How to choose the right ITSM tool: a guide to optimizing IT services in your company

Key methodologies 

There are several important methodologies used in ITSM that provide companies with best practices for managing IT services. These approaches include: 

• ITIL (Information Technology Infrastructure Library) is a comprehensive suite for effective IT service management that focuses on coordinating IT services with the business needs of the enterprise. This methodology provides a detailed framework for managing the IT lifecycle - from strategic planning through service design and implementation to operations and continuous improvement. ITIL helps organizations improve performance, optimize costs, and enhance the quality of IT services through best standards and practices. 

Example: Vodafone used ITIL 4 to transition its existing Vodafone Business Customer Operations (VBCO) to a new Minimal Viable Service (MVS) process. During the development of MVS, a total of 15 processes from ITIL 4 were applied. The goal of MVS was to provide a consistent customer experience and to co-create value for users and service providers. The implementation of ITIL 4 resulted in increased efficiency and standardisation of workflows across teams at Vodafone. 

• COBIT (Control Objectives for Information and Related Technologies). These are designed to help companies achieve optimal IT performance and effectively manage the risks associated with information technology. COBIT focuses on integrating IT with business objectives, ensuring compliance with legal and regulatory requirements, and providing valuable information for making IT investment decisions. 

Example: the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) has successfully implemented COBIT to improve IT governance and digital transformation. This move led to better understanding and integration between IT and other business units, increased visibility between management and IT, and improved the overall quality of IT services. COBIT was used to evaluate and measure performance and to regularly assess compliance and update policies. CBN still continuously uses COBIT to manage and improve IT processes. 

The implementation of ITIL and COBIT within ITSM not only enables organizations to effectively manage and coordinate IT services, but also ensures that they are aligned with business objectives and strategies. With ITIL, companies can better identify areas for improvement in IT services, while COBIT provides a framework for managing ITSM processes and risks. Together, these methodologies contribute to better performance and transparency in ITSM. 

ITSM planning 

In the following section, we focus on appropriate planning practices within ITSM: 

1. In ITSM planning, firms should first clearly define their business goals and needs, and then develop a plan to achieve these goals through IT services. For example, a firm can improve its services through customer support. In that case, its ITSM plan might include implementing new software to track customer requests or improving its IT infrastructure for faster and more efficient response. 
2. An important step in the ITSM planning process is to identify key areas that need upgrades and then set specific, measurable goals to achieve through IT services. This can be done, for example, by reducing response time to customer queries or increasing the availability of online services. 
3. When planning ITSM, it is also important to consider all aspects that can affect the delivery and quality of IT services, including technology, processes, people and strategies. The plan should be regularly reviewed and updated to reflect changing business conditions and technological advances. 

Tip: We wrote an article on the SMART method to learn about how to define goals that transform your organization. 

How to choose the right ITSM tool for your organization? 

Choosing an ITSM tool comes down to understanding your organization's current needs and goals. The process involves assessing the current situation, defining specific requirements, comparing available options and validating the chosen solution to ensure it meets needs and expectations. So how to proceed?  

1) Assess the current situation 

Before you start looking for a new ITSM tool, it's important to have a clear understanding of your current ITSM processes, issues and expectations. Use a SWOT analysis to evaluate your current ITSM capabilities and identify areas for improvement. You should also consider the maturity level of your ITSM, compliance and security requirements, and integration needs with other systems and tools. 

Tip: Read our article How to effectively use SWOT analysis to achieve your business goals. 

2) Define your requirements 

After assessing your current situation, you need to define your requirements for the new ITSM tool. You should prioritize these requirements based on the value they bring to your IT service delivery and customer satisfaction. Using MoSCoW analysis (Must have, Should have, Could have, Won't have - things must be, should be, could be, won't be) you can categorize your requirements and focus on the most important ones. You should involve your most important stakeholders, such as IT staff, business people and customers, in defining your requirements and expectations. 

3) Compare different options 

After defining your requirements, you need to compare different ITSM tools that meet your criteria. You can use an evaluation matrix to rate each ITSM tool according to how well it meets your requirements, such as:  

• Functionality,  
• usability,  
• scalability,  
• reliability, 
• security  
• and price.  

We recommend that you ask ITSM tool vendors for the opportunity to try their products during a trial period to see how well they support your ITSM processes in practice. It is also key to check reviews and feedback from other customers who have already used these tools. 

