topdesk magazine 2013 issue 3

8/13/2019 TOPdesk Magazine 2013 Issue 3

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August 2013, Issue 2, volume 15

More in this issue:

Detailresult: supermarkets recipe for success

Councils seek greener pastures

The variation in communication


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Building bridgesI once had to build a bridge as part of a team for my woodwork

class. I thought I had designed an amazing bridge: the road

surface consisted of triangles of cardboard tubes, suspended

from two curved lathes. I was convinced that this bridge would

be incredibly strong and would prove to be the best. You see,

we were going to test the bridges by hanging a bucket of gravel

from each one. The bridge that could carry the most weight

would be declared the winner. Unfortunately, the cardboard

was more like thick paper, and the rope was not as robust as

I expected. My brilliant design did not last long, to my great

disappointment.

Unfortunately, it is not always possible to build a bridge

between theory and practice. A good design is not necessarily

the best solution, and a meticulously planned change process

can still prove a failure. This edition of the magazine lists a

number of essentials for a successful process, such as using

the right communication method for your message. Moreover,

we explain how to bridge the gap between operators and end

users with our Form Designer module.

Looking back, my bridge would never have been a success.

I did not have the right materials, my teammates were not

interested in the project, and our building method was not

exactly structured. However, this did help me realize that every

successful bridge builder has to unite all the components: tool,

process, and person.

Enjoy reading!

Nienke Deuss, editor-in-chief

06

20

EDITORIAL


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4 NEWS

6 THE FORM DESIGNER Straight to work with your requests

9 A GOOD FORM ISHALF THE JOB

11 HEALTH AND SAFETY & TOPDESKA safe combination

13 DETAILRESULTSupermarkets recipe for success

16 VARIATION IN COMMUNICATION

18 DISTINGUISHED SUPPORTINGDEPARTMENTS

20 COUNCILS SEEK GREENER PASTURES23 COLUMN So simple!

24 WORKING SMARTER Exporting data from TOPdesk

28 TIPS + TRICKS

ON THE COVER:

A new module is available from

TOPdesk 5.2: the Form Designer. Read

more about how we developed this

module on page 6.

IT LETS YOUASK THAT ONE

QUESTIONDirk Ammerlaanfunctional designer

Read more on page 6

13

CONTENTSAugust 1


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TOPdesk namedBest in Class in

ITSM ReviewThe ITSM Review,

an online

magazine, forum,

and networking

platform

for ITSM

professionals, recently included TOPdesk in

an assessment of IT service management

tools. The 2013 Incident and Problem Tools

Review compared ve leading service

management applications. Key points weregeneral strengths and weaknesses, as well

as functionality and innovation.

TOPdesk was rated Best in Class (All Tools).

The review named task reallocation options

and the Plan Board, which enables Kanban-

style resourcing, as factors that made

TOPdesk stand out from the competition.

In addition to the comparison with other

tools, the ITSM Review also provided an

in-depth analysis of TOPdesks service

management software. This product-

specic review touches upon more features,

such as logging and categorization, tracking

and escalations, and prioritization.

The full review is available via

www.theitsmreview.com

TOPdesk launches version 5.2 and newForm Designer module

On 25 June, the latest

version of TOPdesks service

management software wasreleased: TOPdesk 5.2. This

version introduces a numbe

of new features that help

make your service desks wo

even easier. Whats more,

TOPdesk 5.2 also introduces

a new module: the Form

Designer.

In TOPdesk 5.2, the change

status automatically

changes when the status

eld is updated, a call is

automatically assigned to t

correct supplier, and you can upload les using drag and drop. It is now also possible to ad

more buttons to the Quick Launch Bar.

Thanks to the Form Designer module, you can design forms for calls and requests for chan

You determine which information must be lled in, helping you provide even faster servic

for your customers. The caller can access all forms in one place in the Self Service Desk, an

knows exactly what they need to do. Want to know more about the new features or the

Form Designer? Please visit www.topdesk.com/topdesk52

4

Consultation hoursin London

Do you have any questions about TOPd

service management, or related process

Then you might want to sign up for one

our consultation hours. During these onon-one sessions, an experienced TOPdes

consultant will answer all your question

Consultation hours are free for custome

with a maintenance contract. The next

session will be held on 11 September at

our London ofce. Visit www.topdesk.

co.uk/support/consultation-hoursto

learn more and sign up.

TOPdesk customersatisfaction survey

At TOPdesk we do our utmost to offer you

the best possible service. To be able to

improve this service, we regularly ask our

customers for feedback. In October, all ourUK-based customers will be invited to take

part in our customer satisfaction survey.

They will receive an email with a link to a

short questionnaire. The results will help

us improve our services.

Want to stay up to date?

To stay on top of the latest TOPdesk news

and service management developments,

follow us on Twitter via @TOPdesk and

@TOPdesk_UK.


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TOPdesk opens Brazilian officeTOPdesk has opened a new ofce in So Paolo, Brazil. After several partnerships with IT servic

providers. TOPdesk decided it was time to open a new TOPdesk branch in Brazil.

TOPdesk has already been successful in the

Brazilian market through resellers for ve

years now. The new branch will support all

current customers in Brazil, and will also

focus on attracting new customers. Thanks to

the Portuguese version of TOPdesk, the sales

are already a success.

