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Once you have decided to set up your Service Desk, you need to consider the environment that the Service Desk staff will be working in. Simply supplying desks and telephones is not enough.
If Customers visit your support centre, the image created is an important factor in the Customer's perception of the service and how seriously you take it. Many organisations use their Service Desk as a 'showcase' to demonstrate to Customers their commitment to quality service provision. In many cases, such organisations show Customers around their service function to demonstrate what happens when they call.
When preparing to set up a Service Desk, bear in mind the following guidelines:
When considering the level of service and the environment being provided , ask yourself 'Is this how I would like to be treated?'
Although the Service Catalogue is part of Service Level Management, its understanding is fundamental to an effective Service Desk. The Service Catalogue defines the services available from your organisation to the Customer. It defines agreed expectations.
What you choose to define as a Service to your organisation is a business decision. Some examples are:
Traditionally, computer departments have attempted to define services at a component level (e.g. server, network etc.). The problem with this approach to service definition is that it leads to confusion, because these elements are of no concern to Customers. At a component level, the service agreements are maintained by the 'back-to-back' Operational Level Agreements (OLAs) made with second-line support groups and third-party suppliers.
The major advantage of specifying a Service by application when registering a request, is that it allows instant classification of who should handle the activity, and how it should be handled. Using ITIL as a 'common language', support staff do not have to work out or translate the classification of the request, as this has already been agreed within the business.
It is essential that before any service or product is offered to a Customer (see Annex 4A for a sample Release document), the following is in place at the Service Desk and fully tested:
Many organisations invest huge amounts of money and resource in developing, planning and training for a new Service. However, one of the most important deliverables of that service - support - is often neglected and added as an afterthought. This is a major cause for failure in a Release (and Customer perception of a new service). In contrast, it is good to use a new service as an opportunity to 'impress the business'. This is a 'moment of truth', which defines a mature and professional service operation.
A useful addition to your support arsenal is the 'User Handbook'. This should contain useful hints and tips for Problem solving on major applications and equipment and any preliminary checks or information that may be required before calling the desk (e.g.noting service name, screen numbers, error codes, etc). Importantly, it should tell the Customer what to expect when they call and what will happen. The provision of a quality service is only achievable when Customers and Service Desk staff work together.
A useful way of circulating and publishing the 'User Handbook' is online via Internet or intranet technology.
In addition to Customer feedback and management reporting, it is important that your Customers are aware in advance of any Changes affecting their service. Indeed, the introduction of the Service Desk should be viewed as an excellent public relations exercise to increase Customer awareness, and to sell the business benefits of that service.
Selling what you do to both the individual User and the whole business is essential for success. All too often, the only time the business is aware of what is being done is when someone complains or things go wrong. It is necessary to overcome these negative episodes and messages with positive ones. This is why it is so important to continuously communicate or 'sell' your achievement, successes and areas of improvement to your Customer as well as to IT Management.
Selling considerations are as follows:
The key success factors for implementing a successful Service Desk include:
Choosing your 'quick wins' should be based on what is important to your Customers and will yield a short-term service improvement and enhance Customer perception. Quick wins are essential to obtain Customer and business support during the initial phases of any service-improvement project.
Examples of possible quick wins are as follows:
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