So how does an ITSM function get to be best in class?

Prompted by Aberdeen Group’s report Embracing 21st Century ITSM, I’ve been thinking about the causes of end-user dissatisfaction with IT support.

Now we’ve discussed the major reasons users complain about IT support, let’s take a look at what would satisfy them. Some answers are provided by Aberdeen’s research into the characteristics of best-in-class ITSM operations. (Aberdeen identifies these by looking at their ability to complete IT projects on time, their downtime, and their response time to IT service requests.)

The research found these top organizations were significantly more likely than average ones to be providing services associated with collaborative (or as Aberdeen calls it, social) technology, such as workflow (48% more likely), employee feedback (47% more likely) and self-service. In fact, the use of collaborative technology pervaded their IT support processes.

Similarly, the researchers found extensive use of mobile technology in the best-in-class organizations. This has two big benefits: users can access support on the go, and technical experts can troubleshoot when they’re out of the office.

Aberdeen identified other distinguishing features of best-in-class organizations. These included facilitating peer-to-peer collaboration to solve problems (which we see as part and parcel of collaboration), advanced self-service, and the ability to analyze performance in order to improve it.

From my point of view, it’s clear that the capabilities that Aberdeen associates with best-in-class organizations are driven by a collaborative focus that is enabled by choosing the right technology platform. Delivering the critical capabilities around Business Process Automation and task orchestration, mobile, ITSM best practice, and innovative Knowledge capabilities in a fully collaborative platform , would put any organization in pole position for overtaking the average players and becoming best in class.

In my next and final post in this short series, I’ll tell you about some extra reasons for wanting to pursue 21st century ITSM.