Overview

The action plan focuses on implementing and configuring Zoho Desk for a medical laboratory services company to improve their client services department. Key aspects include transitioning from email-based request tracking to a systematic ticket management system, addressing fragmented request management, and enhancing workflow coordination among multiple teams. The plan outlines the discovery phase, which includes stakeholder meetings, workflow analysis, and integration assessment with existing systems like Zoho Creator and Vital Access. Deliverables include a comprehensive action plan, Zoho Desk configuration, multi-channel request processing setup, and training resources. The plan also considers future integration opportunities and advanced features like AI agents for automated ticket creation.

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Zoho Action Plan | Specimen Pickup Request Management

This action plan outlines the customer journey for specimen pickup requests and the internal processes needed to support that journey in Zoho Desk.

Specimen Pickup Request Process

• Client Initiates Pickup Request
  
  • 1) Client services will submit specimen pickup request through multiple channels (phone calls, text messages, email, Teams messages) using Zoho Desk (recommended) or the Zoho Creator form
  • 2) Clients will submit specimen pickup request via Zoho Desk help center
    
    • Client can give portal access to clients through help center where they can access all tickets and add additional pickup requests from the portal
      
      • NOTE: they can add themselves to the help center (you can add help articles on how they can add themselves and create pickup requests) or you can send them invites (screenshots for each options below)
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      • Alternatively, Brockbank Consulting will configure Zoho Forms for clients to add their own specimen pickup request intakes
        
        • 3) Sales person will submit specimen pickup request via the Zoho Creator form
          
          • The idea is also to allow our salespeople at some point… to be able to schedule pickups while they’re in the field… We would just embed the form that we create into our Zoho app that we created in Creator. So it would be the form.
          • Brockbank Consulting will integrate the Zoho Creator form with Zoho Desk client service >> specimen pickup request tickets
          • Brockbank Consulting can configure Zoho Creator form  for standardized specimen pickup request submission (internal and external access)
          • NOTE: Zoho Creator should be used as you can use it as an external form (just using a link) and it can integrate with the Zoho Desks accounts/contacts list via lookup fields
          • Brockbank Consulting will create a tabular report of specimen pickup requests in Zoho Analytics which links Zoho Desk tickets to Zoho Creator accounts/owners
            
            • Brockbank Consulting will configure the Zoho Analytics dashboard with a multi-select sales person filter which can be accessed by each salesperson whenever they’d like
            • Brockbank Consulting will add all the details of the specimen pickup form to the tabular report
            • NOTE: Add this to report to Zoho Creator
              • Brockbank Consulting will add this standardized form into client's Zoho Creator app for sales team use
                
                • Account Name (auto-populate address from account
                • NOTE: syncs every hour

• NOTE: there will be a link generated on each account which will add a unique ID to a hidden field within 

• • • Department (“Client Services”  should be auto-filled)
    • Layout (“Specimen Pickup” should be auto-filled)
    • Contact Name and Phone/Email
    • Channel (Phone, Text, Email, Teams, Form)
    • Subject and Description/Notes
    • CS Request Type = On-Demand Specimen Pickup
    • Priority (e.g., STAT, Standard) with SLA logic
    • Transport Company (client Transport, FedEx, UPS, Southwest Cargo)
    • Service Line (Surgical, Dermatology, Podiatry, Toxicology)
    • Requested Pickup Date/Time
    • Address (auto from account; editable if needed)
    • Pickup Location details (e.g., front desk, lockbox)
    • Courier Assigned (populated by transport team when dispatched)
    • Status (Open → Dispatched → Closed)
  • Brockbank Consulting will configure the following stages to the Zoho Desk ticket statuses and send a video to the team on how to use the Zoho Desk statuses kanban view
    
    • Brockbank Consulting can configure notifications to update the client at each stage of this process so that the client is updated automatically on their pickup request
    • Intake — Request captured from phone/text/email/Teams/form; ticket created with required fields
      
      • Brockbank Consulting will add an automation to notify client Transport when a ticket is assigned to them
    • Verify – Details are verified before dispatch
    • Dispatched — Courier selected and scheduled; “Courier Assigned” set; status updated
      
      • Brockbank Consulting will automate the ticket status “Dispatched”
        
        • NOTE: When courier is assigned, this stage is automatically updated
        • NOTE: When “Pickup Confirmation” is filled out, this stage should be automatically updated
    • Received — Specimens confirmed in Vital Access for the account/date
    • Lost – Not received

• • NOTES: Currently 40% of requests use client Transport (Texas), 60% use FedEx/UPS/Southwest Cargo (outside Texas). Time constraints have prevented form creation previously.
  • Brockbank Consulting can create AI agent capabilities to allow copy/paste of emails or voice notes to auto-generate ticket drafts (this can be part of the Zoho Creator flow/through a Zoho Cliq bot which can guide the collection of all required information) 
    
