Companies often have big ambitions, but they’re unsure if they’re ready to take their service management to the next level.
And even then: how do you go about it?
To enable real improvement, it’s wise to first assess how mature the organization is.
This comes down to three factors: people, process, technology.
Do our employees have the knowledge and skills we can build on?
Are our processes designed in a way that truly supports us?
Are we using the right technology?
Regardless of the outcomes, in practice most organizations tend to want to start with processes first, well before they consider adapting or replacing the technology. That might seem logical — but it’s not smart, and it’s often counterproductive.
In fact, if you reverse this and start with the technology, you’ll typically achieve better and faster results.
You can invest a lot of time designing perfect processes, but once you do, you may face a harsh reality: your available tools aren’t a good fit. Then you’ll end up having to rework those processes anyway.
Technology as the starting point
We prefer to start with the technology — whether that means adjusting, upgrading, or replacing it. This approach forces people to think about the processes too, which naturally leads to improvements. And it ensures that your processes align with your tools from the very beginning.
By choosing the technology that best fits your organization and your goals, you make sure that you are technology-fit. That doesn’t just mean “in good shape,” but rather that your technology is well-suited — including for your processes.
But how do you choose the right technology, and how do you integrate it?
You base this on your ambitions: What do you really want?
Say, for example, you want to proactively help users through a single service portal for all IT-related needs, instead of separate portals for facility management, security, etc. That would be a key criterion when selecting your solution.
At the core, most tools can do the same basic things: log tickets, support and configure workflows. In procurement processes, we often see that 80–90% of requirements are focused on these standard features. It’s a bit like choosing a car: what’s essential? You need to steer, it needs a gas pedal, it should drive fast — every car can do that, so that’s not the issue. But if you want cruise control, or a car with some degree of autonomous driving, then that’s something you’ll need to prioritize when evaluating and selecting a solution. You should also discuss this openly with potential vendors.
Surprisingly, many companies are secretive about this, as if they’re afraid of revealing too much — fearing that the supplier might take advantage of the information. But ultimately, you want to build a partnership. The more the supplier knows, the better they can assess what you want and what your ambitions are — which leads to better technology and a better solution that truly meets your needs.
From there, you can make your selection and start building appropriate processes, since all vendors offer standard processes — for incident management, change management, etc. You can move through those steps fairly quickly.
This leads to focus — on what really sets you apart: how to make AI work well to ultimately serve your customers better. Because that’s the goal, right? When technology helps you in your work and in your processes, it brings satisfaction. As a service employee, you’ll have less stress, better oversight, and more control. And happier employees lead to better service, because they’ll do their work with more enthusiasm.
Gut feeling
To find out if you are service-fit, we can perform a health check — or in car terms, an MOT inspection. But before you ask us for that, here’s some advice: take a good look at where you currently stand — in a way, take a snapshot of your organization. This can give you a lot of insight. And honestly, you’ll probably come across some “obvious” things. Some of it you likely already know. But it’s helpful to move beyond gut feeling. A health check will make it concrete. That gives you ammunition internally, or input for discussions with upper management. You’ll have something tangible to help you take more targeted steps.
There can be many reasons to reach out to us. A common moment is when the current tool contract is about to expire. A certification, audit, or new regulations can also prompt an organization to revisit its ambitions and technology.
Unhappy employees and customers
One thing that really should be an eye-opener is when employees are dissatisfied. If they experience poor service or encounter frequent obstacles and problems — that’s a clear sign. If you’re lucky, they’ll voice those complaints to management. But if management doesn’t act, employees will often try to find workarounds — which can waste time. More often, though, they’ll simply give up: they park their frustrations, accept the situation, and settle for a level of service that your customers certainly won’t be happy with. And there goes your big ambition…