When it comes to improving IT Service Management (ITSM) – having the right ITSM tool can make all of the difference. Too often, companies will purchase ITSM software that ends up being too complex for their business needs or, conversely, they will get a tool that’s too simple and can’t scale as the business grows.
The right ITSM tool is one that you can grow into; that is easy to use, own and operate; and one that brings you a good return on investment.
Before you start looking at vendors, it’s important to first reflect on your company’s specific needs when it comes to service management. What requirements do you have? Is there a budget in place? What resources will be needed to implement and manage this tool going forward? And while your needs might be immediate in IT, is there an opportunity to take whatever ITSM tool you select and use it outside of IT for better Enterprise Service Management (ESM)?
All of these questions should be answered before you start to research ITSM vendors.
How to Start the Search for New ITSM Software
Recently, TeamDynamix sat down with B&I Contractors to discuss how they evaluated vendors when going through the buying process.
At B&I they were using an ITSM tool that could no longer support their needs, “We had outgrown the IT Service Management platform we were using, and quickly realized we needed to find a new tool that could support us,” Jay Reymond, Senior Engineer in IT, said. So, they started their search process by first writing out a list of pain points they were currently experiencing that could be solved with a new ITSM tool.
Reymond and his team knew they needed an ITSM tool that could help them streamline their processes and make things more efficient for them in the long run as they continue to scale their business, but they also needed that same platform to support their immediate ITSM needs.
“We had to really dig through the tools that are available and figure out which ITSM software made the most sense for our business needs,” he said. B&I ended up selecting TeamDynamix as the new ITSM tool for the company.
Asset management and contract renewal tracking were two big pain points they were trying to solve in IT with the new software, Reymond said, “Employees really needed to be able to track and report on these things very quickly – this was a huge pain point for us prior to TeamDynamix. Also, making any kind of customization in our old ITSM tool was a project in and of itself – they had poor documentation, and it would take days to complete.”
With TeamDynamix, Reymond can make changes in minutes, “It’s so simple to use, it’s been a huge change in how we function – it’s so quick and easy, we’re making massive strides. We absolutely love it.”
In addition to finding a tool that solved IT pain points, B&I wants to take its ITSM platform and extend its use outside of IT to departments like Human Resources and Facilities for more of an ESM approach to service management and delivery.
“Asset management for facilities is huge,” Reymond said. “It was important for us to have a tool that could be used in other departments and help them be able to do things, like asset management, that they couldn’t do before. As we keep implementing new things with TeamDynamix we are finding different features and functionalities that are great for different parts of the company that we hadn’t even considered before. We never really thought we’d be able to find a single system that could be used across several different departments, and that’s been a great benefit for us.”
Ease of Use is a High Priority for ITSM
At Shaner Hotel Group, a hotel management firm that oversees more than 60 properties across 15 states and four countries, ease of use was a big pain point that needed to be addressed when they started looking for a new ITSM tool.
Prior to TeamDynamix, the hospitality business was using another help desk platform to manage IT services for employees. However, the program was “the most painful, complicated software I’ve ever used in my life,” Vice President and Chief Information Officer Steve Shala said.
With the prior solution, “we needed a dedicated programmer to make changes to our workflows,” Shala explained. Even creating IT support tickets wasn’t an easy process and this ultimately prompted Shala and his team to start looking for a new ITSM vendor.
Since early 2022, Shaner Hotel group has used TeamDynamix to manage IT service for its 1,100 employees—and both employees and IT staff alike have noticed a huge difference.
Using TeamDynamix for ITSM has saved help desk staff considerable time and led to better IT service for employees.
With TeamDynamix they’ve been able to simplify the intake process for IT support tickets using a self-service portal. Because it’s web-based, employees can initiate service requests from their phone or another mobile device. That’s an important benefit for an organization where many employees aren’t sitting at a desk all day. “With limited help desk employees, we’re trying to cut down on the number of phone calls we get requesting support,” Shala says. “We’re trying to push everybody online instead.”
In addition, any requests that come through the portal are routed automatically to the appropriate team member for a response. Because help desk staff are answering fewer phone calls, they can respond to service requests faster and more effectively as they come in through the portal.
Looking ahead, Shaner Hotel Group has plans to use the platform to streamline workflows and manage tasks within its contracts and licensing, construction, human resources and procurement departments as well.
Three Keys to a Successful ITSM Refresh
Legacy Supply Chain Services, a third-party logistics provider that helps clients enhance the performance of their supply chains, recently switched to TeamDynamix for IT Service Management.
“Our previous tool worked great, but it was very limiting when it came to scaling our IT services and growing what we wanted to do,” Keyon Farrier, service desk manager, said. “We really needed an ITSM tool that was an extension of our current IT infrastructure team. We wanted a system that could be self-sufficient and really act like an added member of our team.”
Farrier said they began their search for a better, more structured tool using the services of Info-Tech, a technology consulting and research firm.
“We started our search with Info-Tech looking at just change management tool to add to our existing ITSM tool at the time, then realized we also wanted to find a tool that could help us automate processes,” he said. “Info-Tech provided us with some great options, so we started the vetting process and found that TeamDynamix really fit our needs – not just for change management and automation, but for everything.”
As a result of the switch to TeamDynamix “we’ve become a lot more efficient as a team because we’re getting the right tickets to the right people faster,” said Farrier. “We can now respond to service requests quicker as well. And we have a lot more visibility in terms of reporting.”
Based on the lessons that Farrier and his colleagues learned from their experience, here are three key strategies that can help organizations of all types improve how they deliver and manage IT services.
1. Understand your pain points.
The first step when embarking on an ITSM tech refresh is to truly understand what’s holding you back.
“Talk to your help desk employees,” Farrier advised—the people who are on the front lines of doing the IT work. “Get their input into the challenges they’re facing, and then come up with a plan that can help alleviate those challenges.”
In looking for an ITSM platform that would help the team accomplish their goals, Farrier engaged his support staff in the search process, as “they’re the ones who deal with the system daily,” he explained. “They might sometimes be the forgotten folks, the ones who stay behind their laptop handling tickets. Yet, they’re the ones who know what it will take to make the system better.”
2. Do your research.
As mentioned previously, Farrier and his team enlisted the help of industry partners such as Info-Tech Research Group to help narrow down their search and find the right ITSM tool for their business needs. While Info-Tech offered several vendors for evaluation, they ultimately chose TeamDynamix based on the guidance they received.
“We found TeamDynamix because it was listed as a Leader in Info-Tech’s quadrant for ITSM,” Farrier noted.
3. Find a true partner to help you optimize processes.
Because IT staff often feel pulled in many directions and time is at a premium, “we try to lean on some of our vendors and partners for help” in implementing new software, Farrier said.
As part of their implementation process, Farrier and his team found they needed to reevaluate and revise key processes when configuring the platform – especially around creating a better self-service portal experience. Here is where the ITSM software provider can also differ. It was important for the team at Legacy to find a software partner that also offered process consulting and implementation services.
By spending a little more time on the planning, the company was better positioned for the actual migration. With the plan in place, the implementation itself can go faster. “It put us in a better position to succeed,” Farrier observed.
If you’re just starting your search for a new ITSM tool and need some tips and best practices for finding the best fit for your organization, these articles might help: