Extend the Service Desk to the Enterprise

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Service delivery across the business is often disjointed. A lack of consistent processes, tools, and communication across business units leads to inefficient service delivery for end users across the enterprise.
Non-IT functions need guidance. Business leaders need to make the shift from a task-oriented to a customer-oriented culture, and reduce their reliance on email to manage projects and tasks, but don’t have the time or experience needed to build supporting processes or tools.
Staff within the business units or business executives may not understand the value of adopting a service management approach to their work.

Our Advice

Critical Insight

Extending the service desk is a win-win-win. Enterprise service management makes other business units more streamlined and efficient while reducing the workload on the service desk and improving the overall user experience and productivity.
Get more value out of your investment. The more business functions that use the ITSM solution, the better the ROI on the tool and the greater the savings through application rationalization.
Position IT as a leader. Extending service management to other business functions not only benefits the business but also gives IT an opportunity to further demonstrate its worth and the value of ITSM.

Impact and Result

Extending IT service management functions and capabilities to other business functions improves efficiency and service delivery and also positions IT as a strategic partner and leader.
Service managers in IT need to help business leaders define a feasible service, build the related user-facing processes and workflows, and coach staff as they extend the scope of the service desk to other business.
CIOs should champion enterprise service management to garner support for the initiative among management and peers.

Extend the Service Desk to the Enterprise Research & Tools

Start here – read the Executive Brief

Read our concise Executive Brief to find out why you should extend the service desk to the enterprise, review Info-Tech’s methodology, and understand the four ways we can support you in completing this project.

Extend the Service Desk to the Enterprise – Executive Brief

1. Define the scope of the project

Plan an approach to extend the service desk to the business unit that would most benefit and gain buy-in before proceeding.

2. Design the service

Build an operating model for the new service desk and design the services it will provide.

3. Build the service desk

Configure the tools to support the service and train the support team to ensure a successful launch of the service desk.

Workshop: Extend the Service Desk to the Enterprise

Workshops offer an easy way to accelerate your project. If you are unable to do the project yourself, and a Guided Implementation isn't enough, we offer low-cost delivery of our project workshops. We take you through every phase of your project and ensure that you have a roadmap in place to complete your project successfully.

Module 1: Assess Feasibility of Extension

The Purpose

Assess readiness of IT to extend the service desk.
Identify target business units and define an approach to extending the service desk.
Make the case to the business and target departments.

Key Benefits Achieved

Inform current state assessment with data.
Identify business units that could most benefit from adopting the service desk.
Gain business buy-in for the project.

Activities

Outputs

1.1

Assess diagnostic results.

Evaluate diagnostic results to understand current state

1.2

Assess organizational readiness to extend.

Extension Feasibility Assessment evaluates IT’s readiness to extend the service desk

1.3

Brainstorm departments for inclusion, choose an approach and prioritize departments.

Prioritized list of business units to extend the service desk to

1.4

Identify the business benefits to inform business case.

Executive Presentation to make the case

1.5

Identify metrics to evaluate the success of the project.

KPIs and metrics

Module 2: Plan the Service Desk

The Purpose

Get buy-in from the selected business unit.
Define the structure of the service desk.
Define the operating model and services provided.

Key Benefits Achieved

Get the target business unit on board by emphasizing relevant benefits.
Build the most efficient service desk structure.
Define the services that will be offered.

Activities

Outputs

2.1

Identify challenges facing the target business unit along with associated benefits of service desk adoption.

Targeted challenges and benefits to get the business unit on board

2.2

Define structure of service desk.

Service Desk Extension Strategy with defined operating structure and tiers of the service desk

2.3

Define ticket intake process, structure, and queues within target business unit.

Operating model including ticket intake and lifecycle through the business unit

2.4

Brainstorm and prioritize services for inclusion.

Prioritized list of services to include

Module 3: Design Services and Processes

The Purpose

Define the process for handling service requests.
Build out service definitions.
Build workflows for specific services the business unit will provide.

Key Benefits Achieved

Build a service request workflow.
Describe all essential features of the service using a Service Definition Checklist.
Discuss processes for handling requests and document in workflows.

Activities

Outputs

3.1

Build a high-level service request workflow.

Defined service request workflow

3.2

Identify essential service features.

Completed service definition checklist

3.3

Define the service request process.

3.4

Build workflow diagrams for each type of service request.

Service request workflows

Module 4: Build the Implementation Plan

The Purpose

Select and configure supporting tools and self-help.
Build a communication and training plan.
Build an implementation roadmap.

Key Benefits Achieved

Decide on an approach to extending or purchasing an ITSM tool that best suits needs.
Improve adoption with a communication and training plan.
Organize the project with a roadmap.

Activities

Outputs

4.1

Build requirements for service desk tool.

Approach to selecting or extending tool and defined requirements

4.2

Design self-help for users.

Self-service portal design and features

4.3

Define roles and responsibilities.

Defined roles and responsibilities to support service desk

4.4

Build a communication and training plan.

Communications and training plan to support adoption

4.5

Build a roadmap.

Implementation roadmap

About Info-Tech

Info-Tech Research Group is the world’s fastest-growing information technology research and advisory company, proudly serving over 30,000 IT professionals.

We produce unbiased and highly relevant research to help CIOs and IT leaders make strategic, timely, and well-informed decisions. We partner closely with IT teams to provide everything they need, from actionable tools to analyst guidance, ensuring they deliver measurable results for their organizations.

What Is a Blueprint?

A blueprint is designed to be a roadmap, containing a methodology and the tools and templates you need to solve your IT problems.

Each blueprint can be accompanied by a Guided Implementation that provides you access to our world-class analysts to help you get through the project.

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Guided Implementation 1: Define project scope

Call 1: Assess readiness of IT to extend the service desk.
Call 2: Identify target business units and define an approach to extending the service desk.
Call 3: Make the case to the business and target departments.

Guided Implementation 2: Design the service

Call 1: Define the operating model and structure of the service desk.
Call 2: Identify and prioritize services that will be included in scope.
Call 3: Design the process for service requests.

Guided Implementation 3: Build the service desk

Call 1: Define requirements for an ITSM tool and design self-help.
Call 2: Define roles and build a training plan to support staff.
Call 3: Create a communications plan and roadmap for implementation.

Authors

Sandi Conrad

Michel Hebert

Natalie Sansone

Contributors

Tom Lynch, CIO, Suffolk University
Kathleen Witwicki, Manager, IS Support, Graymont
Justin Johnson, IT Systems Manager, Kansas City Chiefs Football Club
David Kangethe, ITSM Director, Lifecare International
Scott Walling, Co-founder, Monitor 24-7
Graham Furnis, IT Management Consultant, Pink Elephant
Cathy Downey, Manager, Business Analysis, Graymont
Ricardo Chavira, Director, Service Desk, Yale University
Darryl Hobbs, Manager, Service Delivery, NZ Statistics
Don Gregersen, IT Director, Thorpe Specialty Services Corporation
Patrick Savard, Sales Enablement Manager, Savard Solutions, LLC
Olaf Van Der Vossen, Service Manager, CERN
Reinoud Martens, Service Manager, CERN
John Borst, Director IT, Enterprise Operations, Cenveo
Tess Savini, IT Customer Support Manager, Moog
Todd Felker, Infrastructure and Security Architect, Torrance Memorial Medical Center
Alison Taylor, Director, Evaluations (retired), Shared Services Canada
Jan van Bon, Service Management Architect, Inform-IT
Robert Coules, Consultant, Chelmsford, UK
Denis Papens, Service Management Tooling, BNP Paribas
Tushar Dingale, Operational Excellence COE Specialist, Amdocs
Branimir Valentic, Managing Director, itego element d.o.o.
Maurice Job, Consultant, Taranaki, New Zealand
Thomas Powers, Global Support Manager, Avid Technologies
Rajen Doshi, Senior Business Consultant, Pegasystems