Does your organization have a Brazilian

branch that requires a good service

management tool? Please contact TOPdesk

Brazil via [email protected].

SaaS update successful

Our SaaS customers recently upgraded to

TOPdesk 5.0.1. The updates were scheduled

in two weekend sessions, and were

completed more quickly than expected. Most

of our customers upgraded from TOPdesk

4.4.3 to version 5.0.1. However, a large

number of customers also upgraded from

version 5.0 to 5.0.1. Would you like to learn

more about TOPdesk 5.0 for SaaS? Please

visittopdesk.co.uk/saas-update.

Link between TOPdesk and UMRA saves time

TOPdesk and Tools4Ever have created a link

that uses information from TOPdesk, such

as company assets, to further automate the

application management process.

Automatically reading out data and updating

it in TOPdesk saves a lot of time and money.

Tools4Evers application UMRA can access

information about company assets, licences,

and current calls in TOPdesk. UMRA can

read out this data periodically, but it can also

be transferred to TOPdesk. A number

of options include:

Automatically create and close a call or

request for change

Request and read out company assets

Create and update person cards

Want to learn more about this link?

Visit www.tools4ever.com or contact

[email protected]

NEW

Higher Education Expo

Olympia, London

OCT

23

OCT

30

Service Desk Software Showcase

ThinkTank, Birmingham

TOPdesk on Tour

Drayton Manor Park

OCT

17

UK

IFMA Toolevent

Febeln Academy, Brussels

OCT

11

OCT

30

Demo dayTer Elst, Edegem

TOPdesk on TourNurnberg

TOPdesk on Tour

Dresden

TOPdesk on Tour

Stuttgart

SEPT

19

Germany

OKT

17

NOV

14

Calendar

Belgium


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6 TOPDESK 5.2 Photography:Aad Hoogendo

THE FORM

DESIGNERSTRAIGHT TO WORK WIT

YOUR REQUEST

ErikPols(l)andDirkAmmerla

anworkedtogetherontheFormDesigner


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TOPDESK 5.2Text: Nienke Deuss

TOPdesk 5.2 introduces a new module: the

Form Designer. Thanks to this module, your

requests and calls are always complete and

can be processed immediately. This is the

first step towards bridging the gap between

operator and user.


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TOPDESK 5.2

is a TOPdesk consultant. He has extensive experience designing and

developing forms.

POUYAN DADDEH

Well begun is half done

Before we start talking about the specics, it is good to discuss the

design. This is essential for building a successful form. Do you know

what you want to achieve with the form, and how you want to achieve

it? Your goal could be to receive complete requests so the service desk

can get straight to work with nding a solution.

The Form Designer can be used to create large forms and receive

detailed information; however, the requester might not want to take

the time to ll in such a complex form. It could be easier to pick up the

phone. An important factor is the user-friendliness. You do not want to

make it too difcult to use a form.

Getting started with TOPdesk

Once you have determined what you are going to make, you can get

started. When you open the Form Designers module page, you can

(depending on your licences) create two types of new forms: for calls

and for changes. After you choose a new form, you see a blank screen

(your canvas) with blocks on either side.

On the left side of the screen you can see the components for your

form, divided into two sections. The top section includes a numbe

elds that can be used as much as you like, and do not directly conn

to the TOPdesk database. These are the elds for offering a single cho

(radio buttons for short lists, and search lists for longer lists), elds

uploading les, and elds for selecting a date and time. You can also

a number of card-specic components that are directly connected

categorization, the object ID of the requester, for instance. You can d

all elds to the canvas and change the name, make questions man

tory, or add options.

On the right you can see a panel with elds from the call or chan

card. You can build your form step by step. You design the front end

your form using the canvas (visible to the caller) and the back end in

panel (the card that is registered in TOPdesk). You can also collapse

panel if you want.

Each form has its own ow

Now you have created a nice form that callers can use, it is also imp

tant that the entered details are correctly processed in TOPdesk.

expand the panel on the right. A number of elds display a form ic

A GOOD FORM IS

HALF THE JOBA new phone, a new employee, or a lost access pass.

You receive all types of request via the Self Service

Desk. The required information will vary for each

department. Thanks to the Form Designer, TOPdesk

offers you the possibility to remain one step ahead.

Photography: Menno van der Bijl


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10 TOPDESK 5.2

This means that these elds can be lled in from a question on the form.

Not all elds on the card can be lled in from the form. These elds

can be assigned a default value. To achieve this, enter the value that

needs to be lled in when submitting this form.

All your forms in the Self Service Desk

When you are satised with your form, you can make the form available.

In this case you can make the form available to the people logging in

to the Self Service Desk. At the top of your form, you can see a Pub

button. This button lets you add the form to the form list. Cal

can access this form via the Forms shortcut in the left menu in the S

Service Desk.

Do you have a much-used form that you would like to focus on? Y

can create a separate button for this form on the Self Service Desk st

page. To do this, use the Add to startpage button.

The Form Designer: the form elements menu (left), the design area (middle), and the panel featuring the

processing information (right)

The published forms list is ordered alphabetically. If you want

to create a group, by department for instance, then you should

name your form IT-, FM- or HR-.

Would you like to set up the Start page buttons, or make

specic forms available for a small group of people? TOPdesk

offers an add-on that lets you adjust the buttons image, text,

and availability. You can download this add-on for TOPdesk 5.2

via extranet.topdesk.com.

