Beyond the Buzz and How AI Is Transforming Today’s Service Desks

Last month, the Sunrise team attended SDI’s ‘Service Desk Excellence: Unleashing the Fun in Continual Improvement’ event, a brilliant opportunity to connect with service management professionals, share ideas, and celebrate the fantastic work IT teams are delivering across the UK.  

One of our highlights was when our very own David Bullivant was joined by Andy Jones, ITSM System Developer at Mid Mersey Digital Alliance (MMDA), a long-time Sunrise customer, NHS trust, and finalist for Technology and Innovation of the Year at the upcoming SDI Awards. Together, they explored how Sunrise AI has helped MMDA improve responsiveness, efficiency, and the overall IT experience across the organisation. 

A Practical Look at AI in Action 

Rather than exploring theoretical possibilities, Andy focused on real outcomes, the day-to-day improvements MMDA has seen since introducing Sunrise’s AI capabilities. His story highlighted how AI, when applied with purpose, can help teams work smarter, build stronger relationships across the organisation, and deliver an elevated level of service. 

Earlier this year they introduced D.A.V.E (Digital Assistant Virtual Engineer), MMDA’s AI-powered chatbot, built in partnership with Sunrise and fully integrated with their service desk. D.A.V.E has modernised how staff log issues, receive updates, and stay informed, all within Microsoft Teams. 

Find out more about D.A.V.E here: How Mid Mersey Digital Alliance are Transforming NHS IT Support with Sunrise Chatbot 

Five Key Benefits MMDA Has Achieved With Sunrise AI 

Below are the core improvements MMDA has experienced, backed by the data Andy shared during the session. 

1. Stronger Connections Between IT and Users

With D.A.V.E giving staff a quick and accessible way to interact with the service desk, MMDA saw a clear lift in engagement. From June to July, user-initiated updates increased by 21.8%, and updates sent to users rose by 53.1%, showing how much easier D.A.V.E has made it for the team to keep people informed. This has helped create a more open, collaborative relationship between users and the service desk. 

2. Faster, More Accurate Triage

With D.A.V.E supporting the logging process and guiding users to provide the right information upfront, MMDA saw a 15.5% increase in new calls logged, while the average time savings were impressive: 

• 5 minutes saved per user, per call 

• 6 minutes saved for the service desk, per incident logged 

These efficiency gains mean issues are logged quickly and routed more accurately, reducing delays for everyone involved. 

3. Higher Quality and More Consistent Service

Sunrise AI provides analysts with intelligent recommendations and fast access to consistent, ITIL-aligned knowledge. This improved guidance helps analysts deliver a more reliable, professional experience while maintaining high quality even during busy periods or major incidents. It also ensures new or less experienced analysts can contribute confidently. 

4. A Better IT Experience for Everyone

MMDA’s digital assistant has also had a noticeable impact on customer satisfaction activity. Customer surveys completed via D.A.V.E. increased by 24.8%, showing greater engagement and an improved overall experience. Combined with time savings and service quality improvements, the IT experience is now faster, clearer, and more dependable for analysts and users alike. 

Sunrise AI: Helping Service Desks Solve Faster, Serve Smarter, and Shine Brighter 

MMDA’s success with D.A.V.E. shows how valuable AI can be when it’s brought directly to users in a simple, familiar way. As an AI-powered chatbot within Microsoft Teams, D.A.V.E has made it easier for staff to log issues, get updates, and stay informed without switching systems or waiting in queues. 

Sunrise is now taking AI-powered support one step further with a wider suite of capabilities built to elevate service desks even more. 
Our latest AI capabilities, including Auto Triage, Smart Resolution, and Knowledge Creator, all powered by our AI engine, Solvyr™, are designed to support that mission by giving teams intelligent, practical tools that: 

• Solve faster with automated triage and classification 

• Serve smarter through contextual insights and ITIL-aligned, AI-powered knowledge 

• Shine brighter by reducing effort and making excellent service easier to deliver 

These capabilities are all delivered through our single, continuously improved platform: truly configurable without consultants and backed by more than 30 years of service desk expertise. 

Looking Ahead 

We loved being part of the SDI event and were proud to showcase real stories like MMDA’s, which demonstrate how a chatbot can make a practical and meaningful difference for service desks today. It was also inspiring to hear from the other speakers throughout the day, covering themes such as turning small wins into lasting change, improving the way you improve, and rediscovering the fun side of continual improvement through curiosity and experimentation. 

A huge thank you to Andy Jones and the Mid Mersey Digital Alliance for sharing their journey. If you’d like to explore how Solvyr™, Sunrise’s AI engine, could support your own team, we’d be delighted to show you what’s possible.