December 2016, issue 4, volume 18

The future of facility

management

In this issue:
Paul Iske on absolute power for the customer
From reactive to proactive maintenance in six steps
Ten tips to optimize your service desk

EDITORIAL

Customer is king
Delivering good service. To some it comes naturally, to others
not so much. When you go out to dinner in Europe, it can
happen that they make you wait a long time for your food.
Or that the waiter cant even crack a friendly smile. In the US
its quite a different story. Here the customer is king. Whether
you order a hamburger at a diner, or go to a fancy three-star
restaurant: youre waited on hand and foot.
Its also great if things go smoothly at work. When your
morning cup of coffee is waiting for you when you walk
through the door. When your department is clean and tidy. And
when you can enjoy a nice healthy lunch. These are all things
that facility management takes care of.
In this magazine you can read more about the theme of
facility management. Our CEO Wolter Smit talks about chain
transparency, which enables excellent service delivery to your
end users. Discover why its outdated to put your customer first,
and read tips that help you improve your service desk.
Enjoy your read!
Nicola van de Velde & Acacia Kooij

Nico Nuijens on the importance of bridging the knowledge gap

06

CONTENTS December '16

A PROACTIVE MAINTENANCE STRATEGY
PAVES THE WAY FOR BETTER SERVICE
DELIVERY
Elisette Daams
Consultant, TOPdesk

Read more on page 14

18

04

NEWS

06

THE FUTURE OF FACILITY MANAGEMENT

11

THE TOPDESK API

12

RES ONE SERVICE STORE

14

FROM REACTIVE TO PROACTIVE

MAINTENANCE IN 6 STEPS

17

COLUMN

Services in motion

18

TEN TIPS TO OPTIMIZE YOUR SERVICE DESK

21

ABSOLUTE POWER TO THE CUSTOMER?

24

IS YOUR TOPDESK UP-TO-DATE?

28

TIPS + TRICKS

Seamless integration and smooth updates

Paul Iske on the paradigm shift in customer

centralization

Paul Iske on the paradigm shift in customer centralization

21
ON THE COVER:
In this magazine, several experts share
their vision on the future of facility
management.

4 TOPDESK MAGAZINE - DECEMBER 2016

Stay up-to-date
To stay up-to-date with the latest
TOPdesk news and service

TOPdesk opens office in Norway

management developments,
follow us via these channels.

In October a new TOPdesk office opened in Norway. With this addition, we now have offices in
10 countries, making us more international than ever.

TOPdesk Newsletter

Allan Spelmann will work together closely with our Danish branch to expand our activities in

@TOPdesk @TOPdesk _UK

the region. The new office is located in Oslo. Its starting out small, but we at TOPdesk have high

facebook.com/TOPdesk

hopes for its growth in the future.

linkedin.com/company/topdesk
community.topdesk.com

For customers and other interested parties, the new Norwegian page of our website is now live
at www.topdesk.no.

@TOPdesk
TOPdesk
Congratulations to Stephanie
Norton on winning the BB-8 on the
first day of #SMFusion

Results are in TEI study by Forrester

Consulting
Forrester Consulting researched the impact of our software for several companies who started
working with TOPdesk in a Total Economic Impact study. The results? Our customers can
reduce call volume by up to 50% and increase service desk process efficiency by up to 35%.
End users become much more self-reliant thanks to TOPdesks self-service portal.
With TOPdesk, service desks can improve their services while at the same time alleviating
workload for operators.
For more information or to download the whole study, visit page.topdesk.com/tei.

TOPdesk UK
Time for a bit of fresh air #ontour

Consultation hours
Did you know that TOPdesk UK regularly holds consultation hours for customers? If you have
a maintenance contract with us, we can offer you a free one-hour session with one of our
consultants, to help you get the most out of TOPdesk. Interested? Check our event calendar
at resources.topdesk.com/en/events to sign up and see upcoming sessions.

NEWS

Calendar
DE

23
FEB

IT&MEDIA FUTURE CONGRESS 2017

Frankfurt

TOPdesk on Tour 2016

On 27 October we held this years TOPdesk on Tour event at Etihad stadium in Manchester.
This year, the topic of conversation was managing networks to connect seamlessly with the
world around you. There were some interesting presentations, some of them were of course
about TOPdesk itself and what to expect from us in the future, others discussed best practices

20
MAR

21
MAR

22
MAR

23
MAR

27
JAN

28
JAN

24
MAR

CeBIT
Hannover

25
JAN

26
JAN

BETT Show
Excel London

UK

and new ideas. If youd like to find out more and have a look at the presentations, visit the
afterpage at www.topdesk.co.uk/campaigns/topdeskontour.

