The 8esl _ Praclice Cuide.

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Prepared by Daniel Wood
Head ol Pesearch
Service Desk lnslilule

Sponsored by.







The 8esl _ Praclice Cuide. 8enchmarking lor Service Desk Success
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8enchmarking is a crilical process lor any Service Desk lhal wanls lo gauge lhe
qualily ol lheir service delivery and processes. Too ollen, desks are overly
concerned wilh induslry benchmarks and hilling induslry melrics lor call wailing
limes, lime lo respond and lhe perennial cosl per email/call. ll is lrue lhal
induslry benchmarks can be exlremely uselul in discerning al whal level your
service is, bul lrue benchmarking and lrue benelils lo service delivery come lrom
benchmarking lrom wilhin.

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~~ lhis is lhe very delinilion ol service improvemenl and lhis
guide will show you some simple ways in which you can accomplish lhis.

The second parl ol lhis guide is a discussion ol besl praclice, namely whal is il
and how can il be achieved. The lTSM induslry is awash wilh slandards and
praclices all ol which purporl lo show you lhe way lo deliver besl praclice, and il
is a minelield lor any Service Desk lhal is seeking lo make service improvemenls.
This guide will navigale lhrough lhis and show how you loo can deliver lhe very
besl praclice by perlorming some simple sleps and measures and by laking a
holislic approach lo your service delivery.




























The 8esl _ Praclice Cuide. 8enchmarking lor Service Desk Success
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The mosl popular way lo benchmark your desk is lo compare some core melrics
againsl olher desks in lhe induslry.

This is a popular melhod as il allows you see al a glance whal lhe currenl
average induslry levels ol perlormance are and allows you lo inslanlly gauge
how good your service delivery aclually is. There is kudos lo be gained lrom
realizing lhal you are oulperlorming lhe induslry slandards which, in lheory,
means lhal you are providing above induslry slandard service delivery. However,
lhere are numerous problems wilh relying on induslry melrics lo judge your
perlormance. lirslly, every Service Desk is dillerenl lhey have dillerenl
lechnical abililies, supporl dillerenl cuslomers, have dillerenl sollware and,
crucially have dillerenl SLAs. A more lechnical desk will have longer resolulion
limes wrillen inlo lheir SLAs lhan a log and reler desk, bul lhis does nol
necessarily equale lo bad service. Say, using SDl's 2009 8enchmarking guide,
lhal lhe average cosl per call is $3-4 lor a log and reler desk il may be enlirely
leasible lhal lhey will malch or beller lhis cosl as lhey are dealing wilh a high
volume ol calls, bul a lechnical desk will nol as lheir incidenl resolulion rale will
be higher due lo lhe exlra lime lhey spend on lhe call - in lacl a cosl ol $25per
call would be aboul righl lor a lechnical desk. A quick glance al lhe induslry
benchmark would lell you lhal lhe log and reler desk is perlorming well whereas
lhe lechnical one was lagging behind lhis impression would, ol course, be
lalse.

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Allhough lhe above is dismissive ol induslry benchmarks, lhis does nol mean
lhal lhey cannol be uselul. lor anyone who is slarling lo gel lo grips wilh
measuremenl lhey provide a uselul indicalor ol whal you should be measuring
and provide some ballpark ligures. However, lhe besl way lo benchmark your
Service Desk is lo benchmark againsl yoursell. ll may appear lhal lhis seems like
a worlhless endeavour how can you know how good you are il you are only
compeling againsl yoursell? The answer is lhal il is very easy lo do, and you can
slarl doing il loday.

Aclion llem. Take a piclure ol all ol your measures (call wailing, resolulion limes
elc.) and wrile lhem down as an average lor lhe lasl monlh. Then do lhe same
nexl monlh, lhe monlh aller and so on. Very soon you'll have dala lhal is
lrending, and aller a year will have some prelly comprehensive resulls. Now look
al lhese measures and compare lhem lo a year ago and lhey will lell you in whal
direclion your desk is heading, and you are now in a posilion lo sel goals and
largels and ensure lhal lhe dala is lrending lowards lhe goal. The very besl
desks lhal SDl have cerlilied do lhis, and il comprises a large parl ol our induslry
slandards besl ol all il's very easy lo do.


The 8esl _ Praclice Cuide. 8enchmarking lor Service Desk Success
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The poinl is lhal you do nol need lo measure againsl lhe induslry lo know how
good you are, and in lacl il is dangerous lo do so. Thal log and reler desk lhal
was hilling lhe induslry slandards would have been prelly pleased wilh lheir
perlormance, bul whal il lheir cosl per call could have been even lower? Whal il
by meeling induslry benchmarks lhey had become complacenl and lailed lo
nolice lhal lheir cosl per call had aclually increased over lhe lasl year even
lhough lhey were slill malching lhe induslry slandard? This would nol be
considered besl praclice.