TIPS


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is a facility management consultant for TOPdesk. She is

specialized in implementing Health and Safety solutions.

ELISETTE DAAMS

Research has shown that 55 per cent of all Dutch companies

do not have enough Emergency Response Officers (EROs)

present during the summer period. Additionally, the AED often

does not function properly or has insufficient battery power.

Using TOPdesk as your central Health and Safety system helpsyou prevent such problems.

HEALTH AND SAFETY &TOPDESK: A SAFE COMBINATION

Excellent H&S registration saves lives

The rst step towards a safe work environment is registering

your Health and Safety assets. You can do this in TOPdesks Asset

Management module. However, make sure to take the right

approach. For instance, there is no point in registering each

smoke detector individually because they are checked in batches.

Asset Management also lets you register Health and Safety

certicates. This lets you see at a glance who has which certication.

Again, we do not recommend registering each individual certicate:

there are usually several people with the same certication, after all.

A good example of an object that should be registered individually

is the AED. According to US statistics, the chances of survival for

someone in cardiac arrest nearly double if one of the bystanders

quickly uses an AED. This means that it is vitally important to know

the devices location.

Once you have registered your Health and Safety assets in

TOPdesk, creating calls about the assets is easy. The rst aid kit was

used and needs restocking is an example of such a call, but you co

also report loose cables or other potentially dangerous situations a

the ofce.

We also recommend including Health and Safety in the HR

commencement procedure. When setting up a new workstation,

you can check whether it obstructs emergency escape routes, for

instance. Moreover, you can add the new employee to the mandat

Health and Safety instruction list.

Proactive approach with operational taskmanagementOur consultants see that most organizations plan their evacuatio

drills well. However, equally important tasks such as checking

escape routes and changing AED batteries on time often fall by t

wayside. Over the past two years, inspections revealed that only

a limited number of the 80,000 AEDs in the Netherlands undergo

regular maintenance.

Photography: Menno van der Bijl PROCESS AND PRACTICE


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The Operations Management module makes it easy to keep track

of recurring maintenance tasks. The tasks to be performed are

automatically added to the responsible partys task list. If you have

operators that do not regularly log in to TOPdesk, you can use emails

to automatically update them about upcoming tasks.

A single information centre

TOPdesk is a great tool for communicating with your colleagues, and

can also be used to improve your operational safety. For instance,

you can use the Self Service Desk to publish a news item about the

results of your evacuation drill. The Knowledge Base is a good place

to register your evacuation procedures. You can also register who

your employees can turn to for information about allergies or to pass

on information about medical conditions. You can demonstrate how

you ensure that your colleagues have a safe work environment. Later

on you can expand the Knowledge Base with health information,

such as RSI prevention.

TOPdesk can also be a central information point for your EROs.

With the Knowledge Base, they always have information about

registered Health and Safety assets, maps, escape routes, and safety

procedures at hand. If your organization comprises several buildings,

it may be useful to register all information in a single easily

accessible TOPdesk environment.

Help! Where is my ERO?EROs usually work in different departments across the organization

You are probably familiar with the presence lists in the hall, indicati

which EROs are in the building. Such lists are good for checking whi

response ofcers are present today, but what about tomorrow? Or

next week?

In holiday periods it is not unusual for organizations to have too

few EROs available (55 per cent, as mentioned previously). TOPdesks

Plan Board can help you avoid such situations. The Plan Board lets yo

easily register which EROs are present, and when they have planned

their holidays and regular days off. Whats more, the special availabi

checker lets you see whether the desired number of EROs is present

every day. If it turns out that you have a structural ERO decit, you c

respond to the problem accordingly.

Colleagues have received instructions about what to do in case

of emergency. They are familiar with the building and have usually

taken part in an evacuation drill. However, the same cannot be said

for most visitors such as repairmen, who often work in rooms with

workstations.

The Visitor Registration module lets you register all expected visit

in one place. Registering each visitors arrival and departure ensures

you have an up-to-date overview of todays visitors. This helps you

prepare for emergencies at all times.

IT IS VITALLY IMPORTANTTO KNOW WHERE YOURAEDS ARE

USE TOPDESK TO INFORMYOUR EMPLOYEES ABOUTOPERATIONAL SAFETY

12 PROCESS AND PRACTICE


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DETAILRESULTSupermarketsrecipe for success

Text: Timme HosPhotography:Aad Hoogendoorn

DetailresultsAldoBreedandAn

itaOorthuis

CUSTOMER IN FOCUS


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From shelf to TOPdesk

Marketing & Communication manager Aldo

Breed tells us about Detailresults history and

ambition. Our supermarkets were originally

family businesses. With continuity in mind,

we decided to bring together the supermar-

ket activities and develop them further in a

single company.

This also included the central service desk,

which has been live since March 2013, says

Breed. We want all our stores to receive good

support. This is why we created a clear point

of contact for them. At the service desk, we

use TOPdesk intensively. We are able to work

with utmost efciency thanks to our own

forms.

Detailresults service desk receives very diver-

se questions and calls. Will the delivery truck

arrive on time today? Which product ranges

can our branch offer? What is the order pro-

cess for certain materials, such as sandwich

bags? However, it is not just shops that regis-

ter questions at the service desk. Customer

questions are also sent via TOPdesk. Which

products are also available in organic versi-

ons? And what are your opening hours?

