Service Desk From Frontline

Recognized by Forrester as an Emerging Leader
A View from the Frontline

The Thoughts and Opinions of
Todays Service Desk Professionals
Prepared by: Daniel Wood, Head of Research, Service Desk Institute
Innovative Technology Built Upon Yesterdays Values
www.Cherwell.com | Corporate Headquarters +1 719.386.7000 | EMEA Headquarters +44 (0) 1793 858181

Increasing the Service Desks
value to the business is the
top Service Desk priority
for 2013.
Introduction
Todays Service Desks face more pressure and challenges than ever before.
Working within a climate of economic austerity, 2012 saw operating budgets
revised (often downwards) and freezes placed on recruitment and wage
increases. All the while, Service Desks were asked to support more end users,
products and services and thus required excellent tools and people for them to
operate effectively and efficiently.
So what does the Service Desk look like today? Have the economic realities and
increasing business demands had a negative impact on Service Desks outlook
and performance? Do Service Desks believe their ITSM solution is a hindrance
or an enabler? And what would they like to see improved in the solution they
currently use? How could their vendor raise their standards of customer service,
support and innovation?
We found revealing answers to these questions and more through a survey sent
out to more than 10,000 ITSM professionals during November and December
2012. Through these responses, we have attained a clear and concise picture of
what todays Service Desk truly looks like.
This report proves insightful for anyone engaged in the ITSM arena. Software
vendors will be particularly intrigued by the opinions of their customers,
and potential customers, with many respondents believing vendors need to
be doing much more to innovate and to make their tools user friendly and
customisable.
Lack of features was noted as

respondents top frustration
with their current ITSM solution.
Key Findings
Increasing the Service Desks value to the business is the top Service Desk
priority for 2013.
During 2013, most people expect to provide more support for mobile devices.
39% stated life on the Service Desk had improved during the last year.
During the last 12 months, 49% of Service Desks spent most of their time
fire-fighting.
Innovative technology features are a key requirement that most
respondents would like to see in an ITSM solution.
The top three reasons for choosing a new ITSM software solution are:
1) product features/functionality, 2) ability to easily customise and
configure, and 3) ease of use.
The top three areas that cause Service Desks the most pain are: 1) the ability
to easily produce metrics and reports, 2) lack of resources to help meet
business expectations, and 3) features for managing customer expectations.
Lack of features was noted as respondents top frustration with their
current ITSM solution.
Lack of support was respondents top frustration with their current
ITSM vendor.

Survey Results
1. What are your top 5 frustrations with your current ITSM tool and/or vendor?
Response
Features
24
Customisation
14
Usability
13
Reporting
13
Speed
Process
Price
Integration
SaaS/Social
Reliability
Standardisation
The above chart shows the categories that our respondents identified as
their top frustrations with their current ITSM tool. Examples of respondents
comments for each category are included below:
Features
Lacking knowledge management
Lack of integrated knowledge tools
Knowledge management least developed of modules
Poor classification system
Ability to manage alerts through email when time thresholds are breached
Request fulfilment not managed by the tool
Only able to use a single email address
Lack of a simple project management facility
No incident matching
Customisation
Not able to easily customise and configure ITSM tool
Cannot amend target dates
Limited possibilities to change things
Difficult to adapt to our processes even after eight years use
Not easily configured
Lack of flexibility of query views for tickets
Usability
Increases admin time, not decreases
Difficult to use
Repetition of data entry
Web interface not customer friendly
Solutions are difficult to access for later incidents
Analyst screen is not user friendly
Staff dont like it
Its cumbersome

