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March 2011, Volume 13, Issue 1

The secret of a successful service desk


More in this issue:

Putting your heart into it


6 tips for successful application of ITIL v3 / The next step in quality management / Merging councils /

Editorial Editorial
Want to comment? Go to www.topdeskmagazine.com

Help!
Recent critique has done anything but promote service desks. Posts on Twitter and similar blogs over long waiting times, dodgy telephone subscriptions and unhelpful help desk employees have provoked a flood of similar reactions from other users. This resulted in a one-off magazine, Help! - all about service desk nightmares, which was released under close scrutiny from many service desks. At TOPdesk we found the magazine a bit much. But when it goes as far as an official publication, its high time to present some return fire. Not because nothing ever goes wrong, but because there are plenty of service desks who do do their job well. In 2011, TOPdesk magazine will feature some of the most successful of these service desks. The series kicks off with three companies where the service desk receives far more compliments than complaints: Prenatal, EuroNed and KreuzeTelecom. Also in this edition, we further explore the successful application of ITIL v3 and mergers within councils. We will also take a look at the Planning department at TOPdesk and at organizations that implement TOPdesk for quality management to keep their service levels as high as possible. After all, you never know when youre going to get an angry customer on the line. Pleasant reading! Niek Steenhuis

The TOPdesk Magazine covers subjects that are topical in the world of professional service desks in IT, facilities and other service providing organizations. TOPdesk Magazine is intended for managers, service desk employees, facilities organizations and electronic city councils anyone who is involved with supporting clients on a daily basis. This concerns both the processes and the technology behind these services.

EDITORIAL
TOPdesk Magazine is a TOPdesk publication Tel: +31 (0)15 270 09 00 Email: editorial@topdesk.com Chief Editor Niek Steenhuis Editors Nienke Deuss, Claudia Funk, Timme Hos Translators Nicola van de Velde, Hazel Hollis Contributors Kirsten Crown, Roelof Davids, Sander Jerphanion, Elsbeth Hamberg, Patrick Mackaaij, Annemarie Moeijes Graphics Elise Kerner, Joost Knuit Layout Elise Kerner, Dutch Designers Collective Photography Ted Erkkila, Olwen Harkema, Aad Hoogendoorn, Yokogawa Website David Blom, Eelke van den Bos en Ted Erkkila

Contents March 11
4 6 12 17 18 22 24 24 32

News On the line: Putting your heart into it:


The secret of a successful service desk

From 40 ITIL processes to one working model

Column:
But we have a web portal, right?
The next step in quality management

Merging councils? Decide early to collaborate in one tool

Department in focus:
Planning and Change Management

Smart thinking:
14 tips for the safe and secure use of TOPdesk

Tips + Tricks

News

TOPdesk closes partnership with Duna Elektronika of Hungary


Over the past six months, TOPdesk has been in close contact with Duna Elektronika regarding a possible partnership. On Friday 26 November the deal was closed and from January 2011 Duna Elektronika will be TOPdesks new partner in Hungary. About Duna Elektronika Duna Elektronika was founded in 1991 and delivers a broad range of IT-systems and services. Working together with global IT service providers, Duna delivers services to local offices of multinational companies. Duna Elektronikas goal is to meet the unique wishes of each customer, and go on to develop a long term relationship with them. The sale and implementation of TOPdesk fits perfectly within this service strategy. The philosophies behind both companies are also in unison. Both Duna Elektronika and TOPdesk strive to provide excellent customer service and high quality products for an honest price.

The partnership with Duna Elektronika was closed late last year

TOPdesk finds partner in Brazil


Since December 2010, TOPdesk has an official partner in Brazil: Computeasy. Computeasy is an IT service provider based in So Paulo that offers a broad package of around 500 different IT products and services across the entire country. The Dutch partner managers Freek Takken and Tiago Krommendijk have been busy laying a solid foundation on which to build a business partnership since last year. In December 2010, the partnership clicked into place. With this partnership TOPdesk and Computeasy want to provide for the growing service management needs in Brazil. Currently, around 50% of Brazilian organizations use a service management package, and that number is growing. The collaboration between TOPdesk and Computeasy means that organizations in Brazil can be offered a professional software package, which will be implemented by local experts.

TOPdesk and Computeasy toast their new partnership

Busy spring for business events


This coming spring, TOPdesk will be attending a number of business events. You can find an overview of all the coming TOPdesk events for the following months in the Shows & Exhibitions calendar. Here are just a few:

attend keynote sessions, seminars, and chat with industry experts. This year, TOPdesk will be at stand 310, so please drop by and say hello!

The Facilities Show


From 17 to 19 May, you can find TOPdesk at UKs leading facilities event: the Facilities Show in Birmingham. This show is the ideal place to get the lowdown on the latest FM trends and products and it also offers visitors a number of interesting seminars and networking opportunities. You can visit us at stand B106 in Hall 1.

Service Desk & IT Support Show


On 19 & 20 April 2010, TOPdesk will be exhibiting at the Service Desk & IT Support Show in Earls Court, London. Visitors of this event will be invited to see all the latest technology and business services in IT support as well as

4 NEWS

University of Edinburgh and TOPdesk found UniDesk


Having founded a solid partnership with TOPdesk, The University of Edinburgh is moving forward with UniDesk. The University of Edinburgh started using TOPdesk in 2010. Over the past year, collaboration between TOPdesk, the University of Edinburgh, St. Andrews University and the University of Abertay in Dundee has resulted in the development of UniDesk. The UniDesk solution UniDesk is an ITIL-based shared service that uses TOPdesk software. UniDesk now supports over 50,000 staff and students in all areas of University and College business and academic work. TOPdesk and the University of Edinburgh aim to provide a cost-effective Service Management Solution geared towards the education sector. After a successful launch, the University of Edinburgh is now offering UniDesk as a Shared Service to other Universities and Higher Educational institutions in the UK. For more information, please visit the UniDesk website: www.unidesk.ac.uk.