Give your TOPdesk a festive look and feel

To celebrate this years holiday season, TOPdesk has developed a wintery design to give your selfservice portal and general login page a festive make-over.

MAR

MAR

10
MAR

UCISA Conference
Newport

28
MAR

29
MAR

SDI Conference
Birmingham

30
MAR

You can download the look and feel for free via TOPdesk extranet. If you have any questions or
need help installing the design, please contact TOPdesk support at +44 (0)20 7503 4210 or via
support@topdesk.com.

6 TOPDESK MAGAZINE - DECEMBER 2016

TOPDESK MAGAZINE - DECEMBER 2016 7

The future of facility

management
Brain drain threatens our role as
conversation partner
When it comes to the future of FM, connection is the keyword. At least
according to Nico Nuijens, head of facilities at the Prinsenstichting:
a healthcare foundation in the Netherlands. People outside our
organization are developing specialized FM knowledge and theyre doing
it fast. Within our organization were receiving more and more specialist
questions. Its our task to bridge this gap.
Text: Leo Kranenburg Photography: Aad Hogendoorn

Prinsenstichting is a medium-sized organization that

every single time. And then see how you can offer the best

supports people with a mental or physical disability. These

solution to meet their demands.

people either live at home, live on their own, or live at the

Prinsenstichting. They can also turn to the foundation for
weekend and holiday stay, short stay or crisis intervention.

Keeping knowledge in-house

The foundation offers room for working, learning, and

This brings Nuijens to the topic of facility management

daytime or leisure activities. This makes for an extremely

trends. Organizations used to have all their services

diverse place to work, and head of facilities Nico Nuijens

in-house, but nowadays these are often outsourced.

wouldnt want it any other way. Its the variety that

As a result, specialist knowledge is moved outside the

makes the work challenging. We offer personalized care,

organization. And then you have to call in the help of

our forty-five facilities are extremely varied, and so are

suppliers that want to make your organization compatible

my tasks. For instance, today I might discuss property

to their solution, rather than the other way around.

development, and tomorrow chair lifts.

Instead you should always put the customers wishes first

Even though the tasks are diverse, customer questions

are clearly the leitmotif of Nuijens work and vision. Facility

and find a suitable solution.

Nuijens emphasizes that he isnt against outsourcing.

management should always be about figuring out the

Outsourcing in itself is something you cant do without

customers question and answering it to the best of your

nowadays. But youve got to make sure that you know

abilities. What are the wishes within the organization, and

what youre handing over to others. Cleaning or security

how do you link these to the possibilities society offers?

are easily contracted. The same goes for food. But its also

In practice this means that we dont simply copy the

a good idea to keep some of this knowledge in-house. Even

interior of one building, because its not the right solution

if the sole reason is to stay up-to-date on the latest rules

for the other buildings whose occupants have different

and regulations, and to remain a good discussion partner

needs. You have to reassess what your customers need

for your supplier.

8 TOPDESK MAGAZINE - DECEMBER 2016

TEACHERS OFTEN DONT

HAVE THE KNOWLEDGE
ABOUT CURRENT THEMES

Integrate your outsourcing

Don't forget your users

A recent trend is the integration of outsourcing. Now weve reaped

One of the developments that Nuijens foresees in terms of

most of the benefits of outsourcing individual services, people are

sustainability, is the further digitization of services. "Thanks to the

starting to look into the possibility of moving different services under

use of big data and sensors, our buildings are becoming more and

one external umbrella. Nuijens doesnt see much future in this trend.

more high tech. This offers many new sustainability opportunities,

I occasionally compare this to the traditional baker and butcher shops.

which we're happy to take onboard." However, Nuijens notes that

Their business suffered terribly thanks to the rise of the supermarket.

organizations shouldn't blindly trust these measuring instruments.

But nowadays youll notice artisan shops popping up all over the place.

"You run the risk of distancing yourself from the customer. Talking to

The same is happening in the service sector, and weve noticed that

your users and asking them how things are going is important, and

large parties have already parted with the idea. And it makes sense:

will be much more important than using a questionnaire to ask them

customers are becoming more demanding and critical of services. To

whether they're happy with the opening hours."

meet these demands you need to return to your core business.