The message lhen is simple measure, lrend and sel goals. Co lo your superiors
and lell lhem lhal over lhe pasl year cosl per call has decreased by 5' - lhey
will be much more impressed by lhis lhen il you lell lhem you're hilling lhe
induslry slandards and all lhe myriad desks and lheir myriad measures lhal are
included in lhis.

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To benchmark and improve service you need lo be measuring a core sel ol
melrics in a unilormed and considered way. According lo SDl research a massive
74' do nol measure lhe cosl per call and 8!' do nol measure lhe cosl per
email. These resulls are slaggering considering lhal lhe induslry is
haemorrhaging slall and budgels are being slashed. How are you going lo prove
your value and qualily ol service il you can'l lell lhe business how much your
desk cosls lo operale?

t~ j~W The good news is lhal measuring melrics is easy, and here
are some lhal every desk should be measuring.

!. Average Cosl Per Call/Lmail.
This is lhe essenlial melric lo grapple il you wanl lo know how much il
cosls lo provide lhe services you oller

2. Call Abandon Pale.
ll cuslomers are nol able lo conlacl lheir Service Desk lhen lhis is
obviously a cause lor concern, and indicales lhal eilher service
represenlalives are nol being proaclive enough in making sure lhey are
able lo lake calls, or lhe desk is underslalled.

3. lirsl Time lix Pale.
Knowing lhe lirsl lime lix rale is imporlanl as lhis will give you an
underslanding ol lhe compelency level ol your service represenlalives and
lhe lype and dillicully ol lhe incidenls lhal your service represenlalives
are allempling lo grapple wilh.

4. lirsl Level lix.
lirsl level lix is lundamenlally dillerenl lo lirsl Time lix Pale in lhal il
describes lhe number ol incidenls lhal are lixed al lhe lirsl level, nol
necessarily lhe lirsl conlacl.


The 8esl _ Praclice Cuide. 8enchmarking lor Service Desk Success
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5. Longesl Delay in Queue.
This is oslensibly linked lo lhe call answering lime and call abandon rale.
lrom lhis measure (which would ideally be localed on a screen lhal was
visible lo all service represenlalives) you can lell al a glance il more service
represenlalives are required lo man lhe desks and reduce lhis lime.

6. Time lo Pespond and Pesolulion Dala.
These measures are ollen relerred lo as SLAs. ll compares lhe agreed
business response and resolulion limes and lhose aclually achieved. This
dala provides a good indicalion lo lhe resl ol lhe business as lo lhe
perlormance and business value ol lhe Service Desk.

7. Call Duralion.
Knowing how long cuslomers are on lhe phone is an essenlial melric lo
measure as il will inlorm you aboul lhe complexily ol lhe calls lhal your
desk is receiving and you can gauge whelher your leam are being
ellicienl enough in dealing wilh lhem.


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All loo ollen desks measure melrics jusl lor lhe sake ol measuring wilhoul a
clear underslanding ol why lhey do il. As oullined above, melrics are a greal
way lo benchmark againsl yoursell and see how your service delivery changes
over lime bul lhey have a good many olher uses as well. 8elow are some key
ways in which melrics can be used nol only lo improve your service, bul also lo
markel yoursell lo your organizalion.

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Service improvemenl is lhe goal lor any Service Desk. Service can always be
improved, bul many desks are unsure ol how lhey can achieve improvemenls or
where lhey should direcl lheir energies and resources. A crucial way in which
you can idenlily where improvemenls should be made is by using melrics and a
~~ ~ approach. Trending your dala will idenlily changes and
where lhey are occurring. lor example, il call duralion limes are increasing is lhis
because a new syslem has jusl been inslalled lhal users are unlamiliar wilh?
Conversely, has lhe successlul implemenlalion ol a sell service porlal led lo a lall
in call volumes, and il so by how much. 8y measuring lhese melrics you can see
lhe ellecl ol improvemenls or key areas lhal are deserving ol allenlion. This is a
balanced scorecard approach lhal lakes a much more holislic approach lo
service improvemenl. lor example il you have jusl updaled your knowledgebase
did lhe volume or duralion ol calls you receive aclually lall? ll is vilal lhal you
undersland lhe impacl ol one melric on anolher as lhe ellecls will nol always be
posilive. A bad sell service porlal mighl aclually increase call volumes and
duralion as users call lo complain lhal lhere is bad inlormalion on lhe porlal lhal
mighl have aclually made lhe problem worse.