This year TOPdesks Christmas cards were made by the soSuba Foundation

TOPdesk supports soSuba in Kenya and Combiwerk


TOPdesk believes it is important to be socially responsible. Because sending Christmas cards is an annual event, it seemed an ideal opportunity to invest in sustainability. Following an initiative from TOPdesk employee Olga Reutelingsperger, this years Christmas Cards were made by soSuba (www.sosuba.nl). The soSuba foundation is active in Kisumu, Kenya and works towards sustainable economic development. The cards are made from naturally recycled material by talented Kenyans, who use the proceeds to care for themselves and their families. The suppliers of the recycled material also benefit from the scheme. In this way, as large a group of people in Kenya as possible are being helped. Besides this project, TOPdesk has also enlisted Combiwerk to dispatch the cards from the Netherlands. Combiwerk offers fitting employment to people who find themselves removed from the employment market, and, in this way facilitates optimum use of talents and work opportunities. Combiwerk and TOPdesk have been working together for a number of years, keeping the Delft office clean and sending out mail.

Shows and Exhibitions


UNITED KINGDOM
Service Desk & IT Support Show

19 & 20 April 19 & 20 May 17 - 19 May

Earls Court, London Demo Days, London TOPdesk office, London Bridge The Facilities Show NEC, Birmingham

THE NETHERLANDS
Government & IT

19 - 21 April

Jaarbeurs, Utrecht

BELGIUM
V-ICT-OR Shopt IT

12 May

Metropolis, Antwerp
NEWS 5

On the line

Putting your heart into it


The secret of a successful service desk
Kreuze Telecom: Be proactive!
Kreuze Telecom is the largest independent telephone provider in the south of the Netherlands. They focus mainly on business markets with their fixed line solutions and mobile support. Their customers range from small business units to large multinationals within the chemical industry. However, having a range of customers also means varying demands for the services that Kreuze Telecom provides.
Georg Jacobs has been working as a service manager for the technical departments for the last four years now. His experience has taught him that you shouldnt sit around and wait for things to go wrong. A service desk is usually reactive: you are called when a malfunction occurs and then you come into action, explains Jacobs. We, on the other hand, want to be proactive in the sense that we aim to call the customer before they even realize an error has even occurred. The most important aspect of a service desk is to show that you are proactive and to give the customer the feeling they are being helped.

TEXT: CLAUDIA FUNK

After suffering from some recent bad publicity, the time has come for service desks to go on a charm offensive. We spoke with three successful service desks that regularly receive positive feedback from their clients and we asked ourselves: Whats the secret of their success?
Service centres and help desks across Europe have been discredited for quite some time now. Why? Because help desks are beating each other at how customer unfriendly they can be. Complaints range from being too bureaucratic or the time it takes to respond to questions, to the lack of incentive or willingness to help the customer. Instead of focusing on the negative, however, we thought it was time to look at positive examples of help desks. Some people think that it takes a lot of effort to resolve something through a help desk; nevertheless there are enough organizations that know how to handle these situations well. They put the customer first and have continuous help desk employees ready to be of service. In the first part of this series of articles we will focus on three service desks from various sectors that all have on thing in common: happy customers. We were curious about what good service desks do differently from the much criticized service desks. How do they provide a good service? And what is their formula for success?

Listening to the customer


The demands of customers may vary over time. Not even five years ago, Kreuze Telecom worked with field staff. Customers then first had to make an appointment with them, after which they would visit the customer and resolve the problem on site. Now there is often demand for 24-hour staffing of the service desk and they can provide support from
Georg Jacobs has been the service manager at Kreuze Telecom for four years

6 ON THE LINE

a distance, which enables the employees to tackle a problem immediately. We can easily resolve malfunctions by calling the switchboard, says Jacobs. This is quicker, more efficient and cheaper for the customer.

NEVER TELL THE CUSTOMER THAT SOMETHING IS NOT YOUR PROBLEM


Georg Jacobs, Kreuze Telecom

Taking responsibility
Kreuze Telecom does not receive many complaints and the feedback is usually positive. We are often told that we are professional and that we manage to reassure our customers that we can help them, tells Jacobs. In addition to professionally handling problems on a technical level, Jacobs illustrates an even more important issue. You should never tell a customer

that something is not your problem. Our aim is for them to only have one point of contact in the area of telecommunication: us. And even if the cause of a malfunction falls in a grey area, you should never put the ball back in the customers court.

ORGANIZATION: Kreuze Telecom TECHNICAL SERVICE DESK: offers companies within the chemical industry first and second line support with mobile and fixed line solutions

KLANTEN 7

EuroNed: Reduce waiting periods!


EuroNed develops IT applications and supports hard- and software for chemists, general practitioners and health care institutions. For example, glucose meters are linked to EuroNed software, which directly saves and processes the measured values in the correct patient file. The software can also help to send a doctors prescription directly to the chemist, aid medication control, order medication on time and create invoices.
We spoke with Natasja Lamers, whose infectious energy has made her team manager of about twenty service desk employees. Together they support between an ever-increasing number of 1000 to 1100 Dutch health care providers. According to Lamers, there are three important points that distinguish a good helpdesk: shorter waiting times, mutual respect between helpdesk staff and customers and helpdesk expertise. customer and try looking beyond the obvious, tells Lamers convincingly. And if that works, customers will let you know.

Helpdesk experts
The health care industry is always in flux and so EuroNed must anticipate continuous changes. A good service relies heavily on expert knowledge concerning everything that goes on in the health care industry. This does not only include IT issues; a help desk employee should also have substantive knowledge on current

THINK WITH THE CUSTOMER, AND TRY LOOKING BEYOND THE OBVIOUS
Natasja Lamers, EuroNed

Shorter waiting times


Lamers is quick to the point when she says that the most important issue is shorter waiting times. Customers often deal with pressing issues and so they call in a hurry. Our average waiting times are currently between one and a half and two minutes. This wasnt always the case. A number of years ago, we reached an all-time low when the waiting times were up to 45 minutes, explains Lamers. Taking on more people and a thorough improvement on the quality of our services enabled us to reduce the waiting times to a minimum. legislation and other important issues regarding health care and health insurance. The help desk is required to have a lot of knowledge, and for this reason we regard regular schooling very highly, says Lamers. Experts provide support to the second and third line help desk employees in order to enable them to give professional answers. This is why the hiring procedure for new employees is quite strict. Despite regular schooling you should be aware that you can not always know everything, which is why you rely on other help desk colleagues. And because you need to lean on each other, it is also important that you have a mutual click. Applicants are required to join us first for a couple of days. In this way, both parties can get to know each other better before taking the plunge.

Mutual respect and understanding


Lamers and her team are very much valued by their customers and she does not shy away from possible criticism. I dont mind at all if customers are critical, because that only helps us improve, explains Lamers. Mutual respect and understanding support the collaboration between the customer and help desk employee. You should always think with the

Natasja Lamers is team manager to twenty service desk employees

8 ON THE LINE

ORGANIZATION: EuroNed SERVICE DESK: offers technical support and answers legal questions for pharmacies, general practitioners and health care institutions

KLANTEN 9

Prnatal: Put your heart into it!


A car seat, bellybands, a baby phone, a bib when a baby is due, you need to tick off an entire list of baby things. This can overwhelm new parents. Besides shopping for these things at Prnatal, the staff can also help you with all your questions.
Wil Brouwer is Customer Care Manager at Prnatal. She ensures that customers get a good first impression of Prnatal. Her team is an important point of contact for customers with a question or

Through the eyes of the customer


The customers expectations and demands of our services are ever-changing. The customer expects a service provider to be available 24 hours a day, says Wil Brouwer. The results from a regular customer panel confirm this trend. The results also show that 46 percent of the customers would like to be able to contact Prnatal outside of office hours. For this reason, we opened a webshop and customers can now contact us by email at any time. Prnatals customers are already well informed when they contact the Customer Care department. The customers expect us to offer that final bit of expertise before they can decide on their purchase. This means that you should look through the eyes of the customer, which makes our job interesting and varied. It is your job to remain informed.

YOU SHOULD KNOW HOW THE ENTIRE PRODUCTION AND SALES PROCESS WORKS
Wil Brouwer, Prnatal

Taking care of yourself


It comes as no surprise that the spearhead of the Customer Care department is a customized coaching programme. Every employee of this department, the so-called representatives of Prnatal, should have a broad knowledge of the software packages used; however, it is even more important to have knowledge about the product chain itself. You should know how the entire production and sales process works, explains Brouwer. Whats more, everyone should monitor their own stress levels. For a number of months, the employees have decided when they would like a meeting with their coach. This is not only more personal, but also more effective than a weekly team meeting. If you work for us, you need to be able to care for yourself. Only then can you also care for others. In order to fully help the customer, you should be willing to learn continuously and improve yourself. You should feel good about yourself, be self-confident and win the customers trust by taking them seriously.

request for Prnatal in the Netherlands. With 33,000 to 35,000 contact moments each year, the Customer Care department offers service in the broadest sense. We do not only speak to customers on the telephone, explains Brouwer, but we also support all our stores and our webshop. In addition, we function as an overflow for the switchboard when all the lines are busy.

Going the extra mile


For Brower and her team, personal attention to the client goes further than is required. Prnatal wants to capture the hearts of our clients with our customer endearment strategy in our stores, in the head office and on our website. You should always want to do your best to help the client. That is why customer endearment is a specific mindset which we expect from our employees. Its simply in your heart.

Wil Brouwer is Customer Care Manager at Prnatal

10 ON THE LINE

ORGANIZATION: Prnatal Mother & Child.BV CUSTOMER CARE: answers calls from Dutch customers of Prnatal, supports the webshop, answers questions from staff and takes on the tasks from the telephone centre

KLANTEN 11

Trends
TEXT: SANDER JERPHANION

From 40 ITIL Proces


Six tips for the successful application of ITIL v3
Since the beginning of January 2011, the exam for ITIL version 2 is no longer available. Every organization that has links with ITIL will now have to get their teeth into ITIL v3, which with almost 40 processes is a lot more in depth than its predecessor. But is ITIL really relevant for every organization? And how can you apply it in practice?

SANDER JERPHANION
is head of the Consultancy department in the Netherlands. He manages a team of more than 60 consultants.

A lot has happened over the last few years when it comes to theory about processes in general and within ITIL in particular. A new version of ITIL (v3) has been launched, and the version 2 exams have since been scrapped. A quick scan through business literature might give you the impression that ITIL v3 is most suited to a small group of large businesses. You could be forgiven for thinking that, considering the complexity and number of processes in the new version. However, there is a lot to be gained from ITIL v3 for many companies, even if there are certain ifs and buts. In this article, we will delve deeper into ITIL v3 and share the experience of our 80 service management consultants on the subject.

ITIL V3 SEEMS MOST SUITED TO A SMALL GROUP OF LARGE BUSINESSES

What is ITIL?
To be able to explain how ITIL can be applied successfully, it is important to define what ITIL actually is. The abbreviation ITIL stands for Information Technology Infrastructure Library and is the name of a set of books geared towards companies within the service sector, in which a theoretical framework for implementing processes is described. True, ITIL was born from the IT world, but it can also apply to other business sectors. This is particularly true for areas of business with an increasingly process-oriented mentality, such as Facilities Management.

12 TRENDS

ses to one working model


ITIL can enable process-oriented and service providing organizations to support a higher level of service. Fitting application of ITIL can offer the following benefits: It can offer you input concerning improvements, or help in easing existing bottlenecks in the service. It can stimulate process-oriented thinking and working methods, making it tangible. It can introduce a common terminology, so that customers, service providers and mutual service providers all speak the same language. Figure 1

No guarantee for success


Not everything that is mentioned in ITIL is useful for every organization. The maturity, size and type of organization will determine which components of ITIL will be the most useful to bring into practice. ITIL is therefore no guarantee for success. A certain amount of translation is necessary when applying ITIL in practice. A good example of this is the priority matrix. ITIL uses the words urgency and impact; two factors that have influence on the priority of, for example, an interruption in services. We have noticed that in practice, using both urgency and impact can be confusing. For any particular organization, it is better if these terms are translated into recognizable, organization-specific terminology. In a hospital for example, people wont talk about a high or low impact, but will instead look at whether an interruption in services has an affect on patient care. It is important not to make it more complicated than is needed.
Crown copyright 2007. Reproduced under licence from OGC.

processes and functions. Additionally, five phases have been introduced, which together form the Service Life Cycle Model (see figure 1). When we at TOPdesk first heard of this great number of processes, functions and phases, we were immediately reminded of advertising for razors. Every few years a new razor comes onto the market, each time with an extra blade, and each time promising an even better shaving experience. The newest razors now have at least five blades. But arent five blades a bit over the top? Do those extra blades really have added value? The same question comes to mind when thinking of the large number of processes described in ITIL. What is the added value of all those extra processes? At this time, it is much more important than ever that companies dare to choose. Which parts of ITIL do you use, which do you not use, and, more importantly, in which order do you use them?