Nevertheless, Nuijens believes that outsourcing still offers many
opportunities. Theres not much left to be gained from outsourcing

Transition from theory to practice

entire product groups, like cleaning or catering. But when it concerns

According to Nuijens, staying future-proof requires a turnaround in

specific tasks, theres still some wiggle room.

education. "The transition from theory to practice is proving to be

a challenge. Teachers don't have sufficient knowledge of popular

Making up lost ground

themes like sustainability or rules and regulations. What we need is to

integrate current developments and lessons we want to share with our

When it comes to sustainability, Nuijens realizes that the healthcare

future employees. If not, this generation of students will graduate in

industry has some serious catching up to do. Compared to the

two years time with the know-how of four years ago."

business world, sustainability at health care institutions is still at an

early stage. This needs to change. Its often the larger companies that
have a serious CO2 footprint. Thanks to the Energy Efficiency Directive,

Facility management as connecting factor

which is currently a hot topic in the facility management field, the

Nuijens still looks to the future with confidence. "Facility management

government is slowly starting to pull its weight. Nuijens is also

is the binding factor between internal and external, between the

pleased that healthcare institutions are finding more ways to include

organization and the market. More and more specialist companies

sustainability in their business goals. And I dont just mean financial

are popping up outside the organization, and we're getting more

goals. Were currently researching the benefits of circular procurement.

specialist questions from within the organization. Now it's up to us to

Were looking into the possibilities of a waste segregation facility,

connect the two in order to meet the customers' wishes. When I look

as this lets us reuse part of our waste and offers our clients a useful

around I can see tons of organizations working on this effectively and

daytime activity."

inspirationally. Healthcare organizations need to start collaborating

more, so we don't have to reinvent the wheel again and again. If we'd
open our doors a bit more, and make our practical knowledge available
to each other, I believe we can make great progress."

TOPDESK MAGAZINE - DECEMBER 2016 9

10
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TOPDESK MAGAZINE - DECEMBER 2016 11

The TOPdesk API

Seamless integration and smooth updates

Smooth integrations that dont need to be tested after every update: the new TOPdesk
API makes this possible. Its free and its easy. Even if you use TOPdesk with APIs from
other apps. Product manager Tom Knippenberg explains why TOPdesk is currently
working on an API, and what you can expect from it in the future.
Text: Luke van Velthoven Photography: Aad Hogendoorn

What is the TOPdesk API?

TOPdesk Marketplace, a kind of business-

The TOPdesk API can be seen as a layer

Which TOPdesk modules are

supported?

around TOPdesk that translates for other

At the moment we support reading out

available from other parties, such as RES. In

apps that want to connect to the TOPdesk

of and writing into Call Management and

addition, you can build your own apps for the

database. This means you can use other

Change Management. The Supporting files

marketplace. Partner integrations will often

applications to do things in TOPdesk, without

module supports reading out and in some

have some additional costs, but of course

the risk of corrupting TOPdesks database

parts also writing. Its also possible to read

its up to you whether you want your own

structure. And if anything changes in

information out of Reservations Management.

solutions to be available free of charge or not.

TOPdesks database, we make sure the API

The case I described about the availability of

is kept up-to-date, so your solution will still

rooms is one example of how this can be used.

work. Your integrations with, or add-ons to,

For Supporting files you may use the TOPdesk

TOPdesk wont break down.

API to create new user profiles.

Weve been using the API within TOPdesk

for some time. For instance, the service portal

to-business app store, integrations will be

How do I add something to the

TOPdesk Marketplace?
If customers want to share solutions they
build, they can submit them to us for review.

retrieves information via APIs. This way, the

Whats next?

SSP can get exactly the right information

We expect to release the new Asset

or add-on to the TOPdesk Marketplace. We

regardless of the configuration of the TOPdesk

Management module in the middle of 2017,

hope to receive many shareable solutions,

database. Of course, our app for end users also

including APIs for both reading and writing.

but lead fees are an option as well. In those

uses the TOPdesk API.

This will add some interesting features such

cases well simply redirect the customer to

as the ability to automatically update assets in

the supplier.

What does the API do?

With the API you can read things out of, or

TOPdesk with tools like RES or Snow Software.

You could also link monitoring software such
as Nagios to stay up-to-date on malfunctions.

write them into, TOPdesk. Heres an example

from facility management: you can make sure

If the code is sound, well add the integration

If Im a new API user, where do

I start?
You can find all the information about the

show whether a room is available or not. The

Will this be available for free to

all customers?

