Reduce Administrative Drain on IT With No-Code ITSM

Many IT teams are spending excessive time on low-value, manual repetitive tasks – and some of this is actually allocated toward system administration of the ITSM software platform. This is happening because they are using a platform that requires heavy technical resources to configure the system for basic workflows, integrations and even form building. When we couple this with other requests such as active directory updates and even onboarding or offboarding employees, we are finding that many technicians are consuming 10 hours per week in what can be viewed as “toil.” With such a lack of resources, companies are looking to reduce these hours. One area to inspect is the care and feeding of the IT service management platform; with as many as six to eight dedicated FTE required to run some of these platforms, IT leaders are taking a harder look at no-code ITSM software.

FIVE KEY TRENDS DRIVING NO-CODE ITSM SOFTWARE ADOPTION

1. Enterprise Service Management (ESM) Takes Center Stage

Enterprise service management refers to the expansion of service management from IT to other areas of the organization such as HR, facilities and marketing. However, to drive widespread adoption, the solution must be able to accommodate the unique needs of each group while also being adaptable without the need for technical resources. For instance, if HR wants to create a new form for intake such as “Request On/Off Boarding of Employee,” they should not need the IT team to assist in the form creation or workflow building.

Historically, many ITSM platforms could not create unique forms for each service type or group and if they did, it would mean that somebody in IT would need to build out the form and workflow. However, with no code, the HR team can easily add new forms, and create the automations simply through an interface. In facilities, these could be work orders, or it could be a request for creative support to marketing — naturally, each of these request types should have different form fields and unique routing. Laying the foundation for enterprise service management relies on an easy-to-use platform that can easily be rolled out across various groups.

2. Increased Demand for Integrations

Whether you are in IT or in another group, service requests do not stop when they reach the queue — in fact, that is where the fun begins. Quite often these requests then require the recipient to take action and often this is in another system(s). For instance, in IT there may be a request to add someone to a specific group in the active directory. In HR, you may need to execute a name change that could impact a dozen different systems from payroll to building access. Instead of doing all of this manually, many are integrating their ITSM or ESM platform with other systems so that the requests or tickets can be automatically actioned. Think about the amount of time that can be saved doing this. Historically, this may have been done by creating scripts, APIs and point-to-point integrations … all of which require deep technical expertise and are prone to error and breaking. With no-code ITSM, organizations can quickly build out these integrations using a library of pre-built connectors to common systems such as MS Teams, Slack, Office365, Workday, Salesforce, Azure, AWS and hundreds more. With no-code ITSM software, this is now possible.

3. Shift Left via Better Self-Service Portal and KB Design

Despite the talk of "shift left" ITSM service desk support, many companies still struggle to gain momentum with self-service. There is a lack of adoption, but when pressed, many IT leaders will admit that their portals are lacking in both content and design. But why? For years, the self-service portals would require developers to create the portal and the structure, which made it very hard to make changes and updates — always going back to the same technical resources for help.

Now, with no-code design, organizations can offer their end users a much more usable interface, often incorporating natural search and a treasure trove of content that can be updated by technicians and end users alike.

A stellar self-service portal can greatly reduce ticket volume while also increasing overall customer satisfaction and employee communication — especially when these services are rolled out from HR, marketing, facilities and other groups. With multiple portal interfaces, each group can have its own area on the portal, you can even roll out different portal entry points for different groups or divisions that may all be supported by the same ITSM platform via a shared services team.

4. The Advent of AI

AI has found its way into pretty much every aspect of life, and ITSM software is no different. From offering suggestions to end users at the portal entry to giving techs suggestions for responses to automatically detecting issues and proactively sending warnings. All of this is automated and allows IT techs to spend more time on value-added work.

5. Automation and Workflow

With the advent of no-code platforms, IT teams can start to build automations on a no-code platform without the need for coding or scripting. This is creating supercharged ITSM where IT service desk technicians can use automation to do everything from mass updating of tickets to automatically satisfying service requests (AD updates, on/offboarding, software provisioning and more). Reduced budgets and limited resources aren’t new problems. We hear it over and over – there is a significant shortage of resources. Between the "Great Resignation," the move to remote work and the increased demand for resources to support a mobile workforce, we now have a situation where the IT service desk can’t keep up. Meanwhile, demand for these resources outside of just ticket triage is high, so how can we put more time in the day and remove the mundane, repetitive tasks that not only steal all the hours but bring down morale and further contribute to the Great Resignation?

CITY OF AVONDALE LEVERAGES PORTAL, AUTOMATIONS ACROSS DEPARTMENTS FOR BETTER, FASTER SERVICE

City governments must serve their citizens effectively, often with limited staff. The TeamDynamix enterprise service management (ESM) platform plays a critical role in helping multiple branches of the city of Avondale, Ariz., government work better together. With a more efficient organization, the city can respond to citizens’ needs faster and more effectively. By leveraging a single portal with automated request routing and workflows, the team can be more responsive and transparent with citizens.

“Before, people would have to call or email our help desk with their service requests,” says CIO Jeff Scheetz. “However, now with the portal, IT has been able to create workflows and automation, rather than managing the many email and ticket requests. The workflow ensures that the requests are handled efficiently and provides additional reporting capabilities. Before, it was hard to prioritize tasks without a full view of what was going on.” In just a little over a year, Scheetz and his staff transformed the delivery of IT service for the city using the TeamDynamix platform.

STREAMLINING THE EMPLOYEE ONBOARDING PROCESS

TeamDynamix is helping to improve interdepartmental collaboration. For example, onboarding new employees is a multistep process that used to be quite cumbersome.

Once new hires have completed all of the paperwork required by HR, they also need network privileges from IT. They have to be added to the city’s payroll system, and they need access to the building from facilities.

This process used to involve a lot of paper shuffling, and it could take a while to complete. Now, the entire workflow can be initiated with a single service request that is routed to the various departments automatically.

“We can make sure we’re addressing all of our needs expeditiously,” Scheetz said. Having an automated system that keeps everyone on the same page has made working remotely much easier for city employees during the pandemic. Although in-person operations have resumed, “if someone needs to work from home, we can easily accommodate that now,” he said.

MAKING A 'HUGE DIFFERENCE'

TeamDynamix has not only helped streamline workflows and improve communication among city employees, it also provides key insights that help leaders manage their departments more effectively. “We can see trends and patterns that help us deploy our limited resources in a more intelligent manner,” Scheetz explains.

Leaders can see how much time various tasks are taking, so they can plan better for the future — such as by justifying additional hires or reassigning staff to other projects. Leaders can also see which service categories are getting the most requests, which helps with resource allocation as well as troubleshooting. If there are a lot of support tickets related to a certain piece of software, this might indicate that staff need more training on how to use it, or it might be time to look for a system that’s easier to use. Having this insight allows IT and other departments to be more proactive in solving problems.

BENEFITS OF HAVING ASSET MANAGEMENT TOGETHER WITH TICKETS AND PROJECTS

Avondale’s IT department also uses TeamDynamix for tracking and managing IT assets. Before, this information was scattered across multiple systems. Now, Scheetz and his team can see everything in one place, which makes it easier for them to understand the department’s infrastructure needs. Scheetz’s department is creating a project management office (PMO), and TeamDynamix will facilitate the management of IT projects as well. Aided by the platform, the PMO will implement a formal intake process for evaluating projects, prioritizing them and allocating resources appropriately. TeamDynamix has enabled employees to streamline city operations and deliver better service to Avondale residents. The system’s versatility has added a tremendous amount of value to the city government. “Everybody has a limited staff,” Scheetz says of municipal organizations. “Having a system like TeamDynamix makes a huge difference.”