6 TOPDESK MAGAZINE - SEPTEMBER 2015

A LACK OF
TRANSPARENCY?
NOT AT ALTRA
AND AVENSUS

CUSTOMER IN FOCUS
Outsourcing parties and
their customers often face
the problem of services
not being transparent.
Although Avensus already
communicated well with
its customers, this IT
service provider managed
to improve their customer
relationship even further.
In 2010, Avensus began supporting the IT
services at Altra: a foundation dedicated
to education and youth care. Manfred
Pallencae, head of Managed Services
at Avensus, explains more. Healthcare
institutions should focus on their core task:
providing care. Not on tasks like IT. For this
reason, Altra hired Avensus to help them
innovate their IT services. In the years that
followed, Altra outsourced even more changes
to the IT landscape, from end user support to
managing the back-end infrastructures.
The functional application managers at the
Altra foundation work closely with their
Avensus colleagues.

A unique proposal
Avensus evaluates the services delivered to
Altra every month. Last year, Altra asked us
whether our organizations processes could be
more aligned to work even more efficiently,
says Pallencae. Both Altra and Avensus used
their own service management system. When
we discussed idea of aligning our processes,
we also asked ourselves whether we could
integrate our service management tools.
Integrating our systems turned out to be too
large an investment.
Patrick van Langelaar, service manager, tells
us more about Avensus unusual suggestion.
We were looking into implementing a
new system that lets us integrate customer
processes. We then suggested to Altra that we

8 TOPDESK MAGAZINE - SEPTEMBER 2015

HEALTHCARE INSTITUTIONS SHOULD FOCUS

ON CORE TASKS, NOT IT
Manfred Pallencae
Head of Managed Services, Avensus

work in one service management application.

times. But they are not the same as those of

Dont get carried away

Altra liked the idea and immediately said yes.

Altras functional management department.

After introducing a new tool, a lot of

Thats why we set up a priority matrix which

organizations want to review the processes.

lets Altra implement different lead times.

Van Langelaar calls this a common pitfall. I

Avensus and Altra were looking forward to

Altras functional managers can now log into

wouldnt recommend immediately optimizing

working together more closely. This decision

Avensus TOPdesk environment with single

processes. The new tool already takes enough

not only meant that both parties processes

sign-on. What I find particularly useful, says

getting used to. Thats why its important to

had to be aligned; they also had to be merged

Van Langelaar, is that I can be transparent

start small. We decided to copy the current

in one tool. They soon chose TOPdesk. Altra

towards my customer. My colleagues at Altra

processes, and see how each process would

was already using TOPdesk, like a lot of

know exactly what Im working on and can

work in TOPdesk. We then set up the processes

Avensus other customers. Purchasing the

report on the same data. Whats more, the

and tested the set-up. Once a process is up

tool was only the start, says Van Langelaar.

Altra end users are offered one portal, so they

and running in a new situation, you can find

When you start working in one tool, its

havent noticed any difference compared to

ways to improve.

important that you make a list of your

the old situation.

Getting started with key users

mutual requirements. What do we want,

A good starting point

what do we want to achieve together? To

Processes not performed by an

IT supplier

make this clear, a key user team was set up,

The decision to share an application for

Avensus also kept in mind that their other

comprising members from the different Altra

service management processes also meant

customers might use this system. I dont

and Avensus solution groups. We introduced

that Altras facility management and contract

expect any limitations, says Van Langelaar.

our plans during several sessions, discussed

management processes needed to be included

Especially considering how weve currently

the expectations on both ends and made an

in TOPdesk. These are usually processes

set up TOPdesk. Ive discussed this case with

overview of how people were used to working

for which an IT supplier is not responsible,

a number of our outsourcing customers, and

in the old application. We also looked at which

says Pallencae. But if you want to work

they responded enthusiastically. And I hope to

data needed to be transferred to the new

in one tool with your customer, you have to

add many customers to this list in the future.

application. This was also a good time to clean

be supportive of including other processes

Being able to work this transparently offers

up our data.

than your own core processes. We created an

nothing but benefits for both parties.

and what does Altra need? And especially:

Based on the key users input, a proposal

overview of Altras processes, which we set up

was made for setting up the tool. Altra

in TOPdesk. Including these processes has its

was able to use our set-up for the most

advantages, according to Van Langelaar. Im

part, but we also had to keep in mind that

getting to know my customer even better. As

everyone has different requirements, says

an IT supplier, Im usually not faced with the

Langelaar. We made agreements about the

things they deal with on a daily basis. But now

discrepancies. For instance, Avensus, as an IT

I have a better understanding of how they

service provider, guarantees specific solution

work, which lets us act accordingly.

Avensus TOPdesk application is set up in

collaboration with Altra foundation, but

CUSTOMER IN FOCUS

WORKING TRANSPARENTLY
OFFERS NOTHING BUT BENEFITS
FOR BOTH PARTIES
Patrick van Langelaar
Servicemanager, Avensus