4) Validate your selection 

Before you decide on a particular ITSM tool, you need to validate your selection and ensure that it will deliver the expected benefits and results. Validate your selection and see how the ITSM tool fits with your IT and business goals, improves the quality and efficiency of your IT services, and provides a positive return on investment. You should also test the ITSM tool in a pilot project to verify its performance and suitability for your IT environment and user needs. 

5) Implement and optimize 

When choosing the right ITSM tool, it is important that the system vendor ensures that it is implemented and optimized for the customer's IT operations. Implementation should be structured and done in phases, including planning, design, testing, deployment and review. It is critical that the vendor provide adequate training and support to IT staff and customers for effective use of the ITSM tool and adoption of best practices. It is also important to monitor and measure the impact and value of the ITSM tool, including regularly seeking feedback and suggestions for improvement. 

Make sure you have the right ITSM software 

If you're looking for an ITSM tool that can take your IT services to the next level, focus on the following functionality: 

• Incident and problem management - look for an ITSM tool built on the Information Technology Infrastructure Library (ITIL) framework that comes with full support. For example, live dashboards allow managers to see real-time growth in incidents, enabling them to be addressed. 
• IT Asset Management - IT Asset Management (ITAM) allows engineers to view details, status, relationships and ownership of assets and CI (Continuous Integration).  
• ITSM workflow - reduce the burden on the IT team with automated ITSM. Use specialized software to efficiently create and manage ITSM workflows. These tools offer customizable templates and features that make it easy to define and automate processes, reducing manual work and increasing efficiency. Through automation, the room for error is reduced. 
• ITIL change management - poor change management can cause a spike in tickets. The ITIL change management process focuses on managing and coordinating all changes to IT infrastructure and services. This critical element of the ITIL framework ensures that any changes are carefully planned, tested and implemented to minimise risk and ensure the smooth functioning of IT systems 
• Dashboard reporting - identify problems before they become big ones. How to do it? Support key stakeholders, identify trends, and get the data you need to communicate the value of IT. Share ITSM dashboards, publish them externally and integrate with third-party data tools.  

Process improvement in ITSM 

Companies should regularly evaluate their IT processes to ensure they are as efficient and effective as possible. This means monitoring and analyzing the performance of IT services, identifying areas that need improvement, and implementing changes to optimize processes. These improvements may include: 

• Updating technology,  
• simplifying workflows,  
• improving communication between teams  
• or introducing new tools to automate repetitive tasks.  

Optimising internal user satisfaction in ITSM 

To ensure customer satisfaction in IT services, it is important to understand their needs and continuously respond to them. Companies should actively take customer feedback into account, whether through surveys, face-to-face interviews, or service reviews. Based on the information gathered, IT services can then be adjusted and improved to best meet customer requirements and expectations. The use of personalised approaches and flexible responses to changing needs are essential to maintaining high levels of customer satisfaction. 

As part of the ongoing evolution of IT Service Management, it is important to focus on some of the trends and challenges that are shaping the field. Here are some significant aspects:  

• Customer Experience in ITSM: The majority of IT departments (69% of respondents) see increasing end-customer focus as a key challenge in the near future. It is important that IT services provide a seamless experience that goes beyond technical support alone. This also includes better self-service support and easier access to troubleshooting. 
• Complexity and user-friendliness of ITSM tools: there is frustration about the complexity and lack of user-friendliness of ITSM tools. A full 56% of respondents report that the main problem is the complexity of reporting and reporting. There is a demand for simple and intuitive tools that support mobile access and efficient reporting. 
• Economic and Capacity Challenges: Demand for IT services is growing, but budgets are often limited (according to 43% of respondents). As a result, IT departments face challenges in demonstrating the value of their services and business.  

Measuring the performance of IT services 

This involves monitoring and analysing various aspects of services such as response time, reliability, availability and overall quality of service. Incident analysis helps to identify and resolve issues that can negatively impact services. Tracking these metrics allows IT teams to react quickly and make necessary adjustments to improve services.  

