When you are shopping for an ITSM tool, it’s hard to know where to start – especially if you’re using a legacy ITSM tool that your company has used for years. To help you get started with finding the right ITSM and self help technology vendor, we have compiled the top 10 questions you should ask of your current provider and any prospective software companies.
1. What is the TCO of the ITSM Software
The total cost of ownership (TCO) is arguably one of the biggest considerations to make when considering an ITSM vendor. Unfortunately, what many fail to recognize is the fact that TCO includes more than the cost of licensing the software.
The TCO of the software includes the cost of licenses, server space, and the salary and benefits of the employee, or employees, needed to keep that software functioning properly.
For example, you may be considering a software that has all the bells and whistles you want for scalable growth, but the out-of-the-box configurations just aren’t there. Instead, you may find that you need 3-4 full time employees to constantly update and configure the solution, which adds considerable cost above and beyond the price of the software itself. However, if you have a product with simple configuration and onboarding and intuitive reporting, you can hire one half-time or one full-time admin instead. (Hint hint… check out our eBook to learn more about what we mean here.)
2. What is the most important capability of ITSM?
There are several aspects of ITSM that are crucial to keeping the IT organization running smoothly. But the most important capability of ITSM is going to vary based on your business needs.
So why do we wish you’d ask us this question if the answer is going to be different for everyone?
Because the ITSM vendor should be able to help you understand whether it’s the incident and problem management capabilities you need to lean on more, the ITIL guidance as a whole, knowledge management and the knowledge base, or any other element. ITSM and self help technology both have elements and modules that will fundamentally change the way your organization functions, and knowing which pieces to focus on in this greater puzzle will help you get the greatest ROI from your software.
3. What is the framework for the ITSM tool?
There are so many ITSM frameworks out there. So why does EasyVista choose ITIL?
ITIL 4 provides a universal framework for ITSM that lends itself to agile, customer-centric service delivery. When you’re looking for a new ITSM tool, making sure the tool functions within a universal and powerful framework, like ITIL, is helpful in making the choice that’s right for your team.
Clear, structured processes will encourage your team to avoid shadow IT practices that can put the company at risk of security breaches and compliance issues and will serve to keep your enterprise organized and functioning without major system outages or issues. You can learn more about ITIL and ITSM here.
4. Where Can I access REviews?
If you’re searching for ITSM tools, a good sales pitch should never be the only thing you base your opinions on. (Even if it’s a really, really great pitch from one of our people. Don’t just take our word for it.)
We recommend you consult a few different resources including:
- Gartner Peer Insights
- Gartner Magic Quadrant for IT Service Management Tools
- Customer success stories and case studies
- Customer references specific to your industry
Once you’ve consulted these resources, you can whittle down your options based on business use cases that reflect your needs.
5. How can I use ITSM outside of IT for greater ROI?
One of the ways you can get a greater ROI on your ITSM investment is by using it in other departments for service requests, which is sometimes called Enterprise Service Management.
For example, Human Resources (HR) can use ITSM software to process time off requests, while self-service can give employees a way to access critical HR documents including insurance forms, federal forms, and more.
You can read more about the uses for ITSM and self help technology outside of IT here.
6. What ITSM Integrations will we need?
If you’re currently using a combination of tools, you might benefit from having an ITSM solution that can integrate all of the separate pieces together for a seamless experience.
Think of it this way: your IT system is made up of a wide range of software, devices, servers, and people. Not every software or device will talk to each other, but they should plug into the greater ITSM system so that you can easily patch or fix issues, monitor their status, and keep the workflow as smooth as possible.
On the flip side, you might be using a ton of integrations that are, quite frankly, redundant. So, when shopping for your ITSM tool, we wish you’d ask us all about integrations you have and what you might need to get the most out of your software.
7. What’s the Difference Between Self-Service and Self Help?
We speak with a lot of people who use self-service and self help interchangeably, but these are not actually the same technologies. Knowing the difference between these technologies can help you understand which your business needs for greater cost optimization.
Self-service is a more traditional way for customers to create their own tickets within an ITSM software, and generally is aimed at connecting the customer with the service. However, self help is the answer to self-service in many ways because it takes the resolution off of the service desk and moves it to the customer.
Let’s add a little more context:
- Self-service is requesting a service that normally requires interaction from another human or automation to deliver something.
- Self-help allows employees and customers to solve problems and get answers without human interaction. However, there is one caveat to this description and that is that automation can also add value to self-help.
8. Why Should I Consider Self Help with ITSM?
Self help used in conjunction with ITSM can help shift tickets left – meaning that you can move Level-1 tickets to self help, tier-2 support to tier-1, and so on. This frees up agents to resolve the higher level issues that matter the most to the business needs, while providing some level of automation to the areas where human interaction lends the least support.
In fact, with self help technology, you can lower tier-1 calls by 30% and improve resolution time by 20%. That all amounts in major cost savings and value for the business as a whole.
To learn more about why to consider ITSM and self help technology for shift-left, click here.
9. Should we consider AIOps with ITSM?
Yes, yes, a thousand times yes! We want you to think about proactive service management and service delivery because that’s where you’ll find the most business value with your software. And how do you make IT more proactive? With AIOps software that monitors the IT infrastructure and alerts you to any issues.
If creating a memorable employee and customer experience is the top of your list, this technology should be the top of your wish list. Not only can monitoring your IT infrastructure help you identify and remedy issues before they have a chance to impact customers, but it can also help keep your service desk employees from having to work overtime. How many times have your IT managers been woken from sleep, interrupted during an important event, or had to pause their vacations because of a large system outage? AIOps can make those situations a thing of the past.
10. What remote support software works with ITSM?
The last piece of the puzzle we wish you’d ask us is what remote support software you should consider with your ITSM tool. You might argue that this is part of the question on integrations, but it’s not exactly the same as any other integration you might be using.
Remote support software that enables you to proactively push updates and repairs to users’ computers without interrupting their workflows enables you to provide excellent service without the user even knowing the service was needed in the first place.
Conclusion
We know that switching ITSM providers can feel a little bit like the scene in Indiana Jones where he tries to swap the sack of rocks for the gold. You’re trying not to trigger the giant rolling boulder of change and increasing tickets and more meetings that will crush your team. We want to help. We’re here to answer all 10 of these questions and more. Let’s geek out about ITSM and self help technology together. Request a call today.
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