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SMA recommends six
steps in selecting an IT help desk system:
SMA specializes in providing
IT help desk and support center solutions to corporations,
education, government and not-for-profit organizations.
Much of our experience in this area is derived from
evaluating products for our clients (search and
selection work) based on their business and workflow
requirements. More
specifically, our consultative approach recommends the
following steps in selecting a help desk system:
Step 1: Document
Your "Mission"
As for any business requirement, it can be very valuable
to document why you are looking for a new help desk
solution and what you expect the benefits to be.
This short statement can serve to help justify the
purchase and provide focus to the steps in your
selection process.
Step 2: Identify
Specific Requirements
This includes doing an analysis of how you need to log
issues, respond to customers, escalate issues and report
to management. It is often advisable to document
what you do not like about the current help desk
solution (if there is one) and/or the processes that you
current have in place. We recommend a "checklist"
of features and their importance to the selection of a
solution.
Note:
SMA has compiled a checklist of common requirements.
Contact us for more
information.
Step 3: Define Your
Budget Constraints and Timeframe
Every organization needs to determine its capability to
fund an acquisition. You may want to do a Return
on Investment (ROI) analysis before committing to a
budget allocation.
In
some organizations, a budget has already been determined
and the cost of the product to be selected must fit
within that constraint. Either way, it is a good
idea to come up with a figure before conducting your
search and selection.
It is also important to identify a timeframe for
selection and implementation.
Step 4: Develop
a Short List of Products to Review
This is often no more that 2 or 3 products that will be
reviewed. Select products that fit within your
budget (if one exists) and have a good reputation in the
marketplace.
Step 5: Conduct
Vendor Demonstrations
Demonstrations should be scheduled with vendors of
products on the short list. Vendors should be
given the requirements document ahead of time, if one
has been prepared, or the requirements should be
discussed during a telephone interview prior to the
demonstration. The most responsive vendors with
"open" solutions should tailor their presentation to
meet your expressed requirements.
Step 6: Select
the Solution
After the demonstrations, identify which product meets
the most important criteria in your requirements list
and complete negotiations with the vendor of choice.
SMA is available to assist you in evaluating solutions.
However, please note that one product continues to be on
the short list for our clients, which is why we
represent it and note it here:
A Recommended
Solution to Consider: HEAT Help Desk Software
HEAT
software delivers a
full-featured, out-of-the-box customer service and
support solution which enables organizations to
streamline employee and customer support interactions.
This affordable, easy-to-use, practical solution helps
you gain control of your service and support issues and
resolve them quickly and efficiently.
HEAT Software Add-on
Modules Deliver Even Greater Value!
- HEAT Self Service -
Reduces calls to service desk up to 15%.
- iHEAT - 24 hour/7 day
remote Web access to call logging.
- HEAT Plus Knowledge
- Saves up to 30% of IT budget by reducing training
costs, unnecessary escalations, and
call lengths.
- HEAT Plus Voice - Integrates HEAT software with your phone
system for
sophisticated contact routing,
text-to-speech recognition, interactive voice
response and more.
- FrontRange Discovery
- Automated discovery and inventory engine that
identifies, scans, and reports detailed
configuration information for all IT infrastructure
assets, including the network, PCs, servers,
software, printers, and mobile devices.
-
SMART
for HEAT, SMA Report
Toolkit for HEAT - Powerful, easy to use,
web-based reporting tool that can deliver reports on
a scheduled basis directly to users' email inbox.
-
HEAT Plus Mobile -
Receive new service tickets and up-to-the-second
alerts on your BlackBerry, lowering service rates
and improving response rates.
Learn more about HEAT
Software.
................................................................................ Please
email
or call us at
914.686.0300 to speak to an SMA
representative and find out more about how
our structured methodology may be of use in your
organization.
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