Hornbill's Supportworks ITSM signed up by Comet's IS Team

November 6th, 2008 -- Leading electrical retailer's IS service desk to adopt ITIL processes to support systems and staff in offices and stores nationwide.

Hornbill's Supportworks ITSM service management platform has been selected by Comet Group Plc, the leading electrical specialist known for its competitive pricing and after sales service. Hornbill's solution will be used to support all Comet staff based in over 250 locations nationwide. The company employs approximately 10,000 staff across the UK. Comet selected Supportworks ITSM to enable it to adopt ITIL processes and to support the IS systems used throughout the organisation.

Hornbill's solution was selected for its ease of use and ergonomic design following an evaluation of three competitive products by the IS team. Supportworks' 'out-of-the-box' functionality will also enable the team to quickly deploy the system and implement ITIL best practice for recording and tracking incidents and managing change programmes.

"Hornbill's Supportworks ITSM was by far the most popular choice with the end-users on our evaluation," said Rob Gwatkin, Service Desk Manager at Comet Group Plc. "The Hornbill team understood what we wanted to achieve and made the process very straightforward and comfortable. Supportworks ITSM will enable us to refresh how we operate as a service desk and our processes, successfully adopting best practice as set out in the ITIL framework."

The Comet IS team is working with Hornbill to customise some of the workflow processes in the system to match their own internal work methods, as well as working on screen design to reflect the company’s branding.

Gerry Sweeney, CEO of Hornbill Systems commented; "Companies like Comet have built their success on providing first rate customer service with competitive pricing. With daily retail operations reliant on their IT systems, it is critical that staff are supported in their work. Adopting a solution like Supportworks ITSM provides IT service desks with a framework and management tool to meet the challenges of growing user bases and managing complex IT infrastructures efficiently."
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NOTES TO EDITORS
About Comet
Comet has more than 250 stores throughout the UK, offering a wide range of electrical products all at 'Every Day Low Prices'. Thousands of competitor prices are checked every week to ensure that Comet's prices cannot be beaten.
The Comet website - Comet.co.uk - offers easy, convenient shopping and with Comet's click and collect service you can reserve online and collect in store an hour later. Additionally, customers can shop by phone on 08705 425 425. Calls usually cost no more than 8 pence per minute from landlines; calls made from mobiles usually cost more.
Comet offers a unique all-round shopping experience with a range of services including home delivery, full installation of products such as televisions & computers, take back facilities for large products, and comprehensive after sales service.

About Hornbill

Hornbill develops and markets Supportworks: platform technology and applications for IT Service Management and business helpdesks. Supportworks' service desk software is designed for rapid deployment within any IT or business support environment, including ITIL-compatible IT Service Management (ITSM), IT Helpdesk, Customer Service & Support, Human Resources and Facilities Management with the flexibility to build additional service desks at minimal extra cost.

Customers including Atos Origin, Toyota Motorsport, Buckinghamshire Hospitals NHS Trust, Kent County Council, Greggs, London School of Economics, Natural History Museum, Knight Frank, Comet, The National Archives, and Camelot benefit from Hornbill's unique 'Human Touch' approach to Service Management.

Hornbill was founded in 1995 and has offices in London, UK and Dallas, Texas. For more information about Hornbill's solutions please visit www.hornbill.com

Public Relations Contacts

Hornbill Service Management Limited
Catherine Staite
T. +44 (0) 208 582 8229
E. catherine.staite@hornbill.com
Spark Communications
Satyen Dayal
T. +44 (0) 20 7436 0420
E. satyen@sparkcomms.co.uk