Reporting
Not enough report details
Not easy to customise reports
No built in reporting
Reporting is limited
Poor management reporting capability
Getting reports from it is difficult
Difficult to report from
Takes a lot of time to get statistical data
Reporting is not well integrated with the tool
Speed
Slow
Speed of the tool is not up to the mark
Slow response times when navigating
Poor performance
Process
Not integrated with ITIL processes
ITIL bias, not customer focus
Does not support workflow processes
Not ITIL v3 compliant
Too many ways to do things
Price
Customisations are too expensive
Expensive to implement new requests
Not enough/too expensive licenses
Vendor development costs
Additional ITSM services are too costly to add on
Vendor charges too much for simple changes
Integration
Inability to integrate with other apps
Lack of integration between key processes
Not fully integrated into other IT operations and processes
SaaS/Social
Stuck on a fat client install
Limited/lack of mobility options/capability
Unstable web client
Requires a client install rather than a fully-fledged SaaS offering
Reliability
Stability of web client is poor
Poor stability
Bugs
Incident screen refreshes while working on an incident, and the data is lost
Standardisation
Tool has a non-standard interface
Many tools from different vendors not fully integrated
Too many differences between the modules

Lack of or poorly-implemented
features was the most chosen
option when respondents were
asked to identify frustrations
with their current ITSM solution.
The top five frustrations demonstrate that there is a prevalent opinion that
ITSM tools have areas that need improving. Lack of or poorly-implementedfeatures was the most chosen option with customers hungry for more modules
(especially surrounding knowledge management). Service Desk professionals
are looking for their ITSM tool to be reliable, fast, feature packed and all
provided at a reasonable price.
As is the case with any purchase, there is no one size fits all, and features and
user experience can come at a hefty cost.
What is true is that ITSM tools have made great advances in recent years, and
they have strived to become more user-friendly. Clearly though, more needs to
be done around reporting and customisation. The customisation issue will not
be an easy one to address as typically this is where vendors have been able to
generate income. If the customisation of ITSM was put into their customers
hands, this would cut off a revenue stream but also pose interesting questions
about whether vendors would be liable for support if user error occurred. In
times of austerity, it is natural that Service Desks attempt to make do and get
the very most they can from their existing tool.
In terms of reporting, users are looking to generate reports quickly and
intuitively. Users want to display information in ways that are clear and easy
to understand for the Service Desk, the IT department and the wider business.
Metrics play a fundamental role in todays Service Desks as they are tangible
measures of Service Desk performance. They allow Service Desks to reveal how
their performance has changed over time and what the underlying reasons
or mitigating factors might have been. Being able to display this information
graphically is a vital undertaking as it makes the information much more
accessible and digestible. To see frustrations with reporting feature so high on
the list, demonstrates that ITSM tools are lacking the functionality that Service
Desks require. When many Service Desks are strapped for time, metrics reports
might take a back seat to more immediate tasks.
Vendor Frustrations
Response
Support
40
Innovation
21
Understanding
19
Implementation
15
Relationship
Lack of communication
Support
Lack of technical expertise within the support team
Not easy to access advice and technical support
Vendor is slow to respond
Support can be complicated
Vendor: no transparency with their T2, T3 and 3rd parties
No support from vendor especially around enhancement requests

The vendor frustrations reveal
that many customers are
unhappy with the level of
support they receive from
their software vendor, with
respondents highlighting slow
response times and a lack of
understanding.
Innovation
Lack of product innovation
Less user friendly since last update
Would like to see integration with social networking
GUI interface is dated
No social media functions
Understanding
Lack of knowledge of the tool they support
Vendor lacks ITIL knowledge
Vendor does not understand SMEs
Vendor does not understand our complex business environment
Implementation
Implementation gaps
Poor consultancy/training
Not fully configured
Inefficient implementation of the ITSM tool by the vendor
No proper handover and knowledge transfer
Relationship
Lack of customer focus
Relationship lost several years ago
Vendor does not act as a partner
Lack of communication
Feels like we speak a different language
Vendor does not relate to what we need
The vendor frustrations reveal that many customers are unhappy with the
level of support they receive from their software vendor, with respondents
highlighting slow response times and a lack of understanding. As with the ITSM
solution frustrations above, respondents have pointed to a lack of innovation,
no doubt accelerated by interest in SaaS and social media. Customers expect
vendors to innovate and stay ahead of the curve, but as we have seen in the
tool frustrations, innovation often comes at a financial cost. One could possibly
argue that the lack of innovation is due to a prior heavy focus on becoming ITIL
aligned rather than diversifying and improving the tool.
Perhaps the most worrying aspect of the vendor frustrations revolves around
relationships and lack of understanding. When buying an ITSM solution,
customers are entering into a partnership. There is an expectation that the
solution will need to be configured and customised, and thus, there is a need to
form a partnership with a vendor based on mutual respect and understanding.
The results above indicate a high level of investment in front line sales, but its
unclear whether the same level of investment is made to existing customers.
Those who chose the understanding option highlighted a problem that vendors
face in regards to how ITIL aligned and focused their solution should be. Half
of respondents noted a too high and overbearing ITIL focus; the other half felt
more ITIL focus was needed. Somewhere in the middle lies a happy medium,
but these results demonstrate that one size does not fit all, and thus, a variety
of solutions are required.

