network services opened the door to talks with EarthLink about their TechCare solution. The experienced Technical Analysts and major cost savings “sealed the deal.” Results • Lower costs – The hospital reduces its help desk costs substantially. • Consistent service delivery – The TechCare team supports approximately 200 CHW applications and maintains the same quality of service as the in-house, daytime group. • More detailed reporting – The IS Service Center Manager is kept informed of the team’s activities and the actions taken via detailed reports.

1. CASE STUDY Children’s Hospital of Wisconsin
Trusting After-Hours Service to EarthLink TechCare Enhances
24/7 Customer Care
“
“
Children’s Hospital of Wisconsin Trims
Help Desk Costs Substantially
“We were tenuous about moving our help desk but we took a leap of faith
based on our interactions and history with the EarthLink staff and haven’t
been disappointed. EarthLink TechCare Analysts keep pace with our inhouse team and get just as much positive feedback from customers.”
– Jen Ehlers
IS Service Center Manager, Children’s Hospital of Wisconsin
Challenges
The hospital needed to rein in the
cost and management challenges
of its after-hours help desk, but
with more than 200 mostly custom
medical applications to support,
it doubted that an external team
could do the job.
Solution
CHW’s longstanding, positive
Business Challenges
When you run a high-stakes IT help desk for a children’s hospital, it’s tough to consider
trusting it to someone else. But the increasing costs and management challenges of
operating its after-hours help desk led Children’s Hospital of Wisconsin (CHW) to look
for another option.
Jen Ehlers, IS Service Center Manager, leads the 24/7 help desk serving 5,000
employees at CHW. The hospital network sees thousands of children in Wisconsin,
Northern Illinois and in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula through its hospitals, clinics and
in-school nurses. CHW is consistently ranked among the top 10 children’s hospitals
nationwide.
network services opened the door
to talks with EarthLink about their
TechCare solution. The experienced
Technical Analysts and major cost
savings “sealed the deal.”
Results
• Lower costs – The hospital reduces
its help desk costs substantially.
• Consistent service delivery –
The TechCare team supports
The dedicated caregivers at CHW depend on a sophisticated technology infrastructure
to diagnose and treat young patients. The electronic medical records application is
tapped for every patient interaction, and caregivers rely on critical systems for needs
such as radiology and prescriptions.
The CHW help desk, like the hospital, never closes. Overnight calls, though they
may come hours apart, can be just as critical as daytime calls.
The cost of staffing the help desk on nights and weekends added up. CHW paid
double time, and at times, on-call pay for the third shift. The hospital needed at
least two people there at all times.
Outsourcing the help desk looked very attractive, but hospital management had
serious doubts that an outside team could learn and support the hospital’s more
than 200 applications, most of which are custom.
approximately 200 CHW
applications and maintains the
same quality of service as the
in-house, daytime group.
• More detailed reporting –
The IS Service Center Manager
is kept informed of the team’s
activities and the actions taken
via detailed reports.
“We provide customized service for practically every customer and we have a
huge knowledge base to follow. We have no margin for error,” said Jen Ehlers.
The Solution
CHW meticulously evaluated service providers to take over the after-hours service.
Ehlers asked countless questions and toured facilities before choosing EarthLink’s
TechCare. The fact that CHW already had a positive experience with EarthLink for
network and voice services made the difference. With EarthLink network services,
the hospital saves a significant amount annually.
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Children’s Hospital of Wisconsin Case Study 2013
© 2013 EarthLink, Inc. Trademarks are property of their respective owners. All rights reserved. 1071-07239
relationship with EarthLink for

2. CASE STUDY Children’s Hospital of Wisconsin
Why Children’s Hospital
of Wisconsin Selected
EarthLink Business
“Visiting EarthLink’s New
York site sealed the deal. We
saw the professionals and
their dedication. Most have
15-20 years of experience.”
“TechCare gets our
customer service vision we don’t want our
customers waiting.”
CHW would also reduce its costs with TechCare, as well as maintain its high
service levels.
“We chose EarthLink because of the relationship and trust level we had with the
company and our account executive,” Ehlers said. “Visiting EarthLink’s New York
site sealed the deal. We saw the professionals and their dedication. Most have
15-20 years of experience.”
TechCare provides customized IT care for end users in a fully managed help desk
solution. EarthLink plugs right into CHW’s help desk workflow and knowledge base,
even using the hospital’s existing help desk applications.
For the transition, CHW’s TechCare manager spent an intensive week learning
as much as possible before returning to train his staff over several weeks.“When
you look back on it, it was quite a phenomenal feat,” Ehlers said. “We provided
meticulous documentation and we all worked together to improve our shared
knowledge. TechCare ramped up very quickly.”
The TechCare team covers CHW’s help desk from 7 p.m. to 7 a.m. daily and
throughout the weekend. As requested, analysts follow the hospital’s detailed
knowledge base, and one that TechCare created to supplement it.
“TechCare analysts consult the knowledge base on every call and follow it to a
T,” Ehlers said. “That’s a big priority for us. They also reach out appropriately and
independently to the second tier.”
But what most impresses Ehlers is that TechCare analysts resolve issues for so many
applications that they have never even seen in person, including complex applications
used for critical care situations.
Positioned for the Future
EarthLink TechCare serves as a seamless part of CHW’s own help desk, helping
alleviate the after-hours service while keeping costs down.
“We honestly had doubts about moving our help desk but we took a leap of faith and
haven’t been disappointed,” Ehlers said. “TechCare Analysts have told us that we are
one of the most customized groups they have ever worked with, but they keep pace
with our in-house team and get just as much positive feedback from customers. Our
service is much better now.”
With the move, CHW reduced its help desk staffing costs substantially. Moreover,
TechCare gives Ehlers, as manager of the help desk, much-needed peace of mind
during nights and weekends.
Ehlers values her longstanding relationship with EarthLink and her account executive
in particular.
“I would say that EarthLink is one of the only vendors from which I don’t dread a call,”
she said. “It’s a good, professional relationship. I trust my account executive as much
as I can trust anyone. When she says she’ll deliver, she always follows through.”
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Children’s Hospital of Wisconsin Case Study 2013
© 2013 EarthLink, Inc. Trademarks are property of their respective owners. All rights reserved. 1071-07239
The TechCare team provides detailed daily reports on call volume, open tickets and
talk time that keep management continuously aware of after-hours activity. Now,
they’re in the process of setting up dashboards so everyone has a real-time view.