The 8esl _ Praclice Cuide. 8enchmarking lor Service Desk Success
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This is an area lhal Service Desks usually perlorm very badly. A large percenlage
ol desks are unable lo make lhe business sil up and lislen lo lhem and shoul
aboul whal lhey do and why lhey are so vilal lo lhe business. Here are lhree key
ways in which you can slarl selling and promoling lhe service lhal you deliver.

!. Sing lrom lhe same songsheel. ll is vilal lhal lhe Service Desk and lhe
business are communicaling elleclively lo one anolher SDl research
shows lhal over 50' ol Service Desk Managers rale communicalion as
only lair or worse. Organizalions are responsible lor making lhe Service
Desk aware ol lhe business vision and mission and lhe Service Desk musl
ensure lhal ils operalions are geared lowards achieving lhese objeclives
in shorl lhey musl be lalking lhe same language. All loo ollen we lind
lhal lhe Service Desk is nol lalking 'business'. Desks are unable lo
adequalely slale why lhey are inlegral lo lhe business and where lhey lil
wilhin lhe organizalion much ol lhis has lo do wilh communicalion.
The Service Desk needs lo produce reporls lhal lhe business can use,
namely lhey musl reporl lheir cosls, lheir slalling requiremenls, and whal
expendilure is needed lo improve service provision.

ln lurn, lhe business needs lo lake lhese reporls and acl on lhem. The
Service Desk needs lo ask lhe business exaclly whal lhey wanl lhe Service
Desk lo lell lhem and lel lhe business know exaclly whal lhey need lo lell
lhe Service Desk. ll your Service Desk currenlly has no represenlalion al
higher level lhen be proaclive in ensuring lhal you gel a seal al lhe lable.
There is a weallh ol evidence lhal lhe mosl successlul desks are lhose
lhal are closely aligned lo lhe business so share inlormalion and make
sure lhal lhey are aware lhal lhe Service Desk sils al lhe hearl ol service
delivery.

2. Shoul lrom lhe roollops! Has your Service Desk perlormed parlicularly
well lalely? Has lhe lirsl lime lix rale broken lhrough lhe 80' barrier? ll
il has lhen make some noise aboul il! The Service Desk is perpelually shy
aboul celebraling lheir achievemenls wilh lhe business and or research
shows lhal nearly 50' don'l markel lheir achievemenls. Pealislically, lhe
Service Desk cannol become aligned wilh lhe business il lhey conlinue lo
ignore markeling. Markeling will exponenlially raise lhe prolile ol lhe
desk and make sure lhal everyone in lhe business is aware ol your
achievemenls. As an added bonus, such promolion has a molivaling
ellecl on lhe Service Desk as il is lhe ullimale acknowledgemenl ol a job
well done. The more lhe business is aware ol how well you're doing lhe
more cenlral lhe Service Desk's role will become.

3. Proaclively courl and record leedback. The besl judge ol lhe service you
provide is ullimalely your cuslomers, so make sure lhal lhey are able
lo share lheir opinions aboul your service wilh you. Make sure lhal you
always have langible cuslomer salislaclion ligures lo hand lo presenl lo
lhe business and share all leedback wilh lhe business and your service
represenlalives. Lqually imporlanl is lo oller ways in which cuslomers can

The 8esl _ Praclice Cuide. 8enchmarking lor Service Desk Success
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oller suggeslions lo your desk aboul services, hardware or processes lhal
would help lhem work more elleclively and ellicienlly. make sure lhere
are lormal mechanisms lor oblaining and recording suggeslions. lor
example, lhe use ol posl-session surveys is a greal way lo galher lhis dala
and monilor lhe success ol your service represenlalives. Make sure lhal
you have one in place so lhal you can demonslrale lo lhe business lhal
your desk is proaclively seeking leedback lrom cuslomers and is working
hard lo provide lhem wilh lhe service lhey need and deserve. ll you can
show lhe business lhal your desk is alluned lo your cuslomers'
requiremenls lhen you can help cemenl your posilion as a business assel
and core service lunclion.

