SERVICE DESK MANAGEMENT

Service Desk Support White Paper

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Bell Techlogix

8888 Keystone Crossing

Indianapolis, IN 46240

1-866-782-2355

1-317-704-6000

www.belltechlogix.com

Bringing your

customers closer to

you…

Managed Services are the key behind

providing a best-in-class internal

end-user support structure. Whether

delivered internally, outsourced or

some combination thereof, many

companies make the mistake of

managing them in silos…

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Make Your Service Desk Your IT

Infrastructure Support Hub

Is your internal support structure a group of

disparate silos?

Overview

Many IT support operations work with different external support teams or have individual silos within their internal IT team that support the technology in the hands of their end-users. Why do they manage these services separately? In some cases, they feel it necessary to outsource the management of the more complex parts of their business software suites or hardware implementations. When this occurs different systems are added and unique service support teams and processes are often added separately.

Most likely, the current support systems simply evolved that way. In other words, today they’re caught in the old ‘we’ve always done it that way’ model. The challenge is that we all know the old axiom – ‘if you’ve always done it that way, you’re probably doing it wrong.’

I have run into client after client that is in that exact situation. The reason is that it simply is an easy trap to fall into. As we in IT become hyper-sensitive to supporting our clients, we often find ourselves neglecting our internal technology users. The only problem with that is that they are a critical element in supporting our clients and if their tools aren’t working…well, you know where I’m going with this. Let’s examine, at a high level, some of the challenges and opportunities associated with managing silos…

Multiple service lines are unique in how they may be

executed or the tools needed to provide tactical support, but that doesn’t mean that they don’t significantly impact other service lines. There is a strong possibility that a number of internal or external service lines may have been added in step by step manner as unique IT capabilities were added. A typical service line list might include:

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Security administration Unlock Hidden Savings

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Asset tracking and management

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Technology deployment services

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Desktop management

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Field maintenance services

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Mobile device support

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Network monitoring and remediation

Multiple ‘owners’ Too often silos have developed due to political battles or predefined

boundaries around ownership. This approach often creates a complex matrix of internal or external ‘owners’ with unique P & L’s, paperwork and processes. Though there may be one incident management system in place, the internal service desk often sends a request for service to one of these line service subgroups. In

many cases, there are multiple service management systems.

What do your organization’s employees

experience in this type of system? Often, they run into bureaucratic red tape in which they make a phone call expecting to get an answer, then get passed along to two or three different service technicians before getting a resolution to their

issue. This results in frustration, inefficiency and even downtime for your employees. At the back end, the organization suffers as there are not consistent sources for consolidated reporting to be used for planning and budgeting.

Do you have silos that need to be broken down and should you review the number of processes in place in your service support structure? Answer these three questions and

you will likely get a clear answer quickly:

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Review the complexity of your software suites and IT service subcontractors and ask how many separate providers and processes are currently in place?

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Ask your employees - what they experience during a typical IT service request?

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Do you have accurate data on the total cost to provide internal IT support to your

end-users and do you have the consolidated results on SLA’s, end-user satisfaction and performance of the support team – whether insourced or outsourced?

Breaking down the silos

Integrating workflow Eliminating IT service team silos to arrive at one or two teams

creates a more integrated workflow process for your IT team and for your employees – and eliminates redundant overhead for you.

Have You Considered:

If you look at the different

segments of your service model

– are they managed by

different people, do they have

different management systems,

measure SLA’s differently, fall

within different budgets…

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Integrate your IT service communications through the service desk. By establishing

your service desk as the request /coordinate / follow-up hub of your IT service chain, you get centralized communication and the ability to coordinate rather than duplicate processes, paperwork and personnel. You also get a head start on consolidated reporting of performance and results. Here are some of the best practices we have developed through the support of a multitude of clients across a number of verticals. They optimized complex IT structures through an integrated IT service desk:

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Centralized communication One point of entry for each ticket at the service desk

means a coordinated, efficient workflow with clarity and effective communication. In other words, your service team is all working from the same ticket and identical information and constantly entering up to date information within the same record.

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Service speed You will see tickets resolved

more quickly with one streamlined service desk workflow using common forms and sharing of information through a common point of coordination across service lines. Inherent in this structure is the ability to perform quicker and more successful resolutions due to enhanced information availability and a fuller, clearer view of hardware and software assets over their lifecycle.

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Unify the structure of your service line teams. By thinking of your service desk

agents as infrastructure agents and by assigning one service desk manager to oversee your entire service operation, you create incredible accountability. Assigning one dedicated service desk employee to each of your service lines builds on this core of accountability. Additionally, consider consolidating your service desk, network monitoring and security administration teams under this service desk structure. You will realize tremendous savings and economies of scale through this streamlined approach, not to mention the ease of managing fewer people.