40 processes and functions


This is where things get tricky: ITIL v3 has become much more complex in comparison to its predecessor. Where the second version of ITIL talks about 10 processes and one function, ITIL v3 is now made up of nearly 40

TRENDS 13

6 Guidelines for a successful application of ITIL


To help organizations get to grips with ITIL v3, we have put together a few tips to get you started. We have translated the collective experience of more than 80 TOPdesk consultants into six guidelines for a successful application of ITIL v3. Furthermore, we have also grouped various ITIL processes according to priority, to help organizations to decide which ITIL processes deserve attention first.

Train employees in the right direction


Because ITIL has become more theoretical and more in-depth, and now also describes strategic processes, it is worth thinking about which theory you present to which employee. With version 2, sending every employee to a foundation ITIL training proved useful. With version 3, however, we recommend that you gear the ITIL material towards each employee specifically. Think about which sections are important for which employee, and adjust the training programme to fit.

Understand that ITIL is a theory, and not a goal in itself


We have noticed that it is not always clear what ITIL actually is and how it can be used. A prevailing view of ITIL, and something which is stated literally in the ITIL books, is that applying ITIL reduces costs and helps tailor your service to the customers needs. That is a misconception. ITIL is nothing more and nothing less than a theoretical framework and therefore not a best practice at all. The qualification best practice or good practice suggests that in practice people work exactly as described. Service providing companies, however, must realize that this is not the case, so that they focus on how ITIL should be applied. You need to translate ITIL into everyday practice. You should not look at the application of ITIL as a goal in itself, but as a means to improve your service levels.

Dare to choose
With almost 40 processes, functions and phases, it is more important than ever to work through the right points in the right order. To help you, we have divided the processes into five levels (see figure 2). This diagram illustrates a simple rule of thumb: there is no point in implementing a process from a higher level if processes in the level underneath are still not in order. In that case the underlying levels should get attention first. figure 2

Think from a practical point of view


As stated earlier, ITIL is theory. For improvements within the organization, it is better to start with a concrete problem or concrete improvement, not the ITIL theory. One of the biggest risks when implementing ITIL is that people get sucked into a paper reality. They too often focus on producing a specific report or getting a particular priority matrix to add up. The whole thing then becomes too complicated for the person we are organizing services for. A more relevant question is: what is the customers problem and how can we solve it?

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Do not overestimate your own maturity


Be honest and critical when evaluating your own maturity. Our experience is that the ambitions of an organization or department often disguise what needs to be addressed first. We notice, for example, that many companies can still do a lot more with basic processes, such as Change Management or Incident Management. In that case, it is better to give these processes attention first than to start introducing more processes from ITIL v3.

priority list (see figure 2). This is not because it is not important to have a service catalogue, but because the necessity to organize the development of this item as a (mature) ITIL process earns attention later than many other processes. In other words, setting up a service catalogue is very useful for many companies, but implementing the ITIL process (with process-oriented improvements etc.) is somewhat unnecessary for a significant proportion of organizations. When the first focus area has been established, you can use the scheme below to see which functionalities in the TOPdesk software have been designed for this purpose. For more information see: www.topdesk.com/en/services/consultancy

A low priority does not mean that a process is not important


If a process is low on our priority list, it does not mean it is unimportant. A process such as Service Catalogue Management, for example, is low on the

ITIL v3 & TOPdesk


TOPdesk does not have a separate module for every ITIL process or function. Although TOPdesk is based on ITIL, the structure of the software is so generic that it can be adapted in many different ways. One example of this is our workflow module Change Management. Within the IT Service Management sector this module is mainly used to implement the change management process, but it also supports many other processes from the ITIL v3 Life Cycle, such as Release & Deployment Management and Service Validation & Testing. The table below displays every ITIL v3 process and function, and where it is supported in TOPdesk.

Service Strategy & Continual Service Improvement


TOPdesk also supports the Service Strategy and Continual Service Improvement processes by enabling the input and import of relevant information (such as cost, time, services, incidents etc.), and then by giving insight into the information using: KPIs Reports Selections Performance Dashboard

Process & Functions


Demand Management Financial Management Service Portfolio Management Seven Step Improvement Process Service Reporting

TOPdesk
Useful information for this process is found throughout TOPdesk Financial details can be kept track of in several places in TOPdesk Project Management & Service Level Agreements Available throughout TOPdesk Reports, Selections, KPIs and Performance Dashboard

TRENDS 15

Service Design
Process & Functions
Availability Management Capacity Management Information Security Management IT Service Continuity Management Service Catalogue Management Service Level Management Supplier Management

TOPdesk
Link with System Management Tools and Configuration Management Link with System Management Tools and Configuration Management Useful information for this process is found throughout TOPdesk Useful information for this process is found throughout TOPdesk Contract Management and SLM (Service Card), Change Management (requesting and publishing standard changes via the Self Service Desk) Contract Management and SLM & Reports wizard Supplier Management & Service Level Agreements

Service Transition
Process & Functions
Change Management Knowledge Management Release and Deployment Management Change Management Knowledge Base, Standard solutions and Problem Management Change Management (Version card, template to support DTAP), Configuration Management (releases, patches) Configuration Management, Supporting Files, Contract Management and SLM, Stock and Order Management, Property Management Change Management & Project Management Change Management Change Management

TOPdesk

Service Asset and Configuration Management Service Validation and Testing Transition Planning and Support Evaluation

Service Operation
Process & Functions
Access Management Event Management Incident Management Problem Management Request Fulfillment Management Application Management IT Operations Management Service Desk Technical Management

TOPdesk
Self Service Desk (identifying persons) & Access Management Event Management & links with System management tools (based on XML or HTTP requests) Incident Management Problem Management Incident Management & Change Management (simple changes), Self Service Desk Configuration Managment (Software Card) Operations Management Self Service Desk, Incident Management and Caller Card Knowledge Base, Operations Management & Configuration Management

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Column
TEXT: ANNEMARIE MOEIJES

But we have a web portal, right?


backwards-again buttons. No error messages that you only get upon submitting a form, after which you must fill in all your details again. No overfull screens, where the most important buttons are shoved in somewhere at the bottom and are called shopping trolley. Secondly, if your customer fills in a form at the speed of lightning, he will expect a lightning-fast service. If you, for personal or technical reasons, cant deliver that service, then dont give customers this expectation. When creating online forms, people often think on the part of the service-providing organization, and not from the customers point of view. The solution is simple, though often missed entirely: as soon as you have plans to involve the customer digitally, involve the customer! Get a pilot group together and involve them in the design. Ask them to test it, ask for feedback, and work this feedback into the end result. And if your company or department functions best with personal contact, or cant offer the same level of service continually, dont be afraid not to get carried away. Wait for a while with your online form. Your customers will appreciate a telephone call much more than a swiftly filled-in form followed by a long, deep silence.

