TOPDESK MAGAZINE - MARCH 2015 11

Annemarie Wolfrat
... is a service management consultant and project manager for
TOPdesk. She is specialized in Shared Service Management and
advises organizations on how to improve their services.

CHOOSE YOUR
PATH TOWARDS
PROFESSIONAL
SERVICES
Lessons learned en route to Shared Service Management
How frustrating is it to have five different questions and having to choose
from five different service desks? Yet this is the kind of service structure
many organizations use today. More and more organizations are taking
steps towards improved services. Benefit from their experiences and
choose your path towards improved customer satisfaction.

As a consultant, virtually every day I visit organizations that want

tool and using the same processes. This can be difficult, but it is always

to provide better customer support through having departments

fun and challenging, and the reward is considerable. Realizing more

collaborate more closely. I often hear that employees have trouble

intensive collaboration is the first step towards more professional

working together with colleagues from other departments because it

services. This is not only good for the customer: it benefits your

almost feels like theyre speaking different languages. This is exactly

employees as well. In this article I use several examples to show you

the kind of problem I can help customers with. I am specialized in

how our customers navigated the path to more intensive collaboration

projects where different departments start collaborating in the same

and the benefits they enjoyed.

12 TOPDESK MAGAZINE - MARCH 2015

Trends in service improvement

From the turn of the century onwards, we have seen organizations
wanting more and more to simplify the information stream towards
the customer. The reason for this is to make things less chaotic for
customers. The Shared Service Management trend will not be going
away, because it increases customer satisfaction but also significantly
reduces costs.
The Shared Service Management model (Figure 1) explains the
growth phases we have observed in the market, along with the
results of said phases. Most organizations start where the two
axes intersect: phase 0, nothing shared. In this phase, each of the
organizations departments has its own processes and procedures.
They hardly work together and there is a strict division of tasks. The
first step organizations take towards Shared Service Management
is a shared tool. Organizations that use a shared tool already work
in a single package but still have different ways for the customer to
approach them as well as their own processes and procedures. This
step does provide significant savings, because it reduces the number
of applications used. However, customer satisfaction really starts
improving in the next step: shared service desk. In this phase, a shared
service desk is set up, featuring all of your organizations supporting
departments. This creates a single point of contact for customers
to request all services. Once all departments start using the same
processes and procedures, the organization is in phase 3: shared

From phase 0 to phase 1

The ease of working in a single tool

process. It is in this phase that the maximum customer satisfaction

and cost efficiency is achieved.

A health care institution, where I provided intensive supervision for

a year, started in phase 0. Nothing was shared, but they had a strong
wish to collaborate more closely in TOPdesk. This organizations
supporting departments hardly knew each other, despite working
in the same building. Each department had their own solution for
registering customer questions. During the kick-off for the project,

Phase 3
Shared
process

Quality of service

Phase 2
Shared
service desk
Phase 1
Shared
tool

which focused on bringing together the various departments in

TOPdesk, it became clear that both the management and they wanted
to work together in a single tool. Before the various departments
started collaborating in TOPdesk, the departments often had to spend
days waiting for each other. This was because everything was done
via email, which was not checked every day. Now the IT employees
spend all day in TOPdesk and the technical services employees check
for malfunctions every two hours. It has become easier to pass on
tasks, and the communication lines have shortened because everyone
involved is working in the same tool. Moreover, the money saved was
an important motive for management.
Now all calls are registered in TOPdesk, the amount of work

Phase 0
Nothing
shared

actually done is much clearer. In just a years time, the number of

registered calls increased by 50 per cent compared to when they
started working in a single tool. This showed and proved that there
were capacity problems, and the capacity schedule was adjusted as

