Chapter 1 1

MAKING SELF SERVICE A REALITY

TABLE OF CONTENTS

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

CHAPTER 1: THE PROMISE OF GOING DIGITAL

CHAPTER 2: SELF SERVICE: KEY TO DIGITAL SUCCESS

CHAPTER 3: ADVANTAGES OF SELF SERVICE IT

CHAPTER 4: CHALLENGES OF IMPLEMENTING SELF SERVICE

CHAPTER 5: BEST PRACTICES FOR DEPLOYING SELF SERVICE

CHAPTER 6: LOOKING AHEAD TO DIGITAL SERVICES MANAGEMENT

CONCLUSION

1

2

5

8

11

13

18

20

Introduction 1

This ebook will examine the challenges faced by companies in establishing self service, and will look at the steps and best practices they should take to succeed. It also includes a look at the future, explaining the role of ITSM and digital service management in longer-term strategic planning.

Executive Summary

Giving your users the ability to service themselves is one of the fastest ways to build business value in a digital enterprise. But there’s a right way and a wrong way to establish the infrastructure, manage demand and create experiences that will delight different types of users.

The Promise of Going DigitalCHAPTER 1

Chapter 1 3

EVERYBODY IS GOING DIGITAL

A 2016 ACCENTURE SURVEY REVEALED THAT 62% OF BUSINESSES ARE INVESTING IN DIGITAL TECHNOLOGIES, AND 35% ARE “COMPREHENSIVELY” INVESTING IN DIGITAL INITIATIVES AS THEIR OVERALL BUSINESS STRATEGY.1

Evolving Into a Digital Enterprise Pays Off

Every company is actively thinking about how to become a digital business. This is not surprising when you consider the advantages.

81% of businesses believe that in the digital future, industry boundaries will dramatically blur as platforms reshape industries into interconnected ecosystems.2

The PricewaterhouseCoopers 19th CEO Survey 2016 showed that 90% of CEOs are changing how they use digital technology so they can meet the ever-higher expectations of employees, customers, partners, and other stakeholders. 3

1 Accenture. “Accenture Technology Vision: Digital Business Era: Stretch Your Boundaries.” 2016.2 Ibid.3 PricewaterhouseCoopers. “19th CEO Survey 2016.”

62% 35%

90%

businesses investing in digital technologies

businesses are comprehensively investing as overall business strategy

of CEOs are changing how they use digital technology

of businesses believe that in the digital future

81%

Chapter 1 4

Digital Services Require the Right Support

Digital businesses also require companies to provide users with the right information, technology tools, and support to help them do whatever they need to do, from literally anywhere in the world.

Your IT service desk thus becomes more than a single point of contact for problems and issues with the business and technology used by your workforce—it can also enhance the productivity of your users as they engage in activities that drive revenues.

The key to this is providing self service so that employees can quickly access the resources they need to get their jobs done—whenever and wherever they happen to be.

Types of Self Service Functions

Digital Services Are Different

In a digital enterprise, your employees and devices are all connected to the internet. Cloud, social and collaboration technologies allow organizations to tap into vast pools of human and machine resources scattered around the world.

Because of this, IT services in a digital enterprise are very different from the services of the past in the following ways:

• They are highly intuitive

• They put mobility first

• They evolve at a speed and operate at a scale not seen in the traditional IT world

• They enable users to be productive on a whole new level

0% 50%25 % 75% 100 %

Source: Software Advice. “Top Self Service Channel Implementations IndustryView.” 2014.

Self Service: Key to Digital Success CHAPTER 2

Chapter 2 6

Drivers of Self Service IT Support

A number of things are driving the need for self service:

• A growing demand for flexible work hours

• A growing acceptance of telecommuting and remote work

• Increased use of cloud-based software, especially software-as-a-service (SaaS) applications

• Accelerating use of mobile devices and smartphones at work

• The new always-on economy

Businesses like Amazon and Uber have made self service ubiquitous in our daily lives. Many of today’s workers have a do-it-yourself attitude. Self service resolves matters much faster than going through an agent, and user productivity isn’t impacted by having to wait for a response.