During a recent implementation of TOPdesk, I found myself in an intense discussion about master data; the staff data entered in TOPdesk to keep track of who your customers are. At this organization, a telephone directory was available on the intranet. So far, so good, I hear you thinking. But if an employee changed position, or took his papers and family photos and relocated to a new desk, he had to fill in a web form in order for someone else to adjust the details in the telephone directory. And what happened then? The department responsible for updating the telephone directory saw it as supplementary. Updating the list had no priority and requests remained untouched. The frustrated employee, who could only be reached after a long hunt from the reception every time there was a visitor, submitted another request for change. And another one. And another. Those responsible for the directory soon had an inbox full of double requests, and even less desire to carry the changes out. As a result, duplicate administration began to appear, which was wellmeant, but not beneficial for the service. Is Peters room number now the one in the telephone directory, or in the Excel sheet at reception? Or is it perhaps the one in our property management program? With the increasing digitalization of society, online forms are often offered to customers; to place orders, adjust details, or to register something. But an online form is only an online form; you eventually have to process the information entered. I see this happen in my private life too. I had taken good care to tell the council about my oversized rubbish via their website. My rubbish, however, to the distaste of my neighbours, sat on the doorstep for three days. I have registered my meter readings online twice since moving house, and I still get an angry letter asking me to fill in the details. At first sight, offering a digital portal to your customers can seem like a brilliant idea. There are, however, two crucially important factors in doing this successfully, and exactly these factors often get far too little attention. Firstly, it is important that your customers understand the digital interface. No endless forwards-and-then-

ANNEMARIE MOEIJES
is a consultant at TOPdesk and has years of experience with implementations and changes within diverse organizations.

The next step in quality management


TEXT: ROELOF DAVIDS

ROELOF DAVIDS
is a consultant at TOPdesk. He is seeing more and more customers who implement TOPdesk for Quality Management.

TOPdesk is regularly used in quality control departments or by quality controllers to replace workflow-oriented Excel sheets or other simple databases, as such solutions are often not ideal if you wish to create reports before or after routing activities. This article will explain how two customers use TOPdesk to monitor quality.

Quality Management
Quality can be defined in many ways. The frequently used ISO standard, geared towards quality management, defines quality as the extent to which a number of inherent characteristics [of a product, service] fulfill certain criteria. By this definition, quality is a relative concept in relation to a set of specific requirements and quality management incorporates all activities that are geared towards raising the level of quality. The Deming-circle: Plan, Do, Check and Act (PDCA) is one example of this. There are a variety of principles and standards according to which you can work, such as the already mentioned ISO standard, HKZ, NEN, SOX, and ITIL. A key component in the organization of quality improvement is to ensure that the organization learns from complaints and other problems. This can be done through accurate registration, analysis

and, where necessary, organization or initiation of improvement projects or activities. This includes corrective and preventive measures. Quality control departments and quality controllers may also deal with other company-related incidents and audit results. Two organizations that use TOPdesk for quality management are the William Schrikker Group (WSG) and Yokogawa Europe B.V.

WSG From Excel lists to one central place


Janneke de Graaff is a quality controller for the William Schrikker Group, a national organization for youth protection, youth rehabilitation and foster care for parents and/or children with a disability.
Janneke de Graaff is a quality controller for the William Schrikker Group (WSG)

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THE PROGRESS OF LONG-TERM IMPROVEMENTS WAS DIFFICULT TO FOLLOW


Janneke de Graaff, William Schrikker Groep

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In Yokogawas line of business, safety is a key issue

The WSG consists of five results-driven units (RDU). De Graaff is responsible for a number of things including monitoring the improvements that are made as a result of complaints, suggestions from employees, audit results and evaluations. At WSG there is no separate quality control department, but quality improvement is practiced in all levels of the organization. Until now, each RDU kept Excel lists listing the ongoing improvements, explains de Graaff. I had very little insight into the status, duration and activities that were part of improvements and it was difficult to follow the progress of long-term improvements. The lists provided a poor overview and did not properly inform the MT about what still needed to happen. The Excel lists were managed by one person per RDU, and I would receive a summary every now and then. There was an enormous backlog in maintaining the lists and, as a result, I often had to wait for lists to be updated. In the Change Management module, a standard template has been made for improvements. Every improvement has a number of steps that are always carried out, just as in the PDCA circle. When implementing an improvement, the individual responsible selects the template and assigns the relevant operators to the various activities. In this way, its always clear who is doing what. Additionally, you can also run a report on the number of improvements per RDU and the source of these improvements an audit or a suggestion from an employee for example. Complaints come in through TOPdesk as incidents and, if they require a more formal process, a template for this can also be selected in Change Management. In this way you will always have an overview of which complaints are being processed and what has or has not already been taken care of. The complaint report is compiled digitally in TOPdesk. Those responsible go through any outstanding improvements and process them in TOPdesk, explains de Graaff, while new improvements are created in TOPdesk directly. During an internal audit at the youth probation unit, for example, it became apparent that the procedures that should be followed when the

safety of the youth was threatened were not clearly defined. In TOPdesk we were able to register the source of the ambiguity, as well as why a procedure should be introduced and who is responsible for seeing to it. As a result I have a good overview of any outstanding activities and can get my reports in order faster. I can see which RDUs see to improvements quickly, as well as when certain activities are unnecessarily left waiting to be done. I can also see whether the problem has actually been solved, because we first have to enter a goal, and later confirm whether it has been achieved. So does the new procedure really offer the clarity that the employees want? Tough problems also come to the forefront, because they remain open for a longer period of time, or reoccur. An added advantage is that TOPdesk facilitates communication between RDUs about improvements. For example, when the youth protection MT decides that something should be changed as a result of a suggestion, the IT department is issued with an activity through the system, and youth protection can monitor whether it has been carried out according to expectations.

