Extreme Events Management Phase 1: Unplanned Disruptions

The vision was big, but I knew the Live Operations team still had unmet needs.
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After the Extreme Events Management Command Center vision was complete, I started the process of creating a near-term solution that would serve as the foundation for the vision to be built in the future.
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The Live Operations team was missing a very critical workflow: unplanned disruptions. The current process of handling unplanned disruptions can feel like a big game of telephone in an emergency. The solution I proposed for the near term is a dashboard that we can implement into Instacart's platform where they can be alerted, intervene, and communicate in one place.

I moved all direct processes for being notified, intervening and communicating store closures into Instacart's internal platform.

Jira played a huge role in the teams process, but this tool was clunky, cumbersome, and since it was a third party tool, the team had little control over it's functions. As a solution, I created a dashboard for unplanned disruption requests, a new form for the customer service agents to notify the Live Ops team, and a created a portal for interventions that all live within Instacart's internal platform.

By unifying the team's process in one place, they now have full control of all internal tools that they use for direct Instacart actions, from initial notification, store interventions, and partner communication.

Okay...So What?

The amount of obstacles between a disruption happening and the operations team intervening is far too high. The time it takes for the team to be alerted can result in hundreds of canceled orders, lost revenue, and very unhappy customers.

With so many tools, procedures, and stakeholders in this one journey friction points and hiccups are not only more likely, but inevitable. If one component of this balance if off, the entire process will suffer.

How can we create a cohesive end-to-end experience, simplify processes, and reduce negative impact in the present?
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We consolidated 65% of the most crucial internal tools, such as Jira and Zendesk, that were cornerstones in the intervention process into IPP. This created a space for all the live ops internal tools to live and grow called Marketplace Ops.

Within the Marketplace Ops tab are the three main actions that can be performed: submitting intervention requests, managing requests, as well as creating and managing interventions.

Store Closure Request Form

Unplanned Disruptions Dashboard/Closure Requests

Intervention Dashboard

This process went through several rounds of refinement before the final products were agreed upon. I was able to guide the team and product partners through the process of feature prioritization.

Since the care team was already familiar with IPP, I thought it was the perfect opportunity to build the request form directly into IPP. This reduces the number of tools they use and creates a more seamless experience.

Unfortunately, due to resourcing and timeline constraints we could not accommodate all the features. I was able to ensure that components, such as messaging, were prioritized for future phases.

Cool! So, What Now?

The iterative process lead to solutions that address the most immediate issues within the team's workflow.

The resulting products are lean, flexible, and adaptable, with a new process that patch the holes in their current flow.

The original process of disjointed tools, several contact points, and hidden information left all parties involved frustrated.. I created a new workflow that filled their current gaps, unified all internal communication and process, and laid the ground work for the future vision.

In the event of an unplanned disruption, customer service agents no longer use third party tools, such as Jira.

Instead, they can submit forms directly through Instacart's internal platform.

In 3 steps, customer support can search for store information, create a request, and submit it to the Live Operations team.

I also ensured that creating a request in bulk was just as easy.

After the request is submitted, the ticket lands in the Unplanned Disruptions inbox which gives a birdseye view of the most important information for the team to act on.

At a glimpse, the user can see health metrics, closure requests, and information specific to each request.

The side panel is multi-functional, allowing the team to adjust settings, review request information, and act quickly.

Once the team decides on what interventions to take, the intervention flow is launched, and they can easily edit store configurations within the details page.

The team can edit the configurations of one store or hundreds.

I finished this 3 part product by revamping the intervention flow, making it more streamlined and visually consistent with the rest of the experience.

NEW VERSION

OLD VERSION

Once the intervention is submitted, communication regarding the actions are automatically sent out to internal steaks, stakeholders, as well as retailers.

I created a new streamlined process for the Live Operations team to handle unplanned disruptions, brought the entire process into one tool, and created a consistent, smoother experience.

Faster Response Times

I was able to reduce response times from the initial alert, intervening on disruptions, and communication by 45%.

Full Control

Bringing all the tools that are needed for alerting, intervening, and communication into one tool gives the Live Ops team full control over their process,. They can easily reconfigure the dashboards, add variables, and organize information in their own way. This has boosted the confidence of the team and allowing them to stay adaptable.

Built for the future

The initiative to bring all of the teams process into one place within Instacart's Internal platform laid the ground work for the Extreme Events Management Command Center vision. They can continue working while the map experience is being built, allowing for no gaps in their work.

Overview.

Extreme Events Management Phase 1: Unplanned Disruptions

Okay...So What?

Cool! So, What Now?

Current State.