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Simplified point of contact. Complexity breeds chaos and chaos reduces

productivity. When one of your employees has a tech issue, they clearly know where to turn: the service desk. Confusion and frustration is alleviated, as is disinformation; ultimately improving productivity. By turning to the appropriate person within the service desk, the ticket may be quickly handled by a uniquely informed individual.

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Integrate IT service processes. Unfortunately, many large organizations have no

idea where assets reside or what software licenses they hold. By centralizing your repository of assets and managing them through one provider, you will know where

Have You Considered…

What aspects of your service

desk model are covered only

from 8-5PM? Do most of your

customers only work 8-5PM -

probably not? That means

technology must work 24-7

and that may mean stretching

support beyond 8-5PM …

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your assets are, who is using them, what they are being used for, what service issues have arisen, and ultimately, you will gain visibility into your total IT footprint. Integrated processes and centralized data can pull together what has been purchased, deployed and managed by working with both procurement and deployment. This step alone can save millions of dollars when the organization is large and complex.

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Coordinate rather than duplicate. One single point of coordination means one

system, not multiple systems. Shared data allows you and your team visibility into the big picture so you can make smarter IT service management decisions.

• Optimize your service desk with remote desktop agents. Often, service desk, help desk and remote monitoring services are provided by three different vendors, increasing the possibility of confusion, inefficiency and expense. By adding employees to the service desk armed with the

expertise and tools to remotely access and resolve issues on desktops, your IT service desk can resolve issues faster and reduce costly on-site dispatches. Unresolved issues can still be escalated to field support for an on-site visit if necessary. This creates an integrated bridge between your field support and your service desk, allowing remote desktop

employees to view and work within an employee’s desktop and system. Without going to the time and expense of a field service visit, your remote desktop team can effectively assess the situation, make simple fixes and inform specific follow up actions.

• Create accountability through data analysis. An integrated service desk approach, with data being captured centrally, allows IT service desk management to easily review incidents and learn how to improve both the service desk and follow up service assistance within the confines of the quality assurance process. Incident management tools can capture incident data including: incident location, day/time and resolution method, best opportunities for process integration, value stream maps and prioritization matrices. With this data, managers can collect actionable information regarding the support model, hold service desk and follow up service personnel accountable, set clear objectives based on real data, and better plan for staffing and budgeting needs.

• Leverage the integrated service desk to optimize the lifecycle of your assets. Take advantage of the integration of your IT lifecycle support services through the service desk’s one point of contact. This brings your hardware, software licensing and imaging, buying or leasing plans, deployment and maintenance, equipment replacement, recycling or disposal into the same system with your service data – so you can truly monitor and manage your hardware and software lifecycle cradle to

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grave. And by integrating your lifecycle services across multiple facilities, you’ll gain economies of scale and more buying power. Also consider centralized imaging, staging, desktop management, deployment and tracking to eliminate redundant overhead.

• Consider a zero touch workflow This bleeding edge approach is viable for large organizations in which technology must always be available to employees. The zero touch approach is considered a ‘just in time’ method because an employee with a service need actually ships their computer out for service. Meanwhile, an internal power user quickly gets a temporary computer to the employee until the employee’s original computer is fixed and returned to them. This approach means minimal service line interaction and minimal workflow disruption for your employees. If the scale of your organization is large enough, zero touch can be highly appropriate.

How do we get there from here? As we consider our current situation, the answer begins,

as always, with recognition of the problem. As we’ve discussed, silos create numerous areas of inefficiencies or cost challenges. Sometimes we simply don’t recognize the issue until it manifests itself in points of pain. An analysis of the answer to this question is the point of another paper. For now it is critical to look at your current internal service support organization and look for symptoms. A good place to start is an examination of the current service desk model. Simply looking at how many service points they touch and the methodology they use to interact with other parts of the organization will allow you to begin to see how many silos you might have. In doing so, consider some of the aforementioned points. If you begin to address the issue now, you just might be able to operate in a mode of preventative medicine versus pain therapy.

At Bell Techlogix, we offer a higher level of overall service level agreements – including integrated service desk solutions – at lower cost points. We continuously

work to improve our services, including the best practices discussed here – throughout the life of each client service contract. Bell Techlogix is a leading provider of IT Lifecycle Support Services, IT Service Desk Solutions and Mobile Managed Services. The Bell Techlogix team holds over 450 partner certifications in industry leading technologies, allowing us to make unbiased assessments and recommendations based on the best possible solution regardless of the technology needed.

To learn more about how we can help streamline your IT service response, contact

Bell Techlogix at 866-782-2355. Or visit our web site at www.belltechlogix.com for more information about our services.

Focused, skilled and reliable… A technology leader committed to innovation in service management and the success of its clients…