Why Service Desk is necessary?

Yes, so it turned out that we live in the economy focused on cost management, and the management all the costs considers in terms of economic effect – i.e. in terms of an opportunity to save or earn.

In this article we will not say about how to earn using Service Desk (though for some types of business this function could become real competitive advantage). We will talk about opportunities of economy and resources of IT department, and money of business customers which are quite obviously given by service Service Desk.

Let's consider several acceptances for optimization of IT processes, cost reductions and, as a result, increases in the authority of IT service, Service Desk connected with the organization of work, in particular, due to implementation of an ITSM system. And also we will provide several convincing arguments why it is worth spending money for creation and optimization of IT processes. So:

• Automation of routine
• Optimization of work of the first support line
• Effective escalation

Automation of routine

Automation is the first and most important step in the direction of cost reduction of IT service because gives to employees of the first line extra time for providing services of higher quality.

If our service Service Desk spends 30% of time for change of passwords, distribution of requests and change of their status, then automation of this repeating, routine and insignificant tasks should become the first priority for us.

Ultimate goal of automation is process optimization: ensuring its efficiency and recurrence. To automate a task which "devours" most of all time at the first support line we should disclose interdependence between an incident and its appointment. Let's consider the procedure of distribution and purpose of requests as an example.

One of the most difficult tasks of Service Desk consists in maintenance in current status of information on users – a contact information, change of position / division, change of an operation mode, etc. When an incident occurred, it is required to bring the necessary information to the necessary person, so it is necessary to be able to answer questions: exact location of an incident? to whom to send the notification about an incident? whom to cause on a conference? Etc.

At emergence of an incident an ITSM system automatically determines a coma this incident to appoint - needlessly for Service Deska to execute an infinite set of manual transactions.

By and large time costs to dial the phone number or to find information on personnel when an incident occurred, are not justified in terms of desirable result at all – the fastest permission of an incident. The sense of effective management of notifications consists in reduction of time which specialists spend on scheduling and purpose of tasks, up to one-two minutes instead of usual to fifteen!

Optimization of work of the first support line

Modern users become more and more technically competent, and their expectations from Service Desk grow before the eyes. Users are not ready to wait long, "Yes I can install this printer, just tell in what it to the network folder is!" or "yes I will set Visio, only grant to me the rights" all of us hear more often. It turns out that the IT service begins to experience the competition and pressure already not only from the outsourcing companies, but also from the users (thank God, not in everything, but the trend is traced!). The impression which is got by the director about quality of work of IT service in general also depends on as far as users are happy with the IT service.

Actually – a sin not to use such situation. Let's give to users a self-service opportunity, and to specialists of the first support line the tool for independent permission of simple problems. Eventually, users do not wait from us for the instant solution of their requests, their concern is connected with ignorance. Russia is the most self-treated country in the world: having taken couple of medicines of an antibiotic and not having lightened, we render a verdict: foolish medicine, does not help! Yes it just was not in time! According to the instruction to drink it not less than five days. Give to the user a feedback, tell him what happens to his request when and what actions are planned according to its request - and you remove his concern and you will create the correct expectations.

ITSM systems contain the mass of opportunities for optimization of the first support line and transparency of management of requests of users. For example, using the system of an ITSM system, you can:

• Reduce a request closing time more than twice (the most typical addresses of users connected with connection of devices, services can be, etc. transferred by the software installation to users for independent permission);
• Reduce the cost of the solution of an incident by 3 times (a ringing, amendments, the repeating contacts with users are excluded – the employer in these cases pays twice: and for working time of the user, and for working time of the technical specialist);
• Exclude the distracting addresses of users to IT specialists for refining of a situation with a request (10-20% of the total number of addresses);
• Increase satisfaction of users;
• Increase authority of IT department and its business importance.

Of course, there will be also incidents which require involvement of deeper technical specialists so further we should concentrate on providing conscious, exact and effective escalation of the request and interaction on it.

Effective escalation

WHEN and HOW it is REASONABLE to escalate a request? – in our practice one of the most paradoxical and slozhnoreshayemy questions at creation of effective management of services.

The paradox is that at management of hundreds of services, service of thousands of property objects there are possible millions of combinations, each of which can be the failure reason.

Many people – users, the supporting and service staff are connected with services. Someone from them on the sick-list, someone on a holiday, someone does not own a question, someone at all not from this organization but only the tenant, and someone as left month … Find the correct person it appears difficult and the chance of effective exact escalation seems to some on one million.

The key to solution disappears in origin of service. Each service by someone was sponsored and developed and this "someone" is responsible for its maintenance and support now, and it provides guarantees that service meets expectations (the set quality parameters). Usually development of new services and products is charged to a separate command, however, they should support already existing services at the same time.

Effective escalation begins with permission to the command which is responsible for maintenance of proper level of service to control information which is required for them.

Allowing responsible for service (To the chief information officer, or the head of group, the system administrator) to build process, we guarantee that when escalation is required, the correct person will be notified. Using an ITSM system you provide automatic delivery of information to the person, responsible for service, time for scheduling and data retrieval is reduced, there are no wrong.

Net effect

• Time for appointment is reduced, escalation and the solution of incidents it is more than by 10 times (depending on IT personnel number);
• Load of highly qualified specialists is reduced because notifications are sent only to in what to an area of responsibility the request lies;
• The effective management of services increases.

The general business result from the actions considered in this article – increase in speed of an incident management process by 85% - from the moment of receipt of an incident before its end.