Selecting the Right ITSM Tool to Deliver Operational Excellence and Great Service to Your Customers

Purchasing or upgrading your IT Service Management (ITSM) and service desk software is a strategic decision that should not be taken lightly. It is a decision that it should only be made after clearly identifying your current and future service and support needs. Making the right choices of both tool and the supplier are critical components to delivering a first-class service.

The technology selected should primarily support your business processes and further enhance your service professionals' ability to perform activities faster, efficiently, and cost-effectively. Do not rush into making snap decisions; your team will have to live with the decision for a long time.

The moment organizations have to produce a needs document for the purchase of a solution that involves a technical component, they go into techno-babble, often having unrealistic technical requirements that rarely address or support the business issue that the solution is actually want to address. This is seen when the technical specification far outweighs the essential features to support service quality and improvement. Because 'software' is involved, the specification/choice is all-to-often steered by technical staff rather than the service professionals with real expertise in customer service. The technical platform and environment that the solution may be required to operate on are important, but it's certainly not in my top 5 requirements. The only thing that delivers truly excellent service is the excellent staff; the key requirements should focus on productivity, communication, and customer satisfaction.

The problem buyers face today is too much choice and hype. It's becoming more difficult to select and compare solutions, depending on your needs and current level of service maturity. Because of the choice and range of 'options,' it's often impossible to compare features, pricing approaches, and 'best fit.' Before shortlisting, identify your key requirements and perform a 'quick sweep' to filter down potential vendors to no more than 3 or 4 and ensure that they adhere to industry standards. The trend in both public and private sectors is towards standards, except that suppliers will have accreditation.

They provides the ultimate combination of ITSM process automation, functionality, and flexibility, delivering a comprehensive ITIL-compatible solution out-of-the-box. Valuable staff resources and time do not have to be spent tailoring or building a solution; it's all there, ready to be switched on. From day one, your team is productive, focusing on improving the service delivered to the business and its customers. The entry-level system can be fully operational within a day.