An extreme challenge

According to Anita Oorthuis, IT project mana-

ger, the road to a single registration tool was

an extreme challenge. She was responsi-

ble for the TOPdesk implementation. In just

one year, all supporting departments were

gradually brought together in TOPdesk: rst

Customer Service, Operations Support, Data

Management, and Logistics were merged. A

separate TOPdesk environment was then set

up for IT, Planning and Control, and HR.

We were two months into the project when

the TOPdesk Symposium took place, says

Oorthuis. While we were there, we became

very enthusiastic about TOPdesk 5. Detail-

result was one of the rst to switch to TOP-

desk 5, and took part in the beta programme

to test all the new features. The points for

improvement we encountered hardly caused

any delay, which is wonderful. As a result, the

entire project was implemented quickly

within a year, says Oorthuis.

The greatest challenge? According to Oort-

huis, this was providing the branches with

an overview in the Self Service Desk of all

current and recently closed incidents from

the various TOPdesk environments. First we

had this overview separately, so per TOPdesk

environment. Supermarket managers do not

have much time. They want to be out on the

oor, not in the ofce. Now they can access

the right TOPdesk straight away.

Thinking in solutions

Detailresults various departments now

the same Self Service Desk, but their calls

protected in the Operators Section throu

different TOPdesk environments. All corr

branch, department, and user data were r

in from a newly built Active Directory.

Our IT helpdesk uses TOPdesk a lot, s

Oorthuis. Its IT in the broadest sense of

term: it could concern a malfunctioning c

register, but also a network problem at

ofce. The helpdesk for the IT departme

which comprises roughly 15 people, recei

all calls and puts them through to the c

rect departments or colleagues. This meth

saves them a lot of work compared to how

did things before, when this was not done

a single tool, says Oorthuis. They now h

more time for challenging, technical tasks.

It took a while, but Oorthuis and her team

used to the new approach with TOPdesk.

had to get used to working with change

particular. Before we used a tool in which

managed everything based on the chang

start time. In TOPdesk the planning is ba

on when you can say that a change is do

though. Now we literally think in solutions

Supermarkets recipe for succe

The supermarket branches now also succ

sfully use TOPdesk. Some branches have up

two hundred employees, explains Oorth

As a result, the executives have TOPdesk a

horization: they work under a general acco

and can see one anothers calls. When

supermarket manager arrives at work in

The industrial estate in Velsen-Noord, the Netherlands

smells like freshly baked bread. No wonder, because much

of Detailresults activities, including baking, take placehere. The parent company supports 285 stores and 19,000

employees for several Dutch supermarket chains.

OUR SUPERMARKETSARE ORIGINALLYFAMILY COMPANIES

Aldo BreedMarketing & Communication manager

14 CUSTOMER IN FOCUS


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morning, he can immediately see what happened

the previous day.

We have a total of a few thousand different end

users, adds Breed. This means that more people

can register calls than ever before. Even the person

selling the vegetables, or their assistant.

This is how Detailresult is gaining even more

insight into possible points for improvement when

it comes to supporting its branches, and continues to

bring the smell of freshly baked bread to supermar-

kets across the Netherlands.

IN THE MORNING, THE SUPERMARKETMANAGER CAN IMMEDIATELY SEE WHATHAPPENED THE PREVIOUS DAY

Anita OorthuisIT project manager

Members of the Detailresult IT, Servicedesk, and Operations Support project groups

Photography: Myriam Roesink CUSTOMER IN FOCUS


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Communicating is removing

uncertaintyIt is essential that your employees have

the right information and support the new

working methods in order for the project to

succeed. The project group is focused on the

project, so it is less aware of the others need

for information. If you do not involve the

other employees, they will not see the point

of the project, and feel uncertain about how

it will affect them. Good communication

helps you inform the employees, exerting

a positive inuence on their willingness to

change. In other words, communication plays

an important role in successfully managing

internal changes.

Complexity and media richness

You can use various channels to

communicate about the project, ranging

from a personal conversation to a news

item. The media richness theoryiposits that

you should select a medium suited to the

complexity of the message. The more difcult

the message and the more uncertainties it

may arouse among employees, the richer

the medium must be. But what determines

the richness?

A personal conversation is a typically rich

medium, while a news item is lean. Each

has different properties and benets. In a

conversation, you can adjust the message to

the person you are speaking to. It also offers

more chances to inuence behaviour, but

speaking to all employees is time-intensive.

A news litem lets you reach a large number

of people quickly and with only a little effort.

However, you cannot be sure that people will

read it, and they cannot respond directly.

A medium for every message

Suppose that you have to explain to your

employees that you are merging two

departments. This is an example of a comp

message, because it has a large impact on

the employees work, and there are many

different possible interpretations of how th

merge will be performed. Such a situation

requires a rich medium. If the message is

clearer, you can use leaner media. An email

news item lets you communicate quickly an

clearly about upcoming activities, for instan

Communication moments perproject phaseDuring each project phase, the employee h

a different need for information. To achieve

clear and effective communication, utilize

a mix of rich and lean media. The followin

examples illustrate how you can keep

employees involved and up to date.

Phase 1| the start of the proje

It is clear that the project will have a large

impact, leading to many questions arising

You are implementing an internal change that will impact how many of your colleague

work every day. How can you make sure they remain informed and support the project?