Yokogawa Securing a grip on the improvement process


Jeroen Buurman works in the Quality, Health, Safety and Environment department (QHSE) at Yokogawa Europe B.V., an international enterprise that focuses on industrial automation and control. In Yokogawas line of business, safety is a key issue. Customers have high expectations, and that demands compliance with certain standards, such as the ISO9001. It is therefore imperative to properly record and follow up possible areas for improvement. Take customer complaints, findings from audits, or health and safety actions for example; these could all indicate ways to improve safety on the work floor.

20

We are a growing, worldwide organization, and we want to better support the improvement process, explains Jeroen. At the moment we work with Excel lists and various databases; there is no central registration. For Europe and Africa, we are going to begin processing all improvements in TOPdesk. For this we will use the Change Management module, within which we can assign different operators to the various activities within each improvement. An ongoing area of improvement, for example, is ensuring that all our electrical equipment conforms to the NEN3140, a standard for working safely with electricity. Nowadays, issues are normally resolved, but because there is not enough insight into what has happened, you can not always be certain that the problem will not reoccur. Careful and central registration in TOPdesk allows improvements to penetrate all levels of the organization, and therefore ensures that we all benefit as much as possible from improvements that have been made. We also want to go further with our reports: which factors are impeding improvements? We keep track of, for instance, whether an improvement can be traced back to a specific process or production line.

WE ANTICIPATE THAT WE WILL EARN BACK MUCH MORE THAN OUR INVESTMENT
Jeroen Buurman, Yokogawa Europe B.V.

Even just the fact that we are now working so intensively on this has brought a lot of attention and, more importantly, support from the management. The commitment from employees to improve the quality of our processes and products is also considerable. It will take time and training to implement TOPdesk throughout the whole company, but we anticipate that we will earn back much more than our investment.
i

ISO 9000:2005, Quality management systems -Fundamentals and vocabulary.

21

Merging Councils?
Decide early to collaborate in one tool
Voluntary or forced, many district councils are beginning to work together intensively or even merge, which can be a long and challenging process. A service management tool like TOPdesk can support the work of local authorities before, during and after a fusion.
TEXT: TIMME HOS

Many local authorities are, or will soon be part of a fusion or collaboration project. Last October, for example, three London councils announced plans to share services to avoid cuts to frontline services, and maximize buying power in the IT marketplace. An effort to work together by two or more councils is often voluntary, but sometimes fusions are forced. As a result, not everyone involved has the same positive experience of collaboration. It costs councils a lot of time and energy to bring multiple processes and organizational cultures into harmony with each other. Therefore it is important to keep an overview of which person from which organization and which department is responsible for what. A lack of transparency is not uncommon.

Deciding earlier makes things easier


To ensure that a fusion or collaboration goes smoothly, you have to choose a good service management tool in an early stage of the fusion. It is not enough to say: First lets wait for the fusion, and then well have renewed energy to set up our services. Unfortunately, a software package does not make agreements for you. A good service management tool can, however, help you monitor the progress of those agreements, delegate work and pinpoint problems at an early stage. The tool then acts as a foothold for changing (government) organizations. TOPdesk can provide invaluable support for merging councils, with both software and consultancy. Before, during and after the merging process, TOPdesk helps organizations to establish plans and collaborate. Below, you can read a few reasons why (merging) councils use TOPdesk.

22

Why (merging) councils use TOPdesk


70% of councils in the Netherlands already use TOPdesk
In the Netherlands, the majority of city councils already use TOPdesk to support their services. TOPdesk is not only used to provide internal support, for example within the IT and facilities department, but also to support citizens. Local authorities already have a broad knowledge of TOPdesk, and how to get the most out of it. During a merger there is a significant chance that the other council employees are already experienced with TOPdesk. Councils who already use TOPdesk can therefore get straight to work. They are also able to help councils who arent yet experienced with TOPdesk, making it much easier to get off to a flying start.

Make and monitor agreements with ease


Modules such as Project Management and Change Management help councils to coordinate changes within the organization. Creating a schedule is easy; you can even include authorization points if desired. Throughout the entire process you can follow the progress of the project. Setting and monitoring agreements with suppliers and customers is also made simple with the Contract Management and SLM module.

Consultants who are experienced with councils and mergers


During a merger, you often see varying organizational cultures and working methods that do not always fit in with each other. As a result, a merger can cause quite some unrest. Consultants at TOPdesk have a lot of experience with both councils and mergers involving several different parts of an organization. They know what factors make collaboration successful and exactly how councils can make clever use of all the possibilities that TOPdesk offers.

TOPdesk is the ideal tool for collaboration


In TOPdesk, various departments such as IT, Facilities and HR can manage their processes universally. This means that different departments can easily work together on one project; for example during a relocation or when hiring a new employee. This also applies to projects such as the amalgamation of supporting departments. Because TOPdesk is fully web-based, people in different locations can work together with ease. The extensive filter system in TOPdesk means that various branches or departments can use one database without getting in the way of each other, and that everyone has insight into the organizations plans. It is also easy to allocate tasks and all employees and teams involved in a project get their own workflow.

TOPdesk as a virtual town hall


Councils can implement TOPdesk as an online knowledge and information resource for citizens. This enables employees to process registrations and complaints from citizens or businesses methodically. And, with the Self Service Desk, you give citizens the opportunity to register calls themselves and the ability to check their status at any given point in time.

TOPdesk saves money


One of the priorities for councils is to keep costs low, especially in the current economic environment. Not only will TOPdesks excellent value for money help you save costs, but because different departments or branches use the same application, you save a lot in acquisition and maintenance costs. Furthermore, you can work with an unlimited number of users in TOPdesk without having to pay more.

23

Department in focus
TEXT: ELSBETH HAMBERG

Planning and Change Management


Perhaps you have already noticed that, at some point, changes have been linked to your customer card on the Extranet that you have not made yourself, and that also have nothing to do with bespoke work. This is because Planning has started using the Change Management module to support its processes.
The Planning department
Many of you will have had something to do with Planning at some point. Everything that is sold through the Sales department from a completely new TOPdesk to a reimplementation or an extra module comes through the Planning department. But we also process the confirmation of courses, training days, or consultancy days, which you can create yourself via the Extranet or the website. Plannings primary task is to match customers with consultants. This can be a one-day consultancy, or a process lasting several years. The customer has specific wishes and expectations, and we try to select the right consultants, who have a broad range of knowledge and experience, for each job. Even if consultancy is not needed, we are still kept busy. Take the distribution of licences and manuals, for example, or the scheduling of training, answering or processing queries from customers and colleagues, and, of course, dealing with administration so that customers are billed for what they have purchased.