4. Twiller. Twiller ollers a lasl way lo inleracl wilh lhe Service Desks bul
il also ollers lhe polenlial lo improve cuslomer service due lo lhe abilily
lor all company members lo view lhe inleraclions belween users and
service desks. This level ol lransparency is readily available in Twiller and
does nol rely on reviewing lelephone recordings or lrudging lhrough e-
mails. ln addilion lo improving cuslomer relalions, lhe replies can help
olher users by lelling lhem know lhal lhe service desk is responding
quickly lo problems and may even provide solulions lo problems lhal
users were aboul lo ask. Used elleclively, Twiller can oller lighlning lasl
solulions lo users problems, allowing lhem lo ge up and running quickly.
ln lhis way Twiller can save lime lor bolh lhe user and lhe analysls.
Organizalions should be aware lhal many ol lheir cuslomers may already
be aclive Twiller users and lhus il makes sense lo broaden lheir reach
inlo lhis domain. 8y exlension, il users are already using Twiller al work
lhen il makes sense lo give lhem lhe oplion lo conlacl lheir Service Desk
lhrough lhis medium.


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Pemole supporl has been a uselul lool lor Service Desks lor a long lime now.
Some key benelils ol remole supporl are.

Abilily lor service represenlalives lo quickly and elleclively solve incidenls
direclly wilhoul lhe need lo describe aclions lo users over lhe lelephone
or by email.

Peduces lhe lime laken lo close an incidenl which has signilicanl benelils
in lerms ol being able lo lake more calls and raising produclivily levels by
allowing users lo gel back lo work quickly.

Service Desk can provide supporl lo users all over lhe world as long as
lhey have an lnlernel conneclion. This has signilicanl benelils in
organizalions lhal are worldwide and work on dillerenl lime zones.

Pemoves one ol lhe major barriers ol providing supporl lhe lechnical
knowledge ol users. Users mighl lhink lhal lhey have good lechnical

The 8esl _ Praclice Cuide. 8enchmarking lor Service Desk Success
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skills, bul perhaps lhey are nol as compelenl as lhey lhink. This can lead
lo problems lor service represenlalives as users may lry ad implemenl
lheir own lixes exacerbaling lhe problem. Conversely, il users have lillle
lechnical knowledge lhen remole supporl removes lhis problem.

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Some users do nol like someone else laking conlrol ol lheir machine so il
is vilally imporlanl lhal lhere is a sel procedure in place when service
represenlalives are using remole conlrol. They should also be made
aware when il is aboul lo happen and lo give lheir permission.

Decreases call duralion by allowing service represenlalives lo collaborale
on one session logelher, which can be visible or invisible lo lhe user.
Addilionally, user salislaclion increases wilh lhe abilily ol service
represenlalives lo seamlessly pass all session inlormalion lo anolher
service represenlalive lhal is more suiled lo resolve lhe issue.

Make sure lhal remole supporl is nol simply used as a quick lix lhal
covers an underlying problem. Whilsl il is imporlanl lo gel users up and
running quickly, in lhe longer run il is much more elleclive lo invesligale
and solve lhe problem lhan lo keep palching up incidenls.

Pemole supporl is nol only a crucial lool lor lhe Service Desk, bul il can have a
signilicanl impacl on benchmarks and improving melrics. Pemole supporl can
slash lix lime lix rales, reduce call duralion, and lower cosl per call (or
inleraclion). lmproving lhese melrics and slarling lo lrend lowards your goal will
have an impacl on your benchmarking and will allow you lo sel higher goals.
You will also be able lo demonslrale lhal your melrics are lrending in a posilive
direclion.

Perhaps due lo budgelary conslrainls or lack ol underslanding aboul whal
remole supporl can oller, only 28.6' ol respondenls lo a recenl survey
responded lhal remole supporl inlegralion was essenlial lo lheir service desk
syslem.
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This is discouraging, bul lhe numbers who demand remole supporl will
likely increase when il is shown lhe posilive impacl il can have on improving
your benchmarks and, ullimalely, lhe level ol supporl you can oller lo your
users.

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Jusl whal is lhe besl praclice lhal all Service Desks should adhere lo? Quile
simply lhe besl praclice is perlorming whalever operalions, procedures and
processes lhal enable you lo deliver lhe besl service lo your users. This mighl
incorporale parls ol lTlL, or il may include none ol lhem. The salienl poinl is lhal
lo oller lhe very besl level ol service you do nol need lo rigidly adhere lo one
parlicular lramework or slandard. indeed doing so may make your desk inllexible

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The 8esl _ Praclice Cuide. 8enchmarking lor Service Desk Success
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and overly concerned wilh procedure and nol resulls. Here are some key poinls
lo lake on board and consider il you're serious aboul improving service.

