There was a time when IT service management was a relatively straightforward process. However, the acceleration we’ve seen in the adoption of digital technologies has triggered a paradigm shift in the demands placed on an IT department and nature of service management in general.
This, in turn, has led to a greater reliance on service management software. As useful as these tools are however, they must be implemented in a thoughtful manner. Otherwise, you could encounter wasteful expenditures, redundancies of effort and other inefficiencies. In fact, this is true for IT service management in general.
With that in mind here are some best practices to help ensure the success of your service management approach.
1. Determine Your ITSM Maturity
The measurement of how well an organization is fulfilling relevant practices demonstrating capabilities is referred to as its maturity. Team leaders sometimes overestimate this, which can lead to taking on tasks for which their organizations are not suited. Thus, the best place to start when considering a set of best practices to adopt is to take an accurate assessment of your team’s maturity. It’s important to have a clear understanding of where you may not be meeting the needs of the organization you serve.
Survey key stakeholders within your department and across the organization as a whole to get a sense of how you’re perceived as compared to what you believe your strengths to be.
Do you have enough people? What management tool are you using? What is the process for creating tickets? Do clients have a clear understanding of how to request services? How long is it taking your group to respond to requests?
Gaining this understanding of where you are positions you to make the changes needed to line your capabilities up with your organization’s needs and goals. This also helps you establish milestones and benchmarks to ensure you’re on the right track and making progress.
2. Leverage Automation
The best place to start automating is with tasks that already employ some automation. Automation can also empower customers to handle certain issues on their own, which reduces their wait times and bolsters their satisfaction. Keep in mind though; the goal isn’t to supplant human beings, but rather to enhance their capabilities. Implementing a solid automation strategy can also free your key personnel up to focus on the more complex issues.
3. Define Metrics and KPIs
To measure progress, you’ll need a set of parameters within which to gauge your successes. Clearly defined metrics and key performance indicators will give you tools by which to quantify your effectiveness. This can also help you determine where you need to improve your service management strategy, as well as identify operational areas in which improvements are needed.
4. Emphasize Value Creation
Any service management effort must place the needs of your customers first. This means taking the time to get to know who they are, what they need and most of all their median level of expertise. A self-service solution will be of little use if the majority of your customers are too inexperienced to take advantage of it. The primary goal of your department should always be to provide the maximum amount of value for each customer.
5. Develop and Employ a Service Catalog
This is the vehicle through which the capabilities of your group are communicated to your user base. It’s where they’ll find your services, the hardware available and support. You can use it to define your services, as well as prioritize them and market them to the individuals that make up your organization. Ultimately, your service catalog will tell people what to expect of you, which can make them more likely to come to you for solutions.
6. Deploy a Capable Service Management Tool
Given its role as the platform upon which the deployment of your services will depend, this is one of the most important choices you will make. The best service management tools are capable of ticket generation as well as tracking incidents and resolutions. They are also capable of recognizing emerging trends by considering the nature and frequency of incidents and predicting upcoming problems.
7. Recruit an Effective Team
When choosing team members, consider work styles, individual strengths and their ability to exhibit patience. Client facing individuals should also be experienced enough to explain problems to people in everyday language. Along those same lines, your management style should ensure your people are working in their areas of strength as much as possible. A team that feels good about themselves and their work will be best suited to ensure your department creates value for your organization—and is perceived as doing so.