ELSBETH HAMBERG
has been working in the Planning department since 2007. For the past year, she has been using TOPdesk to support the planning departments workload.

24 DEPARTMENT IN FOCUS

Getting rid of the paper checklist!


Until 2008 we completed a new paper checklist for every sale we made. On it was laid out, step by step, what had to be done. If an order confirmation came in through reception, we had to look up exactly what kind of order it was, and find the corresponding checklist. It got to the point where we knew that there had to be a more efficient and, above all, less wasteful way to do things. We also wanted to work more with TOPdesk, so we chose to hire in two consultants to evaluate which module could be of help and how we should set it up. It was then that we chose to start working with the Change Management module, because it offers templates these could then replace the paper checklists. Together with the consultants, we installed the module within a matter of days, and paired our work processes with the possibilities within TOPdesk. Because our Bespoke Work department also works with Change Management, we had to make agreements about things like status, categorization and emails via the Event Management module. During the implementation, I often heard from the consultants: Youre just like a real customer.

result of scheduling activities, so it was already completed prior to the start of the consultancy process. Recently, however, we have added an activity to keep track of the progress of the activities the so-called follow-up activity the end date of which is the final date of the consultancy process. This ensures that the change remains open until all parts of the tender have been carried out, enabling us to keep an overview of exactly what has been done.

department, we have been the biggest beta-tester of the new version, which has been a very interesting and educational process. The new Change Management module offers many advantages. Because there are now activity templates, which can be linked to several change templates at once and are also optional, we do not have to maintain as many change templates. And you can already specify an operator for each activity when carrying through a change request based on a template. Both the checklists and the completion status have made the overviews clearer, and we can easily adjust the end date of the activities as soon as we know when they need to be completed by.

Change Management 4.3


As most of you know, the new version of TOPdesk the 4.3 has now been released. In this version, the Change Management module has been completely redesigned and improved. Here at the Planning

The entire process in Change Management


Since February 2008, the Planning department has been an official TOPdesk-user. For every order confirmation a change is created, based on a template, with a number of activities. At first a change came about purely as the

In change management, both the process itself, and the follow up are kept in check

DEPARTMENT IN FOCUS 25

The planning department has started using Change Management to replace paper checklists

For Example
How does this work in practice? A new customer signs an order confirmation for the purchase of TOPdesk and sends it back to us. Reception processes the agreement and a request for change is created. This ends up at planning, together with the hardcopy of the order confirmation. On the basis of what is stated in the tender, the change request is escalated to an extensive change in process using a template. Using this template, the change is assigned five activities: Customer contact: here, we contact the customer to schedule the implementation. Administration: we process everything that is discussed with the customer, and confirm the details with both the customer and the consultant. It is always clear when the activities can begin. Licences: We create licences and prepare a package containing manuals, which the consultant can take to the customer; Billing: We write up everything we have used for billing purposes. Follow-up: At the end of the process, we check to see whether everything has been done. With larger projects, we email the CRM department department, informing them that the process is complete and that they can send an evaluation to the customer, if desired.

Better Collaboration
Since the new Change Management was introduced, we have been working more intensively with other departments, such as Bespoke Work. When a request for bespoke work comes in, we now use just one change, with various activities for the various departments, so that we can clearly see the status of everything. The

Bespoke Work department can see if the order confirmation has come in by checking the status we have put in the request for change; and we, in turn, can see when the bespoke work has been completed by whether the activity has been closed and whether Planning has given the go ahead for the billing activity to take place.

26 DEPARTMENT IN FOCUS

++ All information in

++ Interesting to work with

++ Less paper, therefore a

The Advantages:
one place, thus more transparent. Also useful for different departments, such as Sales and Support. your own application, that way you know what youre talking about and can give Development feedback. smaller archive.
++ Better overview of the

Expansion
We have now been working with TOPdesk for almost three years and we are becoming ever more enthusiastic about it. We are not only expanding our working methods with Change Management, but are also working with more and more of the available modules. We have recently implemented

Visitor Registration and Incident Management, and set up a mail import. And who knows what the future will bring, maybe even a Planning module?

workload and easier to assign work.


++ Working together with

other departments in one change.

DEPARTMENT IN FOCUS 27

Work smarter 14 TIPS FOR THE SAFE AND SECURE USE OF TOPDESK
TEXT: PATRICK MACKAAIJ

PATRICK MACKAAIJ
is a consultant and team manager at TOPdesk. He specializes in technical issues and optimalizing processes.

To be able to work regardless of time and location, individuals often have access to information systems away from their workplace, usually via the internet. They often use the same login details for all these websites and applications, which can lead to unsecured situations. In this article, youll learn about how you can secure your information with passwords and the TOPdesk login mechanism, and protect confidential data with helpful settings.

GOOD PASSWORD, SECURE DATA


To log in to a website or application, you use a login name and password. In practice, others can often easily guess or retrieve your login name, simply because you use the same one everywhere, or because its your email address. That means that your password is the only way to prevent someone else from logging in to your account. Here are some tips for making your password as secure as possible.

Do not choose an obvious password


Obvious passwords such as the login name, password and 1234 can be retrieved far too easily. The same goes for names of your family members or pets, as this type of information can be accessed through online dictionaries or social networking sites. To retrieve a password, others can easily try out all these phrases; often this process is even automated.

28 WORK SMARTER

Use a variety of characters to create your password


The best password is a password of around 10 characters. These 10 characters should contain upper and lower case letters, numbers and special characters, such as an exclamation mark. In theory, a computer could also guess such a password by trying all available combinations, but with a combination of 10 characters it could take a number of years.

Automatic & secured login in TOPdesk


TOPdesk supports several login methods. Besides a TOPdesk authentication, you can also integrate TOPdesk with your networks authentication. You can then log in either manually or automatically each time. Depending on your wishes and the possibilities of the network, this decision is made during the installation of TOPdesk.

Use a different password for each website


Creating and remembering a complex password is, unfortunately, still not enough. Many websites save passwords in a readable format. Employees of the website or hackers who gain access to the system can then get hold of your password. If you use this password (and this login name) on another system, the details can then be used to log in there. For this reason it is sensible to use a different (complex) password for every website.