lTlL.
lTlL has been much maligned ol lale wilh opponenls charging lhal il is loo
rigid and lhal adherenls lose sighl ol lhe wood lor lhe lrees. ll is also conlended
lhal lTlL is only a parlial lramework and is one which leads lo poor managemenl.
Whalever your posilion on lTlL, lhe mosl imporlanl addilion il has made lo lhe
lTSM arena is lhal il gels everyone lalking lhe same language. ln days gone by
dillerenl areas ol lT would reler lo lhe same process bul call il a dillerenl name
which impaired on lheir abilily lo slreamline lheir processes and produce resulls.
lTlL is besl used piecemeal, laking lhe parls lhal lil your overall objeclives and
goals and selling aside lhose lhal do nol. lor example, you may wanl lo
implemenl lTlL's change managemenl process bul leave oul problem
managemenl. 8esl praclice is knowing whal will work lor your desk and lhen
pulling in lhe lime and ellorl lo ensure lhal lhese processes succeed and are
adhered lo. ll you lake nolhing else away lrom lTlL, lraining service
represenlalives lo use lhe correcl lerminology will greally reduce conlusion and
make sure lhal everyone is singing lrom lhe same songsheel.

Soll Skills.
All loo ollen Service Desks become consumed wilh process and procedures. Ol
course lhese are a vilal parl ol any Service Desk operalion, especially one lhal is
adhering lo besl praclice. Whal is ollen lorgollen is lhal lhe Service Desk is
increasingly moving away lrom lhe 'lechie in lhe corner' image lhal has
sligmalized il lor so long. The Service Desk is now a cuslomer service hub and is
lhe poinl ol conlacl lor your users on anylhing lT. The poinl here is lhal
knowing how lo communicale, respond and reacl lo users is as imporlanl as lhe
processes you have in place lo deliver your service lo lhem. You can have lhe
besl processes in lhe world, bul il your communicalion is wrong lhen lhis is
whal users will remember and will judge you on.

Soll skills need lo be conslanlly monilored and improved lhrough lraining and
developmenl. ll is also imporlanl lo run regular cuslomer salislaclion surveys in
order lo lruly gauge whal your cuslomers' lhink ol lhe service lhal you oller and
where improvemenls can be made. A mixlure ol selecling lhe besl processes and
delivering exceplional cuslomer service will ensure lhal you are perlorming lo
your oplimum levels.

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ln essence lhere are lwo main componenls lo delivering lhe besl service lo your
users having an open minded approach lo besl praclice lrameworks and
emphasizing lhe imporlance ol soll skills and benchmarking. These lwo
componenls are wedded logelher as lhey will necessarily impacl on one
anolher. A balanced scorecard approach will inlorm you aboul lhis impacl and
will enable you lo see where improvemenls have been made and lhe ellecls ol
changes in service delivery.


The 8esl _ Praclice Cuide. 8enchmarking lor Service Desk Success
!0
ll is key lo remember lhal we are in a cuslomer service induslry and lhal
everylhing we do should slrive lo improve lhe service lhal we deliver lo lhem.
This may sound lrile bul all loo ollen lhis is missed when we lhink aboul
processes because lhey can become delached lrom lhis overarching goal. ll
lTlL is lhe lramework lo deliver exceplional service lo your cuslomers lhen
greal, bul il is more likely lhal lhe very besl service is achieved by candidly and
wisely selecling lhe besl processes lhal work lor you and your users. Lvery
Service Desk is dillerenl in composilion, experlise and supporl widely divergenl
user bases so il would be absurd lo suggesl lhal lhere was a one-size-lils-all
solulion, and indeed lhere is none.

8enchmarking is a vilal parl ol service delivery, bul il is imporlanl lhal il is used
in lhe righl way. 8enchmarking againsl induslry slandards has value, bul much
grealer relurns will be experienced when benchmarking againsl your own
slandards. ll you have recenlly implemenled a new change managemenl process
lhen you will be able lo see whelher lhis has improved service by examining your
melrics and looking al lhe lrend ol your dala. ll melrics have improved as a
resull ol lhe processes you have implemenled lhen make a song and dance
aboul il lo your organizalion il's lhe only way lhey'll lruly know lhal you are
commilled lo improving service lor lheir employees and increasing produclivily.

The besl praclice is lherelore lo lake a holislic approach and really lhink
aboul whelher lhe processes you have in place are improving lhe service
delivered lo your users. Think aboul whal message your Service Desk is
delivering lo your organizalion bolh al higher levels and lor your cuslomers
would lhey bolh agree lhal you are essenlial parl ol lhe business, deliver
exceplional service and provide excellenl value lor money? ll lhe answer lo any
or all ol lhese queslions is no lhen il's lime lo lake slock and make some
immediale changes il is hoped lhal lhis shorl guide has given you some
praclical ways in which lo achieve lhis.

The 8esl _ Praclice Cuide. 8enchmarking lor Service Desk Success
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