    • Brockbank Consulting can create a proof of concept using an N8N Zoho AI Agent form which will analyze request and create a ticket
      
      • https://youtu.be/PGcAQ1nrK-I?si=6UJGrZGA7Uc6YsRj
  • Client services team will complete required fields if not done already: account selection, contact information, priority, transport company, service line, pickup date/time, address, pickup location details
  • Zoho can auto-populate address information on the ticket when account is selected
    
    • Brockbank Consulting will configure the account information to populate the ticket information
    • NOTE: is the pickup request always the accounts address? If not, the address information should be accessible on the ticket so it can change per pickup request (95% of the time pickup request is account address) 
  • NOTES: Duplicate accounts currently exist due to inadequate training. Account information stored in Zoho Creator but not integrated with the CRM system.
    
    • Brockbank Consulting can integrate Zoho CRM with Zoho Desk so team can use the deduplication feature in Zoho CRM to clean accounts/contacts within Zoho Desk (totally optional, just something to think about) 
• Transport Company Assignment and Dispatch
  
  • Zoho will automatically assign tickets to “client Transport team” (the ticket owner field) when transport company is “client Transport”
  • Client Transport team will monitor their team queue within Zoho Desk for new assignments
  • Client Transport team will dispatch courier and update “Courier Assigned” field with specific person’s name/initials
    
    • Zoho will trigger workflow rules to change status to “Dispatched” and reassign ticket back to appropriate client services team based on service line (surgical, dermatology, podiatry, toxicology)
      
      • Brockbank Consulting will configure this
  • NOTES: Client Transport is a separate company with limited process control. They currently use initials instead of full names for courier assignment.
• Specimen Collection and Transportation
  
  • Courier will collect specimens from client location
  • Multiple specimens may be packaged together, especially for client Transport consolidation at courier facilities
  • Courier will ship specimens via designated transport method (client Transport, FedEx, UPS, Southwest Cargo)
  • NOTES: Southwest Cargo shipments lack manifest details, causing specimen tracking issues. No current scanning occurs at pickup.
• Laboratory Receipt and Processing
  
  • Data entry team will receive specimens and log them into Vital Access (LIS system)
  • Client services team member will cross-reference Vital Access daily to verify specimen receipt
  • Team member will search Vital Access by account name and receive date to confirm specimens match ticket requests
  • Team member will close tickets in Zoho Desk once specimens are confirmed received (We would recommend changing “Closed” to “Received” but this is a small suggestion not a must-have)  
  • NOTES: Two different teams handle ticket creation vs. specimen receipt. Individual specimen tracking not possible at this time as clients often don’t know which specimens are in a specific specimen pickup request
• Sales Team Notification
  
  • Zoho will send automated notifications to sales representatives a daily digest of clients’ specimen pickup requests are completed (this will send daily the report that joins Zoho Creator/Zoho Desk pickup information) 
    
    • NOTE: The report should be pre-filtered date field (via the link in the email to the last day of pickup requests) 
    • Brockbank Consulting will configure this
  • Sales representatives will access real-time reports filtered by their accounts to view pickup request status
    
    • NOTE: as mentioned above
  • NOTES: Sales team currently lacks visibility into client pickup requests and seeks notifications similar to previous email CC system.

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Additional Process Improvements

• Training and Documentation
  
  • Brockbank Consulting will provide SOP creation training using Zoho Learn
  • Client services team will create video-based SOPs for new system processes
  • Brockbank Consulting will establish sustainable training workflow for ongoing system modifications
• SLA Management
  
  • Brockbank Consulting can configure Zoho with a 4-hour SLA for STAT priority requests along with other SLAs
  • Brockbank Consulting can configure priority-based workflow rules and reminders
• Custom Views and Filtering
  
  • Brockbank Consulting can create filtered views in Zoho Desk for new proposed statuses
  • Client services team will use custom views to see only specimen pickup requests (not all ticket types)
  • Individual team members will create personal views for tickets they created or are assigned to

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Future Integration Opportunities

• Vital Access API Integration
  
  • Brockbank Consulting will explore API capabilities for automatic ticket closure when specimens are scanned
  • NOTES: Vital Access has limited API functionality. Integration timeline estimated 6+ months minimum.
• Specimen-Level Tracking
  
  • Future barcode system implementation will enable individual specimen tracking within pickup requests
  • Current process tracks at request level only due to client uncertainty about specimen quantities
  • Optional specimen detail fields recommended for gradual adoption over 5-10 year timeline

• Transport Company Logic
  
  • Automated assignment based on geographic location (Texas = client, Outside Texas = FedEx/UPS)
  • Support for Southwest Cargo air bill tracking without detailed manifests
• Service Line Routing
  
  • Workflow rules to route completed requests to appropriate internal teams (surgical, dermatology, podiatry, toxicology)

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