Buyers are concerned with
whether the solution can deliver
what it promises; whether it
fits the organisation and what
the Service Desk is trying to
accomplish; and whether it has
the functionality to cope with
future requirements.
2. W
hat would influence your selection of a new ITSM tool?
Please choose 3 from below.
Response
Product features; functionality
55
Ability to easily customise and configure
50
Ease of use and GUI
29
Integration capabilities
29
Ease of implementation and low on-going management overheads
26
Marketed as ITIL compliant
22
Solution automation capabilities
20
Mobility capabilities (i.e. Portal, browser, tablet, smart phone,

social media, etc.)
20
Peer references
16
Access to quality support when things go wrong
15
Consultant and/or analyst recommendation
Extended business platform capability
Had previously worked with product/vendor
Choice of deployment model
Vendor marketing
Vendor culture
None of the above/other
Market status of vendor
Perhaps unsurprisingly, features is the most popular reason for choosing an

ITSM solution. Away from reviews, references and marketing, it is features that
buyers focus on. Buyers are concerned with whether the solution can deliver
what it promises; whether it fits the organisation and what the Service Desk
is trying to accomplish; and whether it has the functionality to cope with
future requirements.
We see again that customisation features highly, predominantly because some
Service Desks will want to change, modify and adapt their solution without
assistance from their supplier. This could be for financial reasons or simply
because people on the Service Desk want to be involved and to flex their skills
and innovation abilities. This ties in with the third most popular option ease
of use and GUI as lots of changes to the off the shelf configuration will be
motivated by making the tool easier to access and to add layers of functionality.
ITSM tools have made great advances in recent years to become more
streamlined and aesthetically pleasing. This is even more important if the
solution is made accessible to end users if the Service Desk wants to promote
and encourage the use of self-help and self-service, it needs to offer users a
clean, intuitive and accessible interface.

Forward-thinking Service Desks
are already exploring ways in
which social media can offer
new opportunities and channels
for customers.
3. C
hoose 1 key innovation/improvement you would like to see in an ITSM
tool in the next 12 months.
Response
Features
23
Mobile offering
19
Social media component
14
Easily configurable
11
Reporting
10
Usability
Self service
Process integration
Price
Features topped the list of what respondents would like to see improved in the
next 12 months. This is a broad categorisation that attempted to capture and
categorise as many similar responses as possible. Some of the responses that
fell under the features category include:

Enhanced problem management capabilities

Incorporate quality management
Better workflows for the approval process
Links to or references from configuration management details
Voice recognition to complement manual call logging
Built in system monitoring and remote control capabilities
OLA by resolver group
Searchable knowledge base
Integrating user contact information with asset information
CRM functions
Google like with predictive search results on the fly
Second on the list is the demand for a mobile offering. This demand has
arisen as a result of the proliferation of mobile devices in the workplace. With
employees having greater access to mobile devices, it makes sense for them to
be able to use the ITSM solution on their mobile to log calls, check the status
of calls theyve logged and access information and help. Some ITSM solutions
already offer this functionality, and others have dedicated apps available on
the Apple App store or Android Play store. In the future, we can expect this to
increase as Service Desks look to make it as easy and as flexible as possible for
customers to access the information and services they require.
The third choice on this list also resonates with current trends for engaging
with social media. Social media has exploded in the past couple of years,
and many Service Desks are interested in exploring how social media can be
used as another channel to engage with customers. Previous research we
have conducted shows that social media is a fledgling technology amongst
Service Desks, but those that are forward-thinking are already exploring ways
in which social media can offer new opportunities and channels for customers.

The ability to quickly and easily
produce metrics reports is
fundamental to Service Desks.
However, too many Service
Desk solutions make this
process laborious and labour
intensive.
Furthermore, for social media to be a viable proposition, it needs to be fully

integrated within an ITSM solution. Service Desks want social media integration
to be as effective and efficient as possible to avoid manual re-entry of data.
Rounding out the top four is a demand for ITSM solutions to be more
configurable. This is mentioned numerous times in this report, demonstrating its
significance and importance to the Service Desk.
4. I n your daily Service Desk life, what causes you the most pain?
Please choose 3 from below.
Response
Ability to easily produce metrics and reports
35
Lack of resources to help you meet business expectations
33
Managing customer expectations
33
Budget constraints preventing service improvements
29
Increasing business demand for services
28
Lack of integrated knowledge tools
26
Outdated service desk tool
23
Lack of recognition/profile within the business
21
Ability to demonstrate your value to the business
20
Lack of appetite (business or customer) for self service
17
Lack of career progression
16
Job security (i.e. threat of outsourcing)
Poor vendor support
Other
The top response here also featured prominently when we asked our respondents
to comment on their frustrations with their Service Desk solution. The ability to
quickly and easily produce metrics reports is absolutely fundamental to Service
Desks. However, despite the importance of producing metrics information, too
many Service Desk solutions make this process laborious and labour intensive.
There is often the additional problem of those who produce the information
not being entirely convinced that the information is accurate or was collected
or collated properly. As mentioned, metrics and data can be used to drive
performance and efficiency and highlight areas of weakness.
Lack of resource was the second most popular choice, and in the current
economic climate, it is not difficult to understand why this option featured
so high on the list. Coupled with the lack of resource, is the ever-increasing
expectations of the business despite restraints around expenditure and funding.
IT is expected to perform and deliver, and our reliance on IT demands this
regardless of the circumstances.

It is only natural that end
users compare and contract
their experiences with other
companies to their own
Service Desk, and often, the
experiences do not match up.
Just like business expectations, customer expectations are also increasing.

Part of the reason for this is that so many companies now get customer service
right. Companies such as Amazon have transformed the way consumers view
customer service with a speedy delivery, clear and concise information and
access to a plethora of reviews to inform purchasing decisions. It is only natural
that end users compare and contrast their experiences with other companies to
their own Service Desk, and often, the experiences do not match up.
There are many ways the expectations gap can be addressed, and a
fundamental piece of work is to create clear and open communication channels
and engage customers in meaningful and insightful ways. Truly understanding
what customers want and expect from the Service Desk is essential if Service
Desks hope to manage ever-increasing expectations
5. Do you think industry analysts/commentators truly understand the Service
Desk industry?
One of the complaints we often hear is that Service Desks feel they dont
have a voice in the industry and that analysts/commentators do not truly
reflect what life is really like. Slightly more respondents agree that analysts
and commentators do understand the industry, and thus we can infer that
Service Desks are properly represented. This is a positive development and
demonstrates that the opinions shared at industry events, webinars and
conferences provide real value and insights into the Service Desk industry.
6. During the past year, has life on your Service Desk
Become more difficult
33%
39%
Stayed the same