The media richness theory provides a framework to ensure your project is a success.

VARIATION IN

COMMUNICATION

... is a TOPdesk consultant specialized in change

management and TOPdesk eHRM.

ANNE VAN DER VEEN

Photography: Menno van der16 PROCESS AND PRACTICE


17/28

among your colleagues. The communication

goal is informing and convincing people

of the use and necessity of the project. A

rich medium is suited to this task. During

a communal kick-off, everyone receives the

same information, and has the opportunity

to ask questions.

Phase 2| implementing the plan

The project framework is clear. Nevertheless,

things take surprising turns, or take longer

than expected. Employees appreciate

receiving periodic updates on the projects

progress. This can easily be achieved through a

lean medium such as a news item or mailing.

TOPdesk customer:We received an update

every two weeks. I did not read it that often,

but the email was a sign of how open they

were to us.

Phase 3| kicking off

Now the project group has completed the

preparations, the project can be implemented

within your organization. Employees are

expected to actively take part, because they

have to include the new way of working in

their daily tasks. A combination of rich and

lean media ensures that all employees receive

and retain the information. The project

group can provide personal instructions and

answer questions during a workshop. You

can also celebrate the project launch with

your employees to enhance their sense of

involvement.

TOPdesk customer: Luckily we received

printouts of the procedures, so we could

consult them at a later date.

Phase 4| the rst results

Things may run smoothly once you have

implemented the new working method,

but you could also run into some bumps

that need smoothing out. In such cases, it

is advisable to celebrate the projects rst

success stories. A lean medium such as

a newsletter is ideal for communicating

reports and experiences.

TOPdesk customer: I was proud of our

department when I read that we already

had our frst good results in the frst mon

Communication is apreconditionYour colleagues need different information

in each project phase. This is why

communication plays such an important

role in successfully managing internal

changes. The media richness theory helps y

determine whether a rich or a lean medium

best suited to your message. Using a mixtu

of both is best, so remember: make sure to

use variation in your communication.

iDaft, R.L. & Lengel, R.H. Organizational information

requirements, media richness and structural design.

Management Science 32(5), 554-571.

Levelofmediarichness

Level of complexity

Rich

Poor

Low High

PROCESS AND PRACTICE


18/28

Photography: Menno van der

IT, HR, and Facilities departments work behind the scenes

to ensure that colleagues can get their work done. People

generally do not notice the work supporting departments do

until something goes wrong. As a result, it is easy for these

departments to gain a negative image within organizations.

Read on to discover how you can give your supporting

departments a positive boost.

As a supporting department, you are often invisible to the rest of the

organization. An example: your colleagues arrive at the ofce in the

morning. They can enter the building, turn on their computer, grab a

cup of coffee, and start their day.

What many of them do not realize is that this is made possible by

many underlying processes. They do not think of the supporting

departments involved until the internet connection goes down or

desks are not cleaned.

Identity and image

A departments identity is a determining factor in image developme

You can directly inuence your departments image by managing its

identity. The following tips can help you on your way.

Deliver quality

Your departments tasks are the core of its identity, so the quality

of these tasks is crucial to your image. Carrying out a customer

DISTINGUISHED SUPPORTING

DEPARTMENTS

... is a customer satisfaction coordinator. Within TOPdesk, she works on

various projects and processes to improve services.

RON VAN HAASTEREN is a service management consultant at TOPdesk. He is actively involved in

the image of supporting departments.

LYDJE SNIEDERS

18 PROCESS AND PRACTICE


19/28

satisfaction survey is a good way to gain more insight into these

matters. Use the results to make targeted improvements in your

departments performance.

Be visible and recognizable

If your department does its job perfectly, it will be invisible to the

rest of the organization. Raise your prole to increase your visibility.

A visible department looks professional. Communicate about your

departments activities, even when they are going well. This will

create a positive image, and help customers know where to turn

with their call.

Uniformity within departments is also important. This helps you

show what your department stands for, and increases recognizability

within the organization. Think for instance of a corporate identity

and logo used in email templates. Wearing recognizable work clothes

or an accessory such as a key cord or nameplate will also work.

Be transparent

Increasing the transparency of your departments methods will

increase your colleagues trust in your department and improve your

image. Grant customers insight into matters that will immediately

impact their activities, such as an unexpected malfunction or

planned move. When possible, inform those involved before, during,

and especially after the activities: explain why the work was

necessary and what it means for the customer. It is also important to

provide status updates for individual calls.

Introducing a self service desk is a great way to create transparency.

It will grant customers insight into the progress of their calls, and

you can use the news page to communicate about activities relate

to planned maintenance or sudden malfunctions.

Another way to promote transparency is sending out a periodic

newsletter. This is a good medium for sharing fun facts or providin

information about certain procedures that generate many questio

among your customers. You can also use the newsletter to inform

customers about completed, current, and future projects planned

schedules and projected results.

Be clearCustomers often do not understand the work required when they

request an access card or new telephone; all they know is what

they have to do and how long they have to wait. There are usually

good reasons to set up processes the way you have make sure

the customers know this. This will help them understand why

things are done the way they are. The information should be

clear, and customers should know what they can expect from the

department. Confusion regarding procedures often leads to a lack

of understanding.

