Optimizing Your Help Desk: Summary Document

This report will assist you in the optimization of your help desk by: Executive Summary What type of help desk is optimal for your organization? To optimize your help desk, you should understand both your current and your optimal state in the help desk maturity model. As you approach your optimal state, costs per user decrease while performance metrics and end user feedback increase. This report will assist you in the optimization of your help desk by: 1. Identifying improvements that increase end user satisfaction and perception. 2. Demonstrating how to simplify the help desk and improve efficiency metrics. 3. Reducing the help desk annual cost and tickets per user.

There is always room for cost savings Executive Summary There is always room for cost savings Average Measurable Savings Automated Password Reset 25% of tickets Power Users 20% of tickets End User Training 10% of tickets ITIL 10% total cost of ownership End User Self Help 8% of cost Remote Desktop Assistant 25% productivity Knowledge Management 25% tier 1 resolution Asset Management 10% productivity Most companies miss out on valuable cost saving opportunities.

What is help desk success? Defining your help desk and success

Success of the help desk is defined by two inputs Help Desk Success Success of the help desk is defined by two inputs End User Satisfaction SUCCESS: Alignment of IT services with business requirements + Help Desk Efficiency Please see full report for details on measuring success A successful help desk delivers its services in a timely and cost effective manner using the right people, processes, and technology.

How mature is your help desk? Understanding the Maturity Model

Explaining the Help Desk Maturity continuum To understand your help desk you need to understand it in terms of Help Desk Maturity. Help Desk Maturity is based on effective use of people, processes and tools. Although the measure of Help Desk Maturity is truly a continuum, we have identified five discrete levels by aggregating common elements that occur around each level. End user Feedback IT Efficiency Please see full report for details behind the Maturity Model

Identifying the levels of maturity Help Desk Maturity Levels Identifying the levels of maturity This table maps Help Desk Maturity to the equivalent level in the Capability Maturity Model Integration (CMMI). CMMI can be used to measure maturity of IT process. Process is only one aspect of our Help Desk Maturity model (people, processes and tools). 13% 23% Help Desk Maturity Levels CMMI Levels 1. Chaos No formal help desk. IT problems are dealt with on an ad-hoc basis. Level 1: Process has few, if any, formal definitions and performed on an ad-hoc basis. 2. Reactive Help desk staff and tools are identified, process is defined for tracking and escalating incidents. Level 2: Process is defined, executed and repeatable. 3. Controlled Help desk processes are clearly defined. Tools are introduced for basic self service and knowledge management. Level 3: Processes objectives are aligned with business goals and are defined with greater detail. Process results are qualitatively predictable. 4. Proactive Help desk performance expectations are quantitatively set and measured against. Additional tools and processes are introduced to alleviate help desk calls. Level 4: Quantitative goals are clearly set and measured. Process results are quantitatively predictable. 5. Optimized Frameworks are introduced to optimize help desk costs, metrics and end user satisfaction. Level 5: There is a focus on continually improving process performance. Common causes of process performance variation are identified and addressed. 31% 33%

Where do you fit in the Maturity Model? Identifying the appropriate maturity level for your organization

Factors influencing appropriate maturity level Help Desk Maturity Characteristics Factors influencing appropriate maturity level The recommended attributes for each maturity level are determined from a cost-benefit analysis. Organizations whose recommended maturity state is below the Optimized level, could achieve a higher level but typically, in doing so, the costs will outweigh the benefits. The recommendations for each maturity level are based on a combination of the factors below. Size IT Complexity Simple Midrange Complex User IT Knowledge Please see full report for details on determining your fit. Maturity level recommendations level off as company size increases. Small organizations may have an optimized help desk at the lowest maturity levels.

What Should You do to Optimize? Creating the Plan

Moving along the 5 stages of Help Desk Maturity Help Desk Maturity Levels For more specific guidance on assessing your appropriate maturity level, please see “Help Desk Optimization Tool” Moving along the 5 stages of Help Desk Maturity Once you have assessed your fit with a particular Help Desk Maturity Level, use the following recommendations to move along the continuum. Level 1: Chaos Level 2: Reactive Level 3: Controlled Level 4: Proactive Level 5: Optimized

The three inputs that enable help desk success Help Desk Maturity Levels The three inputs that enable help desk success Help Desk People Process Technology This section outlines how the key inputs to the help desk – People, Process, and Technology – can be modified to improve the efficiency of your help desk and increase end user satisfaction. Please note that not all organizations fit the “Optimized” level. Based on your fit, another level may be your long-term goal. Please see full report for implementation recommendations for each level Be sure to highlight cost savings in your business case for a help desk facelift. If you have difficulties gaining buy-in, management is more likely to listen when an opportunity for significant savings exists.

Case Studies

Doubled Tier 1 Resolution Rate Case Studies Case Study – Controlled Help Desk “We shut the help desk down for 1 hour every Friday and it's reserved for my hands on staff meeting. We reserve 30 minutes for training, and we also bring in guest speakers from the business, because it's good to hear what their issues are and what they do. As a result, over time, our tier 1 resolution rate has doubled.” Company Profile Industry Education Number of Employees 5600 Number of IT Employees 250 Help Desk Metrics Number of Users Supported 5600 # of Dedicated HD Staff 11 Cost as % of IT Budget 3.5% Total Annual Cost/User $274.00 Total Annual Tickets/User 6.0 % of High Touch Users 5% Key Initiatives Improvements Initiatives Successful Staff training Knowledge management Power users Advanced reporting ITIL (incident management only) Key Improvements Going Forward Full ITIL integration End user self help Service level agreement Doubled Tier 1 Resolution Rate