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HDI Heartland Quarterly Event
A successful first quarter event is complete for the Heartland Chapter. This event was hosted by TGS. There was a turnout of fifteen people.
The Heartland Chapter President Stephen Sellaro provided chapter updates. Discussion where focussed on the Heartland target of holding Events in March, June, September and December. There will be guest Speakers at each Event and the last Event will be the Awards Ceremony in December. Emphases was placed on the value of these meetings. What do people want to see from these meetings?
Stephen gathered a list of topics of interest for future meetings (Centric guest speaker, work flow process, WFM, metrics, connect wise management, KM, tools, Automation chat bots, availability metrics, and training). If you would like to see a topic not mentioned be sure to contact the Heartland President Stephen Sellaro.
Josh Stahl provided slides on the Cerner Help Desk processes, work flows, tools and metrics. Cerner is a large organization and they have a plethora of applications that they support. They breakdown their support into different segments, that provide backup support for other segments. The ITSM tool of choice is Remedy and the KM of choice is Remedy. They have over 10,000 knowledge articles. They have a proprietary screen/dashboard called DragonDrop that sets on top of the Remedy knowledge management. This helps with the usefulness of the Remedy KM articles.
A great big Thank You goes out to our Host Don Newsom at TGS and to our Guest Speaker Josh Stahl from Cerner.
Don't miss our next Event in June.
Heartland Chapter
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August 14, 2026 Edition of Support World News
HDI SupportWorld: Finding the Right Balance Between AI, Automation, and Human Expertise
This week’s HDI SupportWorld explores how service and support teams can prepare for a future where AI and automation take on more routine work—without losing sight of the value people bring.
In “When AI Does the Talking, What Are Humans For?”, Doug Tedder argues that as AI handles tasks like password resets, status checks, and other routine transactions, the role of the service desk must evolve. While AI can provide answers quickly, people still bring judgment, critical thinking, confidence, and trust. The opportunity for support professionals is to work alongside AI while strengthening the uniquely human skills that technology cannot easily replace.
Matt Beran takes a different angle in “Automation Is Still Better Than AI.” He reminds organizations not to overlook traditional automation in the rush toward AI. For predictable, rules-based work, automation can often provide a more reliable and efficient solution. His approach is simple: let AI identify patterns, let people determine the right action, and use automation to execute it consistently.
The newsletter also highlights the upcoming HDI & ICMI Idea Exchange, focused on continuous learning in a rapidly changing workplace. The August 21 session will feature an interactive, drama-based learning experience designed to help teams explore common workplace challenges while building skills for the future.
Together, these stories offer an important reminder: the future of service isn't about choosing between people and technology. It's about using AI, automation, and human expertise together to create better service experiences.