We’re Turning Into a Self Reliant Society

According to The Real Self Service Economy, 40% of consumers said they prefer self service to human contact for future contact with companies. A full 70% expect a company website to include a self service application.4

This bolsters Forrester Research’s most recent North American Consumer Technographics Customer Life Cycle Survey that found people are reviewing frequently asked questions (FAQ) pages rather than speaking with agents on the phone. According to the survey, self service usage increased from 67% in 2012 to 76% in 2014, whereas phone usage remains the same at 73%.5

4 Steven Van Bellegham. “The Real Self Service Economy.” 2015.5 Forrester Research. “North American Consumer Technographics Customer Life Cycle Survey.” 2014.

67% 76%self service

usage in 2014self service

usage in 2012

phone usage remains same

73%

Chapter 2 7

Self Service: a Definition

Self service is typically delivered through an online site that enables users—employees, customers, and partners—to get needed information and perform transactions on demand. These sites are open 24/7, and enable users to do everything from checking bank balances to ordering goods or services, to paying bills. In the IT world, self service is used by businesses to eliminate as many unnecessarily manual and resource-intensive IT processes as possible by providing a one-stop shop for IT services to users like BMC’s MyIT Service Broker.

From quickly self-resolving simple issues such as password resets to self-provisioning services such as cloud instances, self service takes the strain off the IT service desk by empowering users to resolve their own issues, request and track services, share knowledge and solve problems through collaboration and crowdsourcing.

And businesses shouldn’t let high satisfaction ratings fool them into thinking their customers don’t want self service: Even those who rate their service desk highly still attempt to solve problems themselves.6

6 Elinor Kavens and Eveline Oehrlich (Forrester). “Five Key Initiatives To Wow Your Workforce With Your Service Desk Extend Your Service Desk Automation Now.” September 18, 2015

Source: Forrester 2015

56%

77%

77%

73%

try to solve problem themselves before contacting help desk

emotion

effectivenessservice desk satisfaction

EVEN CUSTOMERS WHO THINK HIGHLY OF THEIR SERVICE DESK USE SELF SERVICE.

ease

Advantages of Self Service ITCHAPTER 3

Chapter 3 9

Long-Term Strategic Advantages

In the past, self service was viewed as a short-term solution to cut costs. But the latest generations of IT service management (ITSM) technology transforms self service into a key productivity tool—and even a way to accelerate generating revenues—that help businesses over the long term. Here are some of the advantages:

• Makes it easier for users to ask questions, find answers, and request services

• Reduces the pressure on IT and support costs by “crowdsourcing” IT services and support

• Increases productivity by enabling users to access business apps on any device

• Enhances efficiency by making it possible for users to order hardware and install software with a few clicks

Can IT Self Service Save Money?The cost of a help desk event varies considerably with the type of method that is used. Self service is obviously the cheapest method. However, not every IT service request can be completed via self service.

Cost per incident of help-desk methods

The fact is that self service will help with “Level 1” support costs such as password resets or things that can be resolved with a FAQ. But it will not reduce costs across all types of support calls. Level 3 issues still require the help of a technology vendor, and Level 4 still require contacting the vendor. On average, businesses are saving money with self service. According to the 2015 HDI Practices and Salary Report, 63% of IT organizations experienced higher ticket requests in the past year. Because password problems make up 20% to 30% of all IT service desk requests, automating that function can save organizations money. 7

Advantages of Self Service IT

Help Desk Method

$5

$8

$16

$25

Self Service

Web

Email

Phone

Cost

Source: Software Advice. “Top Self Service Channel Implementations IndustryView.” 2014.

Source: Help Desk Institute. “2015 HDI Practices and Salary Report.” 2015.

CONSIDERABLY IMPROVED IMPROVED

NO EFFECTWORSENED

Chapter 3 10

Better Manage Shadow IT

Much of the benefits of self service are

more strategic in nature. Take the growing challenge of shadow IT. A recent survey by Harris Poll showed that seven out of 10 office employees used technology outside of that licensed by their IT department for work. More than 50% admitted they would rather find a free cloud service such as Google Docs, DropBox, Evernote, or Skype rather than ask IT for a solution.8

With self service, forward-thinking digital enterprises can create a win-win situation by giving business users the tools they need via a consumer-like experience without sacrificing IT control.

7 Help Desk Institute (HDI). “2015 HDI Practices and Salary Report.” 20158 Tom Kaneshige (CIO). “Why Workers Want Self Service IT.” March 13, 2015.

