How would you describe successful IT services? Reliable, efficient, and user-friendly are adjectives that often come to mind. Many IT departments leverage an
ITSM solution to help deliver high quality services to the employees in the organization. IT uses automated workflows to fulfill requests through the service catalog, like getting a new laptop for an employee or helping them gain access to an application. So what if that same ITSM solution could be used by other departments in the business? Fortunately, it’s possible and a great way to help all departments reach new levels of success.
Where do IT workflows intersect with other departments?
So, how does it look to incorporate other departments into the
service desk? Think about some of the larger business processes that IT owns a small piece of. For example, employee onboarding is a crucial process for every organization. It’s each employee’s first impression of the business. IT is an important piece of the workflow, but it requires communication from multiple stakeholders from other departments as well.
The hiring manager ensures the new employee has everything they need by coordinating with finance, facilities, and IT. IT provides their technology, sets up their space with necessary equipment, helps them set up passwords, and gets them access to applications. However, this process can be tedious and time consuming without an ITSM solution.
In the service desk, a team member from each BU can be designated a responsibility (or an approval) in the onboarding process. Once completed, the next team member will be prompted to complete their task in a certain amount of time. This provides organization, timeliness, and accuracy when getting the new employee what they need.
Can other departments use the service desk?
To be very blunt: Duh. If HR, finance, and facilities can use the
service desk in an onboarding request, they can also use it in services that are exclusive to their departments. That IT practice was once known as enterprise service management, but we like to look at it on the deeper scale of “employee service management”. This employee-focused “E”SM brings the ITSM strategy to the rest of the departments in the business, with a focus on the engagement of the employees they are servicing.
Let’s say a lightbulb needs fixing in one of the hallways. Employees can submit a request form to the facilities team for it to be replaced. A legal document needs reviewing? A service request can be submitted to the legal team. And, what about if there are changes to your bank account? Finance handles that service request.
IT has and still does play a key role in ensuring service requests are fulfilled. Now, every department has the ability to use IT’s solution to fulfill tasks specific to their team.
Benefits of using the Service Catalog for all requests
Having a service catalog for all service management means
greater visibility. Team and business leaders no longer need to search their inboxes for missing pieces of service delivery or hunt for the data they need to assess performance. This means
greater accountability when there are process or service gaps and better reporting on a team’s value when things go right.
That visibility can also more easily identify issues, opportunities, and changes to improve service interactions. Once an organization has identified those changes, an ESM solution that is backed by
ITIL allows
continual service improvements to be made.
Employees treated like customers
Employees are often the most valuable resources within an organization. With the right ESM solution, consistent and predictable services are delivered to employees.
Improved internal service delivery is a win for both employees and the greater organization, leading to happier employees who are better equipped to do their jobs.
As you can see, an ITSM solution is valuable to the business overall, but if each BU incorporates an employee service management mindset, it provides more organization, less confusion among team members, and drives innovation.