Cost efficiency

Figure 1: TOPdesks SSM growth model

a result. In addition, the customer service improved through better

TOPDESK MAGAZINE - MARCH 2015 13

From phase 1 to phase 2

One service, one desk
In 2014, TOPdesk performed a customer satisfaction survey for a
government body to grant insight into customers experiences. The
survey was timed carefully: it took place during the run-up to the
launch of a shared service desk. This was the benchmark. Several
interesting conclusions could be drawn from the research. One of the
things measured was the customer effort score: the effort required
of a customer to get an answer or solution. Most of the respondents
indicated that some to a considerable amount of effort was required to
find a solution. Setting up a clear products and services catalogue and a
straightforward self-service desk made it possible to greatly improve the
customer satisfaction. It was clear for customers in this new situation
where they could take their problems and questions.
Offering the customer a single point of contact is an important next
step towards the shared service desk. Collaborating in one service
management tool like TOPdesk also lets your organizations supporting
departments share a portal. After all, nothing annoys a customer more
than not knowing where to go for a specific service.
In the Shared Service Management model we see that taking the first
step (shared tool) can already result in considerable savings. However,
follow-ups and automatic updates via email. Registered tasks and

in Figure 1 we see that the step towards higher customer satisfaction

the accompanying responses are now visible to all operators and

is limited in this phase. In phase 2 (shared service desk), where we see

process managers. Management can step in when necessary.

that the various supporting departments are presented as one to the

When you want to grow from phase 0 (nothing shared) to

customer, the real step forwards in terms of customer satisfaction

phase 1 (shared tool), the main challenge is to get to know and

is made. Your service desk has representatives from all supporting

trust one another. If there is no trust, you cannot collaborate. It

departments. One of the instruments TOPdesk provides for this is the

is advisable that the project members often meet to discuss and

Self Service Desk with a clear products and services catalogue. This is

address the growing pains during this phase. Weekly meetings

where your customers turn for all their questions, problems and wishes.

make sure everyone gets to know one another and enables them

Big buttons lead them to specific forms where they answer concrete

to explain to their colleagues what the group is working on. During

questions about their wishes or problems. This gets rid of paper forms

the implementation, the project leaders act as key users for their

for good. At the back end, you use the shared service desk to make sure

department. Not only to answer questions about the tool, but to

that the malfunction or request ends up at the right department. This

relay feedback to the key user meetings in order to implement

saves your customer from the confusion of finding their way within the

further improvements. Once the project is complete, it is important

organization to find the solution they need. This professionalization

to keep up the monthly key user meeting so that you can continue

means the customer is helped more effectively and in a more customer-

going through the desired changes together.

friendly way, which in turn is an incentive for your customers to continue

using the Self Service Desk instead of picking up the phone.

Work on good representation and have

key users act as the bridge between
their department and the project group

Serve your customers with a single

products and services catalogue for
all your services

14 TOPDESK MAGAZINE - MARCH 2015

Unity in service provision

Regardless of the time and phase your organization starts in, no two organizations
take the same path to Shared Service Management. However, there is one way in
which practically all organizations are identical: the wish to reach maximum customer
satisfaction at the lowest possible cost.
Its impossible to predict the obstacles you will face on your way to Shared Service
Management. It is important to set realistic goals for your departments and
colleagues. Nothing is more demotivating than not achieving a goal, while few things
are as motivating as celebrating success. Taking many small steps results in a big
improvement in your customer services.

From phase 2 to phase 3

One tool, one face, one procedure
When you are in phase 2 (shared service desk), your

monitor the same KPIs across several departments.

customers no longer notice that their questions and

Reports can only be truly compared when both the

malfunctions are processed by different departments.

processes and procedures can easily be followed by

However, this is still the case. Wherever people

all parties. In such situations, the process owners and

collaborate, procedures and cultures develop that

managers and I take a critical look at the processes

can differ between departments, or even between

and work to create a widely supported process. Both

groups within departments. For instance, when the IT

the key user input and the reports support the process

department picks up a call they may often send updates

managers in the further professionalization of the

via email, while the HR department may only email

processes. Here its crucial not to spend too long at the

the final answer. This makes it difficult to manage your

drawing board, but to make a decision after thorough

customers expectations, despite this being a crucial

discussion and then try it out for a certain period

factor in how they experience your services.

six months, for example. After this period, the process

Starting to use the same processes and procedures

is quite the challenge. It requires concessions from

can be further adjusted if necessary, so that it better

suits the desired service level.

all departments involved. Sufficient support must

be created within the organization to realize phase
3 (shared process). Almost every organization I have
visited as a consultant wanted to improve their call or
maintenance processes, as well as make them more
uniform. To make services more predictable, and to

Dont be afraid to try

something; you can
always improve it later