Distinguish your departmentMake your department visible, show customers what you do, and

explain why. Consciously working on your departments identity

often results in a change of image. However, this is not a one-way

street, so be open to signals from your organization and be ready

to respond. Think along with the customer and be creative. Most

importantly, do not let the examples in this article limit you: nd o

what works in your unique department and organization.

THE MORE TRANSPARENT YOURDEPARTMENT,THE GREATER THE TRUST

CUSTOMERS SHOULD KNOWWHAT THEY CAN EXPECT FROMTHE DEPARTMENT

PROCESS AND PRACTICE


20/28

20 CUSTOMER IN FOCUS Photography: Istockph

The peaceful North Wales countryside


21/28

CUSTOMER IN FOCUSText: Nicola van de Velde

Councils working together

In 2011, the Welsh Government and WLGA (Welsh

Local Government Association) signed an agreement

that would help local authorities to improve their

service delivery and cut costs. How? By encouraging the

councils to work together across a range of services,

from transportation and housing to IT. To aid this

collaboration, the councils were divided into six regional

areas, one of which is the North Wales region.

The six North Wales heads of IT meet on a monthly

basis, says Alun Rees, IT Performance Engineer at

Gwynedd Council. They discuss common problems

and share ideas. When we heard about the agreement,

we soon realized there was a project that could benet

us all: nding a shared service management tool. It

turned out that Flintshire County Council had outgrown

their in-house system, and Wrexhams system required

major reconguration. Together with Gwynedd Council,

the three councils began looking for a tool they could

standardize and all use.

SSD in your own language

Alun, now elected as Project Leader, and Sara Edwards,

Regional Senior Project Manager, worked with

representatives from each council. The rst step was

to create a long list of mandatory and desired features,

says Alun. We needed the tool to be ITIL-based,

customizable, and economical for purchase. Moreover,

the councils required a customizable Self Service Desk.

Welsh is the ofcial rst language in this district. It

would really improve our services if our customers

could log a call in their own language, Alun explains.

Once we completed our requirements, our councils

procurement team got the ball rolling.

One of the shortlisted companies was TOPdesk.

Already a TOPdesk customer, Alun could demonstrate

the tool to the project team. Our IT department uses

TOPdesk for the internal support of around 2,500 callers,

and just as many PCs. I am familiar with the way we

process incidents and changes at Gwynedd, so I could

easily explain the tools benets to the other councils.

They were very impressed with TOPdesks options and

standardized modules, and decided it would be a good

solution for collaboration.

COUNCILS SEEKGREENER PASTURESThe IT department at Cyngor Gwynedd Council has been using TOPdesk

since 2005. This year they joined forces with two other North Wales

councils and together purchased TOPdesk 5.1. They not only share a

licence, but also best practices.


22/28

Its always good to share

After an intricate procurement process and presentations by the

shortlisted companies, TOPdesk came out on top. It really was a joint

effort, says Alun, and Im very pleased with the outcome. TOPdesk

offers the functionality we need, for the best price. It ticked all the

boxes, and we even got our Welsh Self Service Desk.

The councils now share a single TOPdesk licence. This brings many

advantages, as Alun elaborates: The licence structure is very cost-

effective: it lets us share both maintenance and licence costs. We

also discussed the wishes of each council, which led to us purchasing

the same modules to help standardize our processes. Although we

wont be using all the modules ourselves, we now have Problem

Management, Survey module, Mobile module, Reservations and Stock

& Order Management.

Gwynedd was already a TOPdesk customer, meaning they only had

to pay for the upgrade to version 5.1. Another great advantage, says

Alun. We created a manual for our operators, so they know how to

work with the new tool, and we also offer in-house training. Alun is

also positive about the additional features that TOPdesk 5 offers. This

version is really adjustable, and I love the overview screen with the

Quick Launch Bar and Bookmark feature. The Plan Board is both snazzy

and customizable denitely worth the upgrade.

Collaboration for success

The councils are planning to go live very soon, and are excited about

the prospects. Our anticipated benets from the implementation

include improved customer communication and timely, relevant

management reporting, says Andy Berry, implementation manager at

Wrexham Council. We also have very high expectations, says Shau

Richardson from Flintshire County Council, and I believe TOPdesk w

exceed them. Our customers are going to see a massive improveme

in terms of self-service and weve already started the campaign to

promote the changes that are coming soon.

The collaboration has not only helped reduce costs, but also

enabled the councils to share best practices. Once we go live, were

planning on visiting each others sites on a regular basis, explains

Alun. Because we all use the same system, we can learn from each

other and compare the way we work. For instance, we already notic

that Wrexham has an excellent CMDB. We are also comparing our

categorization of calls, which will let us unify our categories and

subcategories in TOPdesk. Andy agrees. The TOPdesk implementat

has forced us to re-examine how we deal with changes, and helped

formalize our change management process.

We are very pleased with the outcome of this regional project,

says Alun. I also believe that this procurement process has helped

us create a framework, which will eventually make it easier for

other public sectors in Wales and England to purchase commodities

All in all, the North Wales Region is small enough to benet from

collaboration, but large enough to make a difference.

22 CUSTOMER IN FOCUS

The project has been

supported by the European

Social Fund through the

Welsh Government.

The WLGA Improvement

Fund supports the

involvement of Flintshire

County Council and

Wrexham County

Borough Council in this

project.

Alun Rees and Sara Edwards look back on a successful project


23/28

However, what bothered me from day

one was that when I wanted to adjust a

le, I had to click on Enable Editing rst.