Improved
28%
10

Although one-third of
respondents noted that the
Service Desk has become a
more difficult and challenging
place to work, two-thirds said
life has stayed the same or
even improved.
Thus far, the results have shown that Service Desks are facing increased
pressure from the business and its customers, and given the current economic
constraints, we may have expected that life on the Service Desk has become
more difficult. Indeed, a third of respondents agreed and have noticed that
the Service Desk has become a more difficult and challenging place to work.
However, for the remaining two-thirds of respondents, life has stayed the same
or even improved. Whilst we might be slightly incredulous of this result given
the responses to the previous questions, what this shows is that the Service
Desk is maturing and positive changes are happening. This is a very encouraging
result. Although there is obvious room for improvement, the Service Desk
industry has not suffered in terms of how it feels as a place to work.
7. During the last 12 months, our Service Desk spent most of its time...
Response
Fire-fighting
49
Implementing new processes
26
Helping customers with their own devices (BYOD)
Other
Implementing ITIL best practice and associated training
Justifying its existence
Speaking with customers and building relationships
This was an interesting result. As shown, fire-fighting was the most popular
option chosen by almost half of respondents. Interestingly, this was the only
reactive option on the list. Fire-fighting means the Service Desk spent most of
its time on day-to-day activities, answering and resolving calls, and generally
keeping the lights on. Whilst one could argue that fire-fighting is what Service
Desks do after all, dont all Service Desks need a certain level of reactivity to
be able to effectively handle the quirks of day-to-day support? to see it
reported at this level means there is less time available for proactive approaches
and innovations.
For example, all of the other response options go some way into alleviating the
need for day-to-day fire-fighting. Creating and implementing processes permits
for a much more proactive and forward-thinking approach to ITSM; the same
can be said for training, implementing ITIL, building relationships and raising
business understanding and developing BYOD.
Proactive approaches to ITSM, if executed correctly, can help to remove the
doubt and uncertainty experienced by many Service Desks. Implementing
stringent problem and change management processes, for example, permit
a more forward-looking viewpoint. Proactive problem management should
identify potential issues and failures before they impact the user population.
The same is also true of the change management process, as involving the
Service Desk at an early stage and creating a forward-schedule of change
means the Service Desk should not encounter any unexpected surprises.
11

Service Desks are taking steps
to improve the way they market
and communicate their value to
the business.
8. What are your top Service Desk priorities for 2013? Please check all that apply.
Response
Increasing our value to the business
20
Improving what we have
17
Increasing first time fix rates
14
Managing changes within the business
13
Reducing inbound calls/emails
11
Supporting more devices (i.e. BYOD)
Cost reduction
Consolidating services
Investing in a new ITSM tool
Other
In these times of economic austerity and uncertainty, IT can appear to be

particularly vulnerable. From a business viewpoint, it appears that IT spends
vast sums of money, and it is difficult for the business to appreciate or quantify
any real return on investment. Thus, when it comes to reviewing and trimming
budgets, IT often finds itself in the firing line.
What the results above demonstrate is that Service Desks are aware of this
issue and are taking steps to improve the way they market and communicate
their value to the business. One of the key ways to accomplish this is to
produce information that the business understands and can use in a productive
way. As mentioned, metrics offer valuable insight into your Service Desk
operation and demonstrate performance against a set of key criteria.1
Tied in to the theme of economic problems, we see that the second most
popular priority is to improve what Service Desks already have. Perhaps
aware that budgets are strained, it is becoming increasingly more important
for Service Desks to eke out every last drop of performance and efficiency
from their hardware, software and people. Again, this ties in with theme of
respondents looking for ITSM solutions that are easily configurable so they can
avoid the potentially expensive consultancy fees. How much can be achieved
without additional investment will vary across Service Desks, but there will
come a point where returns will not correspond to the level of effort required.
Rounding out the top three is improving first time fix rates. Improving first
time fix rates is important for two major reasons. The first is that the faster the
incident is fixed, the quicker workers can start being productive again, thus
saving the organisation money and time. It has been shown that customer
satisfaction is related to the first time fix rate the quicker incidents are fixed
the happier customers are. The second is that fixing first time also saves the
Service Desk money within the constraints of their own budget. If the incident
can be fixed at first level and not escalated, it means that using second or third
line resource can be avoided. Second or third line will normally have higher
salaries, thus by not using their time, there are cost savings to be realised.
For more information on metrics, see the Cherwell Software/SDI whitepaper Making Metrics Matter.
12

The Service Desk industry is
making strides, looking to
become more proactive and
to pay an ever greater
business role.
9. During 2013, do you expect to see...

