The Importance of Implementing ITSM Today
In today’s world, pretty much every kind of business is technology-driven. Organizations’ workforces have become much more agile, and the internet, cloud computing and even Artificial Intelligence have let to a much faster-paced IT environment. Implementing ITSM-
The older service delivery and IT governance models with lengthy approval processes and procurement times are just not effective anymore. In fact, according to an article by Forbes, the absence of an ITSM process is hurting the organization as a whole and not just its IT services department.
This means that to stay effective, organizations are rethinking the way they view their IT services, with more and more of them implementing ITSM (Information Technology Service Management) tools. These organizations have now understood that the Implementing ITSM progress extends far beyond their IT departments, and it is needed to advance its business as a whole.
Importance of Proper Implementing ITSM
Having said that, most organizations that do implement ITSM tools find themselves having to replace them every five years or so. Considering that these organizations have realized the importance of ITSM, this seems to be not just a time-consuming operation, but also an extremely expensive way.
The question that needs to be asked is – why is this happening? The reason is alarmingly simple – a lack of proper ITSM implementation.
Steps to Successful ITSM Implementation
We tend to think that once we have signed the contract to have an ITSM tool and it has been installed, we are done with the implementation process. This is actually the biggest mistake that most organizations make.
Getting the tool and making it work properly are two different things. The actually work begins once you have the ITSM tool in place. It takes about 3 to 6 months from the time that your ITSM system is set up to actually get it functioning effectively.
To ensure that your ITSM tool functions optimally and doesn’t need to be replaced, here are some steps that you should take at the implementation stage:
- Getting the Right ITSM Tool for Your Business
If you are in the market for a new ITSM tool, then ensure that you get the one that is best suited for your requirements. Since there are so many tools now available in the market, choosing one can be quite challenging.
One great way to narrow down your search is to get advice from an ITSM blog. These blogs are usually written by experts who have done their market research and can give you some great insights into which tools are the best for you.
- Listen to Your Customers
At the end of the day, the success of your ITSM tool will depend on your customers – the users who will be accessing this tool regularly. And those are your helpdesk agents. So, talk to them. Find out what their goals are, what their needs are and how the tool can help them work more efficiently and effectively.
- Create a Service Structure with Business Goals in Mind
An ITSM tool is not meant for troubleshooting or for problem-solving. A person raises a ticket with your IT services desk only when the technology he or she needs to carry out their business is not working.
Your ITSM tool is meant to help increase business productivity and efficiencies. So, when you are creating your service structure, keep your business’s end goals in mind.
- Invest in Your IT Service Desk
Having a tool is worthless if your IT desk cannot use it effectively. To really get the best out of your ITSM tool, you also need to invest in your staff and service desk. This means upskilling your team with ITIL training, developing a Knowledge Management system and even creating IT Self-Service facilities for your users.
By training your staff and developing support systems, you can reduce your contact volume by as much as 40%! In fact, another interesting article states that Chatbots are a tool that can really help ITSM become more effective in your organization.
- Include Problem Management in Your ITSM Implementation
The one thing that most organizations do not realize is how important Problem Management is to ITSM implementation. A part of the ITIL process, Problem Management is the process of getting rid of as well as preventing all incidents that could interrupt business processes.
Problem Management is not the same as Incident Management. With the latter, you are fixing an issue that has already occurred. For example, if your office printer is out of ink, then incident management will fix the issue by replacing the ink cartridge.
However, in Problem management, an analysis is done about why the printer keeps running out of ink and if there is a more efficient way of ensuring that the printer does not run out of ink. So, by making Problem Management a part of your ITSM process, you will proactively resolve issues, which can really increase organizational productivity.
- Develop Metrics that Matter
A key factor that needs to be kept in mind during the ITSM implementation process is the set of metrics you wish to measure. Do not simply use the data you already have. Instead, assess your business goals and create metrics to measure them.
- It’s a Team Effort
While your ITSM tool will be most used by your frontline helpdesk team, all IT team members must buy-in and understand the tool. They must also understand the vision that you are trying to achieve by implementing this tool in your organization.
- Getting Organizational Buy-In
An ITSM tool will not be successful if you do not have buy-in from all departments in your organization. So, before you begin your implementation, you need to sell the importance of this tool to all segments of your business.
To give you an example, your finance department may not be interested in this tool unless it can ensure that there will be no technical issues when the books need to be closed at the end of each quarter.
Similarly, you sales team may only be interested in your new tool if you promise that it will eliminate the current frequent downtime they experience with their CRM system.