Stands to reason, I kept thinking. When I

open a document using a word processing

tool, it seems fairly obvious to me that I

actually want to process the text. I edit a

lot of documents, so the extra action soon

became part of my routine, and I even

accepted the annoyance. The developers

behind this version probably had a good

reason for this feature, I told myself, trying

to limit my irritation.

This week, after the umpteenth annoyed

start as I opened a document, I decided to

nd out I could skip clicking that particular

button. Mere seconds later, I had the

answer: all I had to do was deactivate a

number of options. It was so simple! So

simple, that all my colleagues must have

been familiar with this solution (Didnt

you know?).

I eventually decided to share the solution

on our internal social network. Even if it

was for just one ignorant, annoyed soul. The

likes started pouring in as soon as I posted.

My message was named Tip of the Day.

Apparently I was not the only one who had

been bothered by this for months but had

not looked for a solution for this relatively

minor but nonetheless unpleasant obstacle!

I occasionally encounter comparable

annoyances among TOPdesk customers.

For instance, I sometimes happen to hear

a complaint about the laborious process

of copying and pasting emails to call cards

in TOPdesk. So simple? is the customers

response when I tell them about the

standard mail import feature. There is also

some grumbling about the number of clicks

it takes to nd a call for a specic caller.

However, once I show them the caller card,

an icon they may have simply overlooked

for years, the grumbling suddenly changes

to happy smiles.

It often does not seem worth the trouble

to talk about or resolve small irritations.

But once someone actually gets going and

nds a way to get rid of the annoyance,

the resulting happiness and gratitude

is only greater. Even if it seems so small

and insignicant, or the workaround has

become routine, it is never too late to take

a critical look at your actions. The solution

is often simpler than you think!

SO SIMPLE!

was a service management consultant for six

years. She recently became facility coordinator for

TOPdesks Dutch offices.

JASMIJN MOERMAN

Photography: Menno van der

About six months ago, TOPdesk switched to a newer version

of Microsoft Office. After the usual this will take some getting

used to period and sorting out some teething troubles, the

version has been completely accepted by the users.

Including myself.

COLUMN


24/28

You want to analyse interesting data saved in TOPdesk, such as

the equipment managed in Conguration Management, customer

information from Supporting Files, and processing data from process

cards. Within TOPdesk, you can analyse this data using the reporting

feature on the Dashboard pages.

However, if you prefer to use Excel or a reporting tool, you can easily

export data from TOPdesk to the Microsoft Excel le format. You can

consult exported data ofine, or use it as a source and import it into

another information system.

Exporting from TOPdesk to Excel

Exporting data from TOPdesk to Excel is simple. You can export every

overview. Overviews (lists) can be found on the overview pages, or on

card tabs, such as the Links tab.Image 1displays an overview of calls.

Before you export, select the overview that features the desired data;

consider which card (such as the Call Card, Hardware Card, or Person

Card) contains the data you wish to export. For example, the make i

listed on the Hardware Card, not the Call Card.

Overviews contain all cards that have been created in TOPdesk. With

Call Management you can see overviews of all calls, rst line calls,

second line calls, and partial calls. With the lter icon (yellow funne

icon in image 2) at the top of the list you can limit the number of

Photography: Robin K

EXPORTING DATA FROMTOPDESK

is an information distribution coordinator. He is specialized in

technical issues and optimizing processes.

PATRICK MACKAAIJ

Your TOPdesk database has a lot of interesting data. You

can analyse this data within TOPdesk using the softwares

reporting feature. This article explains how you can easily

process data in another system by exporting it from TOPdesk

to Excel.

Image 1: TOPdesk call overview

24 WORKING SMARTER


25/28

rows and only display calls that are not closed, or only calls that were

registered in the past x months, for instance.

If the possibilities offered by the lter at the top of an overview are too

limited, consider whether the desired overview can be found on the

tab of a related card. For example, the Links tab on a Supplier Card lists

all calls for that specic supplier.

You can create a selection if you cannot compile the desired list from

the standard overviews. Using selections, you can lter the list by

extra data and even use data from linked cards. This enables you to

create a selection of calls concerning objects purchased from a specic

supplier. You can create a new selection on the overview page or

the Dashboard.

Once the overview displays the desired rows, determine which

columns are and are not visible using the Set up overview button

(right icon in image 2). Clicking on the button opens the Set up

overview pop-up (image 3).

Double-clicking a eld moves it from Visible to Not visible and vice

versa. TOPdesk only exports the visible columns.

TOPdesk also includes the sorting order for rows and columns in the

export. You can adjust the order of the visible columns using the up

and down arrows on the left side. It is also possible to drag the colu

headings in the list itself. Finally, you can sort the list based on the

Text: Patrick Mackaaij

Image 2: TOPdesk toolbar

Image 3: Set up overview

WORKING SMARTER


26/28

desired column by clicking on the column heading. Clicking on the column heading again

reverses the sorting order. Using the Export button (the green table icon in image 2) you can

export an overview of the desired rows and tables to Excel in a single click.

Directly exporting from your SQL server or Oracle databaseTOPdesk saves data on a Microsoft SQL server or Oracle database server. Your database

administrator can export the data directly from these database servers. To do this, the

database administrator requires information about the structure of the TOPdesk database

in order to gain insight into the database tables in which TOPdesk saves the (card) data, and

their mutual relationships. The TOPdesk DataDict (Help > DataDict) grants insight into the

relationship between what you see on the screen and the underlying tables.

