No-code IT Service Management Helps Saint Louis University Create an Agile, Efficient Service Desk

Integration and Automation Platform (iPaaS) Simplifies Integration to the IT Service Ecosystem

Another aspect of TeamDynamix that Cardoz and his team really appreciate is its Integrated Platform as a Service (iPaaS) capability. This codeless integration platform includes out-of-the-box connectors to popular systems such as Workday, Office365, Active Directory, Amazon Web Services, and more. With iPaaS, organizations can easily build integrations and automated workflows connecting various technology systems using a codeless, drag-and-drop visual workflow builder, streamlining the delivery of services even further.  The platform can be used to facilitate integration and workflow around any ecosystem such as Salesforce for marketing, or HRIS for HR.

For instance, SLU has used iPaaS to create an automated workflow for adding users to Active Directory groups. When someone submits a request, it goes through an approval process—and then the user is added to the appropriate Active Directory group automatically, without the need for any manual intervention.

“iPaaS allows us to be more efficient in our workflows and processes,” says Tom Birmingham, an ITSM specialist for the university.

Configuration Ease and Flexibility is a Big Win

Cardoz describes the flexibility to make changes quickly as “a very big win for us.”

“If something isn’t working right on an old service request form,” Birmingham explains, “we can easily make a change to allow for a better workflow for our users.”

The streamlining of workflows through automation and process improvements has saved time for IT service employees. As a result, they’re able to close more tickets and provide better service for constituents. “That’s a big win for our customers as well,” Birmingham says.

In addition, the insights that leaders are able to glean from TeamDynamix analytics allow them to manage employees and resources more effectively. The platform “gives leaders the capability to understand each team’s workload and put business cases together to argue for more resources if necessary,” Cardoz says.

With all of these benefits, encouraging other university departments to adopt TeamDynamix for managing their own service requests has been an easy sell. Enterprise Service Management expansion has included HR, Enrollment, Admissions and Finance.

Taking the Service Desk to a New Level

Implementing a new ITSM platform can be challenging, but Birmingham called the TeamDynamix implementation “a great experience.”

“It was a little hard for me in the beginning,” he explains, “because I was a fish out of water working with ITSM. Thankfully, with the guidance of the TeamDynamix implementation team, the learning that took place from the ground up was very helpful. Their patience was amazing, and their knowledge of all aspects of the tool was astounding. They were able to answer questions about our processes and how to improve those using TeamDynamix. Their ability to think outside the box and show how we could configure the tool to mimic the success of other organizations was incredible.”

Within a few months, SLU had rolled out TeamDynamix with a service catalog of some 30 to 40 different types of service requests. Currently, Cardoz and his team are implementing the platform’s asset management features, and when that’s done they will configure the tool for managing projects as well.

“From an ITSM perspective, my goal is to have users request services through the tool’s self-service portal instead of reaching out directly to us,” Cardoz says. “We’re trying to push users there today. The way to do that is to make it simple and convenient by giving them different ways to put in their service requests.”

At Saint Louis University, TeamDynamix has improved efficiency and given leaders greater insight into the delivery of IT service, resulting in a much more connected enterprise.

“We have our future in our hands with TeamDynamix,” Birmingham concludes. “It’s been a very valuable tool for us.”