Response
Provide support/more support for mobile devices (BYOD)
23
More use of self service
20
An increase in business services provision
17
Increased demand for business metrics and reporting
16
Service Desks using social media more
10
Use more self help
No big changes/things will stay the same
From the list above, it is shown that the majority of respondents believe that
BYOD will be the most significant change in 2013. This is to be expected as
todays workforce is more mobile and flexible than ever, and there are now
a plethora of devices that are equally adept at business and social. Coupled
with this is the increasing customer expectation that they will be able to use
their devices at work, and furthermore, that these devices will be supported
by the Service Desk. In addition, as we have seen from the responses to other
questions in this report, there is a clear demand for BYOD support. Because of
this, we can expect to see ITSM solutions offering versions for mobile devices.
Conclusion
Through our survey questions, we have established valuable insight into todays
Service Desk. Whilst many focus on fire-fighting and dealing with day-to-day
life, others take a much more proactive and forward-thinking approach. We can
see this through our respondents interest in BYOD and social media offerings
they look for the next iteration of their ITSM solution to provide this
functionality, integration and performance so they can meet the demands of
their customers and the wider business. Additionally, there is a keen business
awareness running throughout this report with respondents cognisant of
the need to produce metrics and reports that provide real insight into their
operation. Set against a background of economic austerity, it is more important
than ever for Service Desks to demonstrate their value and to build strong
cases for additional investment.
Overall, the survey results paint a picture of an industry making strides,
looking to become more proactive and to play an ever greater business role.
Perhaps most encouraging of all is the 67 percent who noted that life on the
Service Desk had improved or stayed the same. When we look for signs that
the Service Desk industry is moving in the right direction, this result provides
evidence that there is lots to be celebrated.
Copyright 2013 Cherwell Software, LLC.
All rights reserved.
Cherwell Service Management, the Cherwell
logo and other Cherwell products, brands
and trademarks are the property of
Cherwell Software, Inc. Other products,
brands and trademarks are property of their
respective companies.
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Recognized by Forrester as an Emerging Leader

A View from the Frontline

Innovative Technology Built Upon Yesterdays Values

A View from the Frontline

Lack of features was noted as

A View from the Frontline

A View from the Frontline

A View from the Frontline

A View from the Frontline

A View from the Frontline

Product features; functionality

Ability to easily customise and configure

Ease of use and GUI

Ease of implementation and low on-going management overheads

Marketed as ITIL compliant

Solution automation capabilities

Mobility capabilities (i.e. Portal, browser, tablet, smart phone,

Access to quality support when things go wrong

Consultant and/or analyst recommendation

Extended business platform capability

Had previously worked with product/vendor

Choice of deployment model

None of the above/other

Market status of vendor

Perhaps unsurprisingly, features is the most popular reason for choosing an

A View from the Frontline

Social media component

Enhanced problem management capabilities

A View from the Frontline

Furthermore, for social media to be a viable proposition, it needs to be fully

Ability to easily produce metrics and reports

Lack of resources to help you meet business expectations

Managing customer expectations

Budget constraints preventing service improvements

Increasing business demand for services

Lack of integrated knowledge tools

Outdated service desk tool

Lack of recognition/profile within the business

Ability to demonstrate your value to the business

Lack of appetite (business or customer) for self service

Lack of career progression

Job security (i.e. threat of outsourcing)

Poor vendor support

A View from the Frontline

Just like business expectations, customer expectations are also increasing.

Become more difficult

Stayed the same

A View from the Frontline

Implementing new processes

Helping customers with their own devices (BYOD)

Implementing ITIL best practice and associated training

Justifying its existence

Speaking with customers and building relationships

A View from the Frontline

Increasing our value to the business

Improving what we have

Increasing first time fix rates

Managing changes within the business

Reducing inbound calls/emails

Supporting more devices (i.e. BYOD)

Investing in a new ITSM tool

In these times of economic austerity and uncertainty, IT can appear to be

A View from the Frontline

9. During 2013, do you expect to see...

9. During 2013, do you expect to see...