If you use TOPdesk SaaS, you can download the weekly database backup at night and open it

via a local server. Please contact your TOPdesk account manager if you want direct access to

the database.

CSV Export Wizard add-on

In the next edition, I will provide more information about the CSV Export Wizard add-on.

This add-on is especially useful if you regularly perform the same export, wish to export

data of linked cards, or data from tables that does not have a card.

TOPdesk makes add-ons available to TOPdesk Enterprise users to address issues

faced by several customers. These add-ons are usually installed under supervision of

a TOPdesk consultant who can provide more information about the bespoke work,

as well as taking care of the initial set-up. You can request the CSV Export Wizard

add-on via the TOPdesk Extranet.

TIP:You can use two different sorting orders at once. In the call overview,

clicking on Closed and then Category will cause TOPdesk to sort the overview

rst by Category, then by Closed.Due to Microsoft Excels limit on the number

of characters, a pop-up will appear in which TOPdesk asks how you wish to

export memo elds such as Request and Action.

TIP:In the Set up overview pop-up, you can select several column names at

once by holding down the Shift button when clicking. This is particularly useful

when you wish to move a column a considerable distance.

26 WORKING SMARTER

Editorial

Want to comment? Go to

www.topdeskmagazine.com

The TOPdesk Magazine covers subjects

that are topical in the world of

professional service desks in IT, facilities

and other service providing organizations.

TOPdesk Magazine is intended for

managers, service desk employees,

facilities organizations and electronic

city councils anyone who is involved

with supporting clients on a daily basis.

This concerns both the processes and the

technology behind these services.

TOPdesk Magazineis a TOPdesk

publication

Tel: +44 (0) 207 803 4200

Email: [email protected]

Chief Editor: Nienke Deuss

Editors: Nienke Deuss, Timme Hos,

Stefanie Klaassen, Milou Snaterse

Translators:Leah Clarke, Nicola van

de Velde

Contributors: Paul Balvers, Pouyan

Daddeh, Irene Kruijff, Jasmijn Moerman,

Patrick Mackaaij, Bram Verheij

Layout: Louise van der Laak

Photography: Menno van der Bijl, Aad

Hoogendoorn, Robin Kuijs, Jonas Mertens,

Myriam Roesink

Copy editor: Nicola van de Velde

A print run of 6,000

Quarterly magazine

Languages: Dutch, English


27/28

+31 (0)15 270 09 60

[email protected]

www.designagencyddc.com

WORK TOWARDS A

SUCCESSFUL SELF

SERVICE DESK!

Please feel free to contact us to

discuss the possibilities of your

Self Service Desk promotion.

The more your end users use the SSD, the more

time and money you will save.

After a successful promotion, your end users will

be motivated to log their calls in the SSD.


28/28

28 KLANT IN BEELD

tips+ tricks

TOPdesk UK limitedt +44 (0)20 7803 [email protected] www.topdesk.co.uk

TOPdesk Nederland BVt+31 (0)15 270 09 [email protected] www.topdesk.nl

TOPdesk Deutschland GmbHt+49 (0)631 624 00 [email protected] www.topdesk.de

TOPdesk Belgium bvbat+32 (0)3 292 32 [email protected] www.topdesk.be

TOPdesk Magyarorszg Kft. (Hungary)t+36 1 301 [email protected] www.topdesk.hu

TOPdesk Danmark A/St +45 7015 [email protected] www.topdesk.dk

TOPdesk Consulatoria e TecnologiaDe Software - Eirilit+55 11 3040 [email protected]

Using the priority matrix in ChangeManagementFrom TOPdesk 5.1 onwards, you can use the priority matrix

to automatically ll in the priority based on the selected

impact and benets. For Simple Changes, this priority can

automatically ll in the planned authorization date and/

or target date. The advantage of this matrix is that you can

easily record that all changes with the same impact and

benets are also assigned the same priority.

1. In Settings Management, make sure that the searchlists

for Impact, Benet, and Priority for changes are lled in.2. If you wish to automatically ll in the date for Simple

Changes, you must also register durations in Searchlist

Management for Change Management. After doing

this, you can use the Priority searchlist to indicate which

durations belong to which priorities.

3. Open the priority matrix in the Change Management

module settings.

4. Fill in the priority matrix.

Creating multi-module DashboardsAs of TOPdesk 5, the Dashboard is the page where you

can nd all the information important to you. You can add

widgets depicting the current situation, selections, reports,

and KPIs, for instance. Each TOPdesk module has its own

Dashboard. Additionally, there is one overview Dashboard

where you can add widgets from all processes.

A lesser known fact is that from TOPdesk 5.1 on, it is

possible to create multi-module Dashboards yourself.

This option enables you to display the Current Situation

widget for each module on a single Dashboard, while usinganother Dashboard for KPIs or reports for several modules.

1. Open the Dashboard and click on Edit organizational

defaults.

2. Click on the Newicon in the top left corner to create a

multi-module Dashboard.

> You can give the Dashboard a custom name.

3. You can then add widgets by clicking on the Add

widget icon.

> You can select widgets from all modules.

topdesk magazine 2013 issue 3

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