Martijn Meeder
One of the tasks of the change manager is to make sure new standard services can be delivered multiple times without problems. To guarantee this happens, make sure you keep track of the following.
1. Testing your services
Make sure you test the technical and functional aspects of each new service. This is often a normal procedure for IT organizations. For instance, when you decide to offer a new laptop model you want to know if all hardware and software works properly, but also if it meets the customer’s expectations. Does your customer have everything he needs? To get more insight into this, try letting customers test a new device for a week.
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2. A good change rollback plan
As IT professionals know from experience, you can test services all you want, but you can’t guarantee that nothing will go wrong. That’s why most IT organizations have a rollback plan for new services. With a rollback plan you can reverse the implementation and go back to the old situation. The higher the impact of the change on the organization, the more important it is to have such a plan.
3. Make sure management is on board with change
This is a step that is often skipped in practice. Is the management organization ready for a new service? The service desk needs to support this service, so it’s important that they know where they stand. Does everyone at the service desk know about the new laptop? Are there manuals or work instructions? Do they know the details of the test? It’s best to involve the service desk in the change from the beginning. It’s important that employees know what they’re supporting. And they may be able to help identify and solve potential problems.
If you struggle with resistance to change, read how to combat that here.
4. Provide the right documentation
Do you publish documentation about your services in an accessible place? Like a how-to on the intranet? Most of us are aware that providing documentation is important, but it’s also something we tend to drop out of our schedule if we don’t have a lot of time. If you really want to be customer-centric, remember that a good explanation is just as important as technically delivering the service.
5. Inform all parties involved
Besides the service desk employees and future users there are other people that need to be informed about the new service. This can be management, functional managers, key users or suppliers, depending on the structure and policy of your organization. You don’t have to let the entire organization know that John from Finance is getting a new laptop, but it’s important that you consciously decide who to inform.
What’s on your checklist?
These 5 things are important when introducing a new service, but of course there’s more you could do. Tell us what you think. What else should be on every change manager’s checklist?
Being able to implement new standard services is vital for a customer-focused service desk. Download our ‘Best Practices Service Management’ ebook and find out more on how you can improve your services with BPSM.
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