Change the administrator login details after the installation


When TOPdesk is first installed, the password for the administrator account is the same as the username, for example admin. Users of TOPdesk are advised to change both the login name and password, particularly if the TOPdesk server is accessible via the internet.

Use a password manager


Because its difficult to remember all those passwords, you might like to use a password manager. Password managers such as Roboform and LastPass are useful tools for generating and remembering complex passwords. Roboform even has a handy toolbar, which logs you in to a website automatically as soon as you type the first few letters of the website. You can read more about Roboform on http://bit.ly/password-manager.

TOPdesk authentication: Use the same login name for the network and for TOPdesk.
When using TOPdesk authentication, TOPdesk encrypts the passwords for the Self Service Desk and the operator section before saving them in the database on the Person or User card respectively. But the login names of colleagues will usually have already been administered on the network. For this reason, its useful to make the login name on the TOPdesk Person or User card the same as the login name on the network and the domain or server name of the network. When logging in, TOPdesk verifies the combination of the login name and password with the network, so that you will always need to login to TOPdesk with the newest password.

In order to delay someone who is trying to guess a password, from version 4.3, TOPdesk blocks a login name for 5 minutes after 100 login attempts (intruder-lockout).

WORK SMARTER 29

Creating multiple login names in one go? Use the login generator.
Many of our customers import the TOPdesk login name, together with remaining personal details, directly from Microsoft Active Directory, or Novell eDirectory. However, they also have the option to set the login name manually on the Person card. TOPdesk even offers a useful Login generator to generate login names for multiple Persons cards and, for the purpose of TOPdesk authentication, you can also generate passwords this way. You can find the login generator via the overview page: Supporting files > Total overview Persons.

Tick Remember my password when logging in


Logging in automatically can also be done by ticking the option Remember my password when you login. TOPdesk then saves the necessary details locally in an encrypted cookie, which are stored until the user logs out.

Log in automatically via network data


TOPdesk can also retrieve the login name of the user on a Windows workstation and log in, without checking the password. For the safest way to login automatically you need NTLMv1. Additionally, you need to add the TOPdesk server to the Local Intranet zone, or to Trusted Websites (Internet Explorer) or the safe list (Firefox).

Do you use network authentication? Then disable TOPdesk authentication.


If you choose to use a network authentication, then you are advised to disable the TOPdesk authentication. If you dont, you can then log in with two passwords: the network password, which, if all is well, you change on a regular basis, and the TOPdesk password, which you will probably forget.

30 WORK SMARTER

Further protecting your data in TOPdesk


Where necessary, you can protect your data even further in TOPdesk.

Use SSL for a secure connection


Depending on the level of confidentiality of the data that you process in TOPdesk, you can choose to encrypt the data that you send between the TOPdesk server and the workstation via an SSL. You can enable this in System settings > Technical settings.

Make documents available to a limited group


If several parts of the company are collaborating with each other in one TOPdesk database, you can link documents to the Knowledge Base. In contrast to uploading, you can save those documents that not everyone is allowed to see or change in a place on the network where such rights are limited.

Shield confidential data


By using filters, several parts of the company can use one TOPdesk environment together without being able to see each others data. In the case of confidential HR data, our customers often choose, due to the shared administrator login, to use a separate TOPdesk database.

Clean up visitor data regularly


In accordance with the Data Protection Act in the Netherlands (WBP), TOPdesk can choose to delete the data of visitors from the Visitor Registration module within six months. You can find more information about the settings in TOPdesk in the management manual. Alternatively, you can discuss your wishes and requirements with a TOPdesk consultant. You can find more information about the settings in the TOPdesk Management Manual. Or talk with a TOPdesk consultant about your wishes and requirements. WORK SMARTER 31

tips + tricks
Display URL on Extra Tab
From TOPdesk 4.3, you can publish an HTTP Request that has been created in the Action Explorer as an extra tab on the corresponding card. TOPdesks Support department often receives tips from customers concerning useful applications, which we will now share with you: Relevant Knowledge Items on Incident Cards To encourage service desk employees to use the TOPdesk knowledge base more often, a customer has created an HTTP Request that can be displayed directly on an extra Relevant Knowledge Items tab. This HTTP Request looks at the category and Object ID of the incident and searches for corresponding items in the Knowledge Base. In this way, the service desk can consult the Knowledge Base quickly before saving an incident, and that saves time. Suppliers Location via Google Maps Another customer has created an HTTP Request that uses Google Maps to display the location of a supplier on an extra tab of the Supplier card. Process Descriptions One of the Account Managers at TOPdesk has published process descriptions on extra tabs in his demonstration environment. In this case, they are ISM process descriptions, published on Mavim. By using this, service desk employees can easily search for procedures. If you would like to know how to install these HTTP requests, please contact our Support department.

Scheduling Reports
In TOPdesk Enterprise, from version 4.3, you can schedule reports. You can use this to save copies of a PDF or Excel file at regular intervals, so that you can look at the report when it suits you. You can also email the saved file to operators, operator groups or Self Service Desk users. How does it work? You can schedule a report from within the report itself. Once you have executed and saved a report, you will find the option Schedule at the bottom of the screen. You use this to create a new card and schedule the report. Please note that you must first be authorized to schedule reports. Scheduled report On the Scheduled Report card you then enter a few details of the report. For example, you can determine whether you would like to display the report in PDF or Excel format, when the file should be created, and whether you would like to save the file or send it by email. You can then find the saved or sent reports on subsequent tabs. Overview of scheduled reports Via the menu option Reports > Scheduled Reports you can see an overview of all scheduled reports.

TOPdesk UK limited t +44 (0)20 7803 4200 e info@topdesk.co.uk w www.topdesk.co.uk TOPdesk Germany GmbH t +49 (0)631 624 00 0 e info@topdesk.de w www.topdesk.de

TOPdesk Belgium t +32 (0)3 292 32 90 e info@topdesk.be w www.topdesk.be TOPdesk Netherlands t +31 (0)15 270 09 00 e info@topdesk.nl w www.topdesk.nl

TOPdesk France t +33 1 4222 2314 e info.topdesk.fr w www.topdesk.fr TOPdesk Hungary t +36 1 301 0190 e info@topdesk.hu w www.topdesk.hu

Copyright 2011 TOPdesk UK limited. Although this magazine has been produced with the utmost care and attention, the writers cannot be held responsible in any way for any damages that may occur due to errors and / or deficiencies in this publication.

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