API can get the most recent information from

Yes, within a fair use policy of course.

TOPdesk at any time. Or what about your own

Integrations supplied by other parties who

Want to know more? Head over to

organizations app? You can now integrate it

use the API could cost a little extra. On the

marketplace.topdesk.com for an

that screens outside the doors of each room

seamlessly with TOPdesk.

open TOPdesk APIs at developers.topdesk.com.

overview of all available integrations

and add-ons.

12 TOPDESK MAGAZINE - DECEMBER 2016

RES ONE Service Store

There youll find documentation, a tutorial
for new users and some showcases where
you can see the API in action. Like graphs that
display information taken live from a TOPdesk
environment. Of course well provide the code
of these showcases as an example. If you have
some experience with APIs, you should be
able to get started using the documentation

One of the possibilities offered by the TOPdesk API

is a link with the RES ONE Service Store. Linking this
solution to TOPdesk can reduce the workload for
TOPdesk users within your organization. RES founder
and CTO Bob Janssen and Sales Engineer Dennis Ranty
talk about the benefits of this link.

weve provided.

Whats in store for the future of

the API?

RES is a software company based in the

Afterwards, the call is automatically closed.

Netherlands, where it is market leader

This can be set up for any ITSM process.

in digital workspace technology. With

Janssen adds: The idea is that TOPdesk

Both TOPdesk itself and the API are

RES ONE Suite, which contains RES ONE

spots requests and we find the right

constantly developing. New features will

Workspace and RES ONE Service Store, RES

answers. The TOPdesk API is very easy to

become available and underlying databases

manages, automates and protects the digital

use for us and our customers. On top of

may change as a result. But the API will keep

workspace, without affecting the existing

that, TOPdesk is always willing to work on

performing the necessary translations, which

infrastructure. Janssen: One of our goals

customer requests with us. Because of this,

is something you should always be able to

is that we always want to fit within the

its easy to collaborate. Our own platform

count on as a customer. If we do get new

infrastructure that a customer already has.

is also very open, so customers can work

versions of the API, there will be something

We also want to open up the different IT

on their own with our free connections

called a grace period, during which well host

silos as much as possible by using a single

and benefit from our knowledge base of

both versions of the API. This means that

system: from mobile device management

best practices.

TOPdesk customers and external suppliers

and desktop management to cloud-based

always have plenty of time to build updated

apps. We often come across TOPdesk as part

versions of their integrations.

of our customers infrastructure. Many

New employees

workflows in TOPdesk can be automated by

Another example of a link between

using the free connections that link to the

TOPdesk and the RES ONE Service store

RES ONE Service Store.

is the onboarding process for new

employees. This is different for almost

Simplified licence management

Discover the new TOPdesk API at

api.topdesk.com.

every customer, says Janssen, and

every department. A process like that

If an app cant be installed because there are

can take several weeks, partly because

no licences available, a call can be registered

so many things have to be approved.

automatically. We understand the way

With automation using the RES ONE

TOPdesk processes are structured, explains

Service Store this time can be reduced to

Ranty, for example in call management or

just a few hours. An interesting benefit

change management. Because of this we

of this solution is that customers can

know where to look for things like password

organize connections for different types of

resets. In such cases, a call is registered, and a

employees without having to spend a lot

process called request fulfilment is started.

of time on it.

TOPDESK MAGAZINE - DECEMBER 2016 13

With the connections that are currently

available, RES can communicate with
TOPdesk - to create a new user profile
for instance.In the future we want
to work with TOPdesk to make this
communication go both ways, Janssen
explains. We also want to support asset
management, so that you can use RES to
keep your CMDB up-to-date.

Plans for the future

Over the next few years we want to
expand our position as a global player.
A global player that delivers IT as a
service, whether its cloud-based,
on-premises or a combination of
both, Janssen explains. Ranty: We
meet our customers in various ways.
Weve got a lot of partners who work
on implementations, but we can help
customers ourselves too. What we want
most is for all customers to get help
from the party that knows them best.

Dennis Ranty, Sales Engineer and Bob Janssen, CTO and founder of RES

14 TOPDESK MAGAZINE - DECEMBER 2016

Elisette Daams
is a consultant at TOPdesk. She helps our customers
create, improve and optimize processes.

From reactive to