AI and ITSM

 
Artificial intelligence (AI) has had a significant impact on the field of IT Service Management. This technology is helping to improve service quality, reduce costs and achieve better business outcomes. One of the most common uses of AI in ITSM is chatbots, which are continuously improving in quality. These systems represent the first point of contact between the user and the technician within the HelpDesk, significantly increasing the efficiency of communication. Let's list a few reasons for integrating AI into ITSM: 

• Sentiment analysis in ITSM: By using AI to analyze sentiment in tickets, we gain valuable insights into user sentiment and attitudes. This AI-driven analysis allows us to gain deeper insights into user satisfaction, which is essential for continuously improving the user experience and the efficiency of IT services. 
• Automated ticket classification and chatbots: AI is commonly used for automated ticket classification, first-level chatbot responses to customer queries, and workload optimization for routine tasks. First-level chatbot responses are chatbot responses to simple and common queries that do not require advanced understanding or human intervention. Chatbots can use information from the knowledge base to automatically recommend solutions to IT problems. Automated ticket classification is then a process in which AI analyzes and automatically classifies incoming requests into appropriate categories based on their content and context. 
• Process optimization and automated ticketing: AI tools in ITSM can increase the percentage of successfully resolved requests on first contact by comparing previous ticket resolutions with current ones. When the AI tool does not find a relevant solution, it can automatically generate a ticket and send it to the appropriate IT department. 
• More efficient incident handling: AI algorithms can identify incidents and automatically send notifications to technicians, and can resolve some incidents based on predefined procedures or historical data. 
• SLAs (service level agreements): AI tracks and identifies patterns of SLA violations, helping to prevent revenue loss and reputational damage. 
• Strategic decision making: AI in ITSM involves not just chatbots, but also overall process automation and predictive analytics. AI can help identify patterns of behavior related to incidents, trigger automated workflows, and perform probable cause analysis of outages. It can also provide insights and recommendations based on analysis of configuration database (CMDB) data, for example, to identify potential risks, opportunities and optimizations for IT service management. 

Latest ITSM statistics and trends for 2023 

According to AXELOS' 2023 survey, 48% of organizations rate their ITSM capabilities as "excellent" or "good". A further 27% feel they are "almost there" and 22% have "room for improvement". These statistics show that in the ITSM area, organisations are split approximately fifty-fifty between success and the need for further improvement. 

The main obstacles companies face in improving ITSM include a lack of support from senior management. Lack of adequate tools is further down the list, which may mean that only 4% of respondents are not using any ITSM tool or are using one that does not meet their needs. 

In terms of ITSM implementation, the highest level of deployment - and ITSM principles and practices are therefore most integrated and used there - is seen with Service Desk. Surprisingly, it turns out that asset management (the process of managing the lifecycle of IT assets such as hardware, software and other technologies) is now considered more important than previously thought. This increase in the importance of asset management can be attributed to its benefits in the areas of cost reduction, risk minimization and compliance, which are key factors in successful IT management. 

The use of cloud and virtual technologies in ITSM 

The use of the cloud in IT Service Management brings several strategic benefits that help organizations improve the management and delivery of IT services. Five key benefits include: 

• Better collaboration: cloud-based ITSM solutions promote better collaboration through real-time updates, easy tracking of service tickets, and seamless information sharing, which increases productivity and speeds up decision-making processes. 
• Universal accessibility: cloud-based ITSM solutions are accessible from anywhere, which is especially important in today's environment where remote working and flexible working hours are common. Universal availability allows IT teams and users to access, manage and use IT services regardless of their geographic location or time zone, increasing efficiency and improving collaboration. 
• Advanced automation and integration capabilities: with its flexibility and scalability, cloud computing offers significant advantages for advanced ticket routing and incident management over traditional on-premise solutions. Cloud solutions are based on modern architectures that leverage machine learning and artificial intelligence for automation, and easily interoperate with other cloud applications, simplifying ITSM integration with other IT tools. 
• Improved security and compliance: cloud-based ITSM solutions can offer improved security and facilitate compliance with specific regulations in some aspects. Cloud service providers often have the resources and expertise to implement complex security protocols that can be challenging for some organizations to implement on-premises. However, the security profile of cloud solutions versus on-premise solutions can vary depending on the specific needs and environment of each organization. Users should carefully consider both approaches and select the solution that best fits their security and regulatory needs. 
• Cost Savings: the cloud eliminates the need for large capital investments in IT infrastructure and generally follows a pay-as-you-go pricing model, which reduces costs associated with maintenance, upgrades and staff training. 

Optimise your IT services with Algotech's Service Desk 

At Algotech, we offer a comprehensive Service Desk solution that is directly related to effective IT service management. Our services include ticket management, fast and efficient user support, automation of routine tasks and integration with other IT systems. We provide a secure, reliable and scalable platform to manage all aspects of IT support and administration, which includes advanced incident and change management features.  

Our customers have 24/7 technical support available to them, and we resolve most requests within 30 minutes. We ensure high service availability and reliability, with all data being secure and regularly backed up. Contact us for more information and we can help you implement a solution that will meet your organisation's exact needs.