Simple is good. At least, it’s hard to argue with the premise that simple is way better than difficult, cumbersome, or complicated. As outlined in our first post, for today’s organizations, simplicity isn’t something to strive for, it’s an expectation of users, and it’s a mandate for the business. However, when it comes to simplifying the service desk, it hasn’t been so, well, simple in the past.
How do you start to achieve simplicity in the service desk? Here are some keys:
- Configure, don’t customize. Is your IT group in the business of building service desk tools? Does it really make sense to have teams of people dedicated to customizing a service desk platform for years to come? If not, look for SaaS tools that are easy to configure to the needs of your business, without having to do laborious coding. Keep in mind that the sooner you can get a tool deployed, the sooner you can start benefiting. Over time, as the SaaS tool is enhanced, you’ll be able to leverage new capabilities seamlessly, as opposed to having to do testing, rollouts, and training on a new platform version.
- Leverage best practices. When it comes to service management, we have a broadly adopted, recognized, and effective standard: ITIL. We also have a lot of expertise in the industry in terms of managing services, expertise that informs solutions like Nimsoft Service Desk. The upshot: you don’t have to reinvent the wheel.
- Offload chores. As outlined earlier, the core vs. chore decision is one that CIOs need to look at continually. The reality is that enterprise IT has options today that it didn’t have ten years or even three years ago. With so many services available in the cloud, enterprises can reduce a lot of the infrastructure and application hosting and maintenance that they used to do. Similarly, managed service providers (MSPs) offer a lot of compelling services. These MSPs can provide expertise and assistance—experts that can be on call 365 days a year, but that don’t have to be kept on payroll 365 days a year.
Ultimately, simplifying the service desk will deliver dividends, and the sooner you simplify, the sooner those benefits will start to accrue. This may require taking an objective look at the platforms and systems in place, and questioning whether your current capabilities help or hinder your organization as it tries to address the objectives above.
Note: This is the third in a five-part series of posts on the simpler service desk. The prior post looked at the implications of SaaS in terms of our expectations. In our next post, we’ll outline why SaaS makes so much sense for the service desk.