On average, businesses are saving money with self service. According to the 2015 HDI Practices and Salary Report, 63% of IT organizations experienced higher ticket requests in the past year. Because password problems make up 20% to 30% of all IT service desk requests, automating that function can save organizations money. 7

>50%

would rather usefree cloud service

IT organizations experienced higher ticket requests

IT service desk request are password problems

Skype

Google Docs

Dropbox

Evernote

63%

20-30%

Chapter 4 11

Challenges of Implementing Self Service CHAPTER 4

Chapter 4 12

Build It and They Might Not Come

Self service is not a silver bullet to solve all IT support issues. Sometimes these projects fail because of inadequate planning, promotion, and measurement. Here are the three biggest challenges.

9 The Northridge Group. “State of Customer Support Experience.” 2015.

User resistance. Although self service is very attractive to many employees—especially millennials and Generation Z—some users aren’t yet comfortable with technology. A case in point: today, the phone remains by far the most popular channel to resolve urgent issues (77%). Although that number changes for non-urgent issues—with most people preferring email, then phone, for support—self service still lags far behind.9

Many ITSM self service tools are immature and difficult to implement. Because technology is evolving so fast, including in the areas of mobility, cloud, and the internet of things (IoT), the ITSM tools for implementing self service often lack the capability to deal with changing IT environments and users’ demands. Organizations need to ensure that the ITSM tools they buy are flexible enough to deliver the user experience desired, and scalable enough to grow as the number of self service options increase—as they inevitably will.

Constant monitoring and updating. Organizations can’t just install self service and forget about it. The IT team needs to constantly monitor how it is being used, and whether users are satisfied with it. If they aren’t satisfied, IT needs to solicit feedback for improving the experience from users. Another ongoing responsibility is to ensure the knowledgebase is accurate and up-to-date—especially if crowdsourcing is used to populate it with content.

Best Practices for Deploying Self ServiceCHAPTER 5

Chapter 5 14

Eight Steps to Self Service Success

10 Christian Reni (CustomerGauge). “Why Customers Prefer Self Service Support, But Only If It’s Done Right.” May 26, 2015.

1 Identify your audience and their needs.

To be efficient, services should be standardized around use cases, such as the onboarding and provisioning of equipment for new employees. Once this has been automated, it becomes easier to make small adjustments that may be necessary for specific locations, for example, linking smartphone orders for new employees to a local telecom supplier.

Understand the spectrum of diverse users who exist in your organization. Determine the needs of each segment by such things as demographics, products usage, skill-level with IT products and services, and users’ access preferences within the self service function.

Also, remember to start with the user, not the technology. Self service is a fundamental shift in the way you deliver IT to users. Make it easy to use. Components like the knowledgebase and service catalog must be built around the needs of employees using persona-based approaches and crowdsourcing, not the current established capabilities and processes of the IT department. And be creative—one study found that 71% of customers would prefer a virtual assistant to static Web pages when it comes to self service. 10

2 Define and standardize services.

71%

prefer a virtual assistant to static web pages when it

comes to self service

Chapter 5 15

11 Gregory Ciotti (Help Scout). “Sometimes Great Support Means Getting Out of Users’ Way.” March 26, 2014.12 Elinor Klavens and Eveline Oehrlich (Forrester Research). “Five Key Initiatives To Wow Your Workforce With Your Service Desk.” September 18, 2015.

This should ideally feature an app store-like interface that gives users a consumer-style experience when choosing and consuming corporate IT services. This solution should also automate every service-related process, from order to approval and delivery, right through to on-going maintenance and management. Here are some other characteristics worth noting:

• Intuitive interface that’s fast and easy to use• Formless requests that are automatically logged

and ticketed• Context-aware services that know your role,

location, and equipment• Appointment setting to reduce downtime for users• Available for desktops as well as any mobile devices

3 Choose the right ITSM/self service solution.

Business users want a consumer-like experience with IT. Using ITSM, the technology department can provide a catalog of services from which business users can choose the IT services and solutions they need. A service catalog like BMC’s MyIT Service Broker allows organizations to create an approved list of apps and services that users can search through, and use to choose the right solution for their specific needs. Equally important is that users understand the value of the services they request. If no cost is attached to a service, users could use it unnecessarily, adding to expenses and work for the IT team. Build a centralized service catalog that provides clear price/performance definitions for each service.

