how to improve life on the service desk?

Life on the service desk in 2016 and how to improve it

Stephen Mann Independent ITSM Blogger, Writer & Presenter @stephenmann

@freshserviceapp Brought to you by

Coverage

Survey background When? Who? How?

ITSM tools ITSM tools, tool vendors

& tool selection

Pain points & tips Operational pain areas &

life on the service desk

The future What the future holds for

service desks

Survey background

•  SDI members responded to a Q4 2015 survey.

•  Report written by Ollie O’Donoghue, SDI Industry Analyst.

•  Report looks ahead to 2016, and also refers back to 2012 survey data.

•  Sponsored by Freshservice.

Report: http://bit.ly/sdi-report

Tool and vendor-related frustrations Innovation, or lack of Tool selection influences

ITSM tools, tool vendors, & tool selection

•  Respondents were asked to list 5 frustrations with their current ITSM tool.

•  These were then placed into 11 categories to allow comparison with the 2012 research.

What are your top 5 frustrations with your current ITSM tool?

2015 2012


•  Respondents were asked to list 3 innovations that they would like to see in a future ITSM tool.


List 3 key innovations/improvements that you would like to see in your ITSM tool in the next 12 months?

2015 2012

List 3 key innovations/improvements that you would like to see in your ITSM

tool in the next 12 months?




2015 2012




A similar story? 2015 2012

Key innovations/improvements

Features •  Predictive knowledge management •  Ability to run problem analysis within the tool •  Improved chat capability •  Translations made easy •  Request fulfilment tracking module •  Better workflow functionality •  Better search functionality •  Release management interface

Top frustrations

Features •  Lacking automation in core processes •  Lack of mobile interface •  Limited browser support •  Limited self-service functions •  No integrated CMDB •  No separation between incident and service

request



Top frustrations


request

Different perspectives?



Top frustrations


request

Old tool? Wrong tool?

5 things you can do • Admit that things aren’t right with your ITSM tool

• Don’t sink with a “capsizing” service desk or ITSM tool

• Recognize that sticking with the “cheap” option might be costing you more than it saves

• Recognize the importance of getting your business requirements right

• Consider some of the freely available tool selection best practice tips

Quick tips for ITSM tool selection •  Remember that “If you ask the wrong questions then you’ll get the wrong

answer”

•  Understand what you need to accomplish – from the perspective of business outcomes, not IT operations

•  Don’t be distracted by the available technologies

•  Focus on what your company needs, not on what the market says you need

•  Be crystal clear about which high-level requirements are “must-haves” versus merely “nice-to-haves”

Quick tips for ITSM tool selection •  Try to remain impartial

•  Leave the vendor enough room to explain how they can help rather than limiting them to saying that they have features x and y

•  Don’t forget to scope in any planned future improvements to operations

•  Don’t always take vendor responses at face value – if it’s important then seek out greater detail and perhaps even proof

•  Consider how a dollar saved in tool licensing might cost you ten dollars in its day-to-day operation

•  Respondents were asked to list 5 frustrations with their current ITSM tool vendor.


What are your top 5 frustrations with your current ITSM tool vendor?

2015 2012

What are your top 5 frustrations with your current ITSM tool vendor?

5 things you can do •  Realize that an ITSM tool purchase is so much more than just the acquisition of software

(or a SaaS subscription)

•  Rise above the usual non-functional selection criteria to understand what you really need and expect

•  Look beyond RFP responses to get market feedback on supplier performance across support, relationships, and innovation

•  “Hijack” the sales guy by asking “What are the top 3 product innovations in the last 12 months?”

•  Track down and speak with more than just the offered customer references

•  Respondents were asked to select their top 5 influences from a list.

What would influence your selection of a new ITSM tool?

2015

2012

-

Biggest pain points Is service desk life getting better?

Operational pain areas and life on the service desk

•  Respondents were asked to select 5 pain-causing options from a list.

•  Note – in 2012 respondents were given 3 selections

In your daily service desk life, what causes you the most pain?

2015

2012

5 ways to up self-service adoption

•  Invest in better knowledge management

• Offer choice (of access channel)

• Support mobile access to self-service

• Recognize the difference between UI and UX

• Use fit-for-purpose technology

•  Respondents were asked to select 1 of 3 options.

During the past year, has life on your service desk...

2015 2012

Last year Future priorities Expectations for change

What the future holds for service desks

During the last 12 months, where has your service desk spent most of its time?

•  Respondents were asked to select all the options that applied from a list.

Rank Response 1 Fire-fighting

2 Implementing new process

3 Helping customers with their own devices (BYOD)

4 Other

5 Implementing ITIL best practice and training

6 Justifying its existence

7 Speaking with customers and building relationships

2012 responses

5 things you can do •  Question whether implementing new processes is making enough of a difference

•  Focus operational improvements on “working smarter, not harder” – automation, self-service, and knowledge management

•  Quantify the cost of staying with a service desk or ITSM tool that impedes operational performance

•  Propose change based on better outcomes rather than just changing inputs (across people, process, and technology)

•  See the previous self-service adoption tips

What are your top service desk priorities for 2016?


Rank Response 1 Increasing our value to the business

2 Improving what we have

3 Increasing first time fix rates

4 Managing changes within business

5 Reducing inbound calls/emails

6 Supporting more devices(i.e. BYOD)

7 Cost reduction

8 Consolidating services

9 Investing in a new ITSM tool

10 Other

2015 responses

NEW

NEW-ish

NEW-ish

2012 responses


During 2016, which of the following do you expect to see?

Rank Response

1 Provide support/more support for mobile devices (BYOD)

2 More use of self-service

3 An increase in business service promotion

4 Increased demand for business metrics and reporting

5 Service desks using social media more

6 Use more self-help

7 No big changes/things will stay the same

2015 responses

NEW-ish

NEW

NEW 2012 responses

5 things you can do •  Determine what’s actually needed by your organization rather than following the

herd

•  Understand what customer experience is (and isn’t)

•  Look to better outcomes rather than the blind adoption of new processes or additional technology

•  Distinguish between the things that have been proven to make a difference and those that are “good ideas”

•  Remember what your service desk capability is needed for

10,000 Customers

Series D $31M

1000 Customers Launched

30,000 Customers

Launched

SF HQ

Seed Funding

Series B $5M

Series C $7M

2014 2013 2012 2011 2015 2010

Freshdesk Founded

UK, AU offices added

Series E $50M

60,000 Customers

2016

~600 employees - Germany office added

Launched

Freshdesk - Growth Timeline

Enable IT organisation of all sizes to provide exceptional IT service delivery and support

Freshservice customers

•  Intuitive UI, Easy to use

• Easy to setup & configure workflow automation

• Strong Self-Service Capabilities

• Gamified IT Service Desk

Why Freshservice

Freshservice capabilities Incident

Management

Knowledge Management

Self service Management

Service Request

Problem Management

Change Management

Release Management

Asset Management

CMDB

Contract Management

HW and SW Discovery

Reporting

SLA Management

Workflow Management

Intuitive UI

Anytime, anywhere access

Extensibility with API and integrations

Gamification

Ticket view

Service catalog

Auto suggest

Gamification

Admin dashboard

Mobile service desk

Summary •  Add automation where it adds value

•  Get self-service and knowledge management right

•  Question the suitability of existing service desk or ITSM technology

•  Look at how customer experience will impact the demands on your service desk and wider IT organization

•  Ensure that metrics and reporting do the efforts of the service desk team justice

Thank you

Try Freshservice for a free trial.

Freshservice.com/signup

Life on the service desk – Report

Report: http://bit.ly/sdi-report

how to improve life on the service desk?

Technology