5 Powerful Ways Jira Service Management (JSM) Solved a $100M Supply Chain Problem

Transforming Supply Chain Challenges with Jira Service Management

Supply chain challenges are common and often complex, requiring efficient collaboration, fast response times, and a carefully developed tool stack to manage. An unlikely contributor to supply chain visibility, Jira Service Management (JSM) has emerged as a vital component in solving one company’s $100M supply chain problem. Several JSM features played a part, configured carefully to support a specific claims management process. 

In practice, operating this configuration granted the company the benefit of greater visibility on its supply chain and a more efficient process that saves millions of dollars annually. Let’s look at the features of JSM that went into building this solution.

1. Jira Issues are the Destination for Claims Information

JSM was born as an ITSM tool, serving much of the Fortune 500 in that capacity for many years. Like its older sibling, Jira, JSM operates using ‘projects’ as a storage mechanism for ‘issues’, sometimes called tickets or requests. In the case of our client, a familiar staple of backyard BBQs, these issues are instead referred to as “claims”, and a new claim is created every time something goes wrong with a shipment, stored into a project configured to support that process. 

Key Benefits:

• The company replaced inefficient email and spreadsheet-based tracking systems with JSM.

• Claims, stored as issues in JSM, became centralized and accessible to the entire claims team.

• This improved visibility, collaboration, and overall response time.

Real-World Application:

A familiar household name in the food industry now logs every shipment-related problem as a JSM issue. The claims team can view and manage each case systematically, ensuring faster resolutions and better accountability.

2. The Built-in Email Handler Brings Everyone Together

JSM comes with an extensive set of request intake options, including a fully customizable customer portal, Slack and Teams integrations, and a dedicated email address. While email is thought to be among the least efficient ways to ingest request information in the ITSM world, JSM’s built-in mail-handling capabilities are exactly what was needed to bring multiple parties at multiple organizations together for the sake of our client’s claims management process. Requests for claim information now go out via JSM and are received through it into the corresponding issue/claim. 

How It Works:

• Claims-related emails are routed directly into corresponding tickets.
• All communications are logged within the JSM ticket, creating a single source of truth.
• This setup simplifies collaboration with distributors, retailers, and internal teams.

Impact on Supply Chain Visibility:

Centralized email correspondence ensures that nothing slips through the cracks. Stakeholders stay updated, and claims are resolved faster without needing endless email threads.

3. The Assets Database Holds All Important Parties

A more recently added feature of JSM is called Assets, JSM’s built-in CMDB. IT teams love the Assets feature for its ability to discover and catalog networked computing devices and keep track of other kinds of inventory an organization might have. In the case of our client, Assets was leveraged as a kind of contact database, providing claims agents access to the correct contacts for every claim they needed to investigate at each of the distributors and retailers they work with, as well as their own internal logistics department. 

Features Utilized:

• Cataloging distributor and retailer information for quick access.
• Pre-populating contact details into claims tickets, saves agents valuable time.

Efficiency Gains:

By linking claims to the correct contacts automatically, the team drastically reduced manual errors and response times. The Assets feature helped agents conduct thorough investigations without the usual delays.

Pro Tip: Learn more about how JSM’s Assets Database supports complex operations in this case study.

4. Manual Tasks and Claim Statuses Are Automated

JSM’s built-in automation engine can make a lot of different things move: tasks can change statuses under pre-determined conditions, IT customers can be notified when a request has been fulfilled, SLAs that are about to breach can notify agents in time to intervene, and so much more.

For our client, much of their claims investigation process requires correspondence back and forth with distributors and retailers, some of which have been templated and automated to trigger based on certain conditions. For example, when a new claim is created, and a distributor is identified as involved, an automated email pulls their data from the Assets database and sends the first message seeking basic information. 

Implemented Automation:

• Automatic emails are triggered when a new claim is created.
• Pre-filled templates using data from the Assets Database.
• Status changes based on specific conditions, such as distributor responses.

Example Workflow:

When a shipment issue arises, JSM automatically identifies the relevant distributor, pulls their details from the database, and sends a request for information. This process not only saves time but also ensures consistency in communication.

5. Reporting Is Driving Positive Change

Typically, JSM’s reporting is used to measure things like agent effectiveness, the number of SLAs met or breached, and other metrics that are important to the operation of a service team. 

Key Metrics Tracked:

• Claims validated or rejected by distributor or retailer.
• Root cause analysis of supply chain inefficiencies.
• Performance of internal and external parties in resolving claims.

Results Achieved:

These reports enabled the company to pinpoint recurring issues, address controllable problems, and hold external stakeholders accountable. The insights gained directly contributed to millions of dollars in annual savings.

Bringing It All Together

Incorporating Jira Service Management for the sake of claims management proved to be a game-changer, demonstrating how a well-configured ITSM tool can extend far beyond traditional tech support and save millions. Read more about our client’s JSM solution that solved a $100M Problem and consider JSM as a powerful tool for meeting many different business needs.

Praecipio was able to help our client improve their processes and tooling to solve their $100M problem, something we do for many organizations every day. If your organization is drowning in complex processes, cost overruns, and the need for more person-hours, discuss with us how to turn your own $100M problem into a money-saving machine.

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