Build a consumer-like service catalog.

4

Chapter 5 16

Make sure to personalize the catalog experience. Businesses know a lot about users, and they employ this information to improve the experience. For example, a single sign-on capability will make it easy for users to move from other applications and systems to the self service catalog. If there are data fields or other information to enter, that could be pre-populated with what the business already knows about each users. And self service histories could be stored so that related information could be provided next time a user signs in.

A study by Colman Parkes found that 91% of users would use an online knowledge base if it were available.11 The most effective way to get a knowledgebase up and running is to use a method called knowledge-centered support (KCS). KCS provides businesses with the processes and best practices they need to capture, share, and update solutions to resolve IT issues. The benefits for building this kind of knowledgebase are enormous. According to Forrester Research, 64% of users of self service depend on the knowledgebase.12

And don’t forget to leverage the power of crowdsourcing. Make it possible for users to help each other. Online Q&A communities like Yahoo Answers, and Stack Overflow allow people to share their knowledge. Businesses can also use self service as a central place for users to ask and answer IT-related questions. This is an excellent way to capture knowledge for the self service knowledgebase. Not coincidentally, this also allows IT staffs to see what users are talking about—and target areas for improvement.

5 Create a living knowledgebase.

users of self service depend on

knowledgebase

would use online knowledgebase if it were available

91%

64%

Chapter 5 17

Recognizing that self service will not necessarily reduce costs across the entire service desk operation, businesses should use different performance measures rather than cost reduction. For example, measure user satisfaction, or the number of Level 1 calls resolved without assistance from the service desk. Also, keep in mind that a self service initiative is never really finished. The key to optimizing self service is to listen to the voices of users. Input can come through unexpected means—phone calls, emails, texts—and businesses can even schedule a simple survey at the end of each self service request.

6 Define a Way to Measure Value.

Simply offering self service won’t automatically win over users. Although most users will eventually move to self service, it needs to be easy to find and learn to wean them off assisted service.

Do Extensive Marketing. 7

Many of your users have multiple devices that they use in different places in different ways. They expect to be able to use self service from whatever device they happen to be using, independent of place and time like BMC’s Remedy 9.

Make it accessible from any device, at any time, from anywhere.

8

Chapter 6 18

Looking Ahead to Digital Services ManagementCHAPTER 6

Chapter 6 19

Evolving to the Next Level Once you’ve established self service as a cornerstone of your modern service desk, what’s next?

Next up is typically something called “enterprise service management,” which is when you apply self service concepts to other functions within the business.

According to the Help Desk Institute, more than 50% of businesses are planning to use service management with self service in functions beyond IT. And in 45% of organizations that have applied self service to areas that are not IT, the perception of IT’s value has changed.13

As your business keeps evolving, and taking more advantages of digital innovations, you’ll eventually reach the ultimate goal: digital services management (DSM).

DSM is the culmination of everything that ITSM has been attempting to achieve. It is based on a forward-looking and human-centric view of how IT services will transform productivity and innovation in the digital services era. And self service is a critical part of DSM.

13 Ibid.

In the past, IT services were delivered through siloed IT functions driven by disparate processes and rigid service level agreements (SLAs). With DSM, digital enterprises have a more dynamic and scalable system of service management that includes mobility, cloud, social, and the Internet of Things (IOT), all delivered in a hybrid technology environment to a broad range of mobile devices.

>50%

are planning to use service managment with self service

in functions beyond IT

organizations applied function and perception of IT value within business improved

45 %

Conclusion 20

Conclusion

Self Service is Here to Stay

With device and software diversity increasing all the time, and an ever-more demanding and sophisticated user base, greater IT complexity within organizations is almost inevitable. Introducing user self service into ITSM is one of the most important tools at your disposal for simplifying the management of that complexity.

Explore the following resources to learn more about self service and the digital workplace:

http://www.bmc.com/it-solutions/myit-service-broker.html

http://www.bmc.com/it-solutions/remedy-itsm.html

http://dsm.bmc.com/can-choosing-the-right-technology-be-as-simple-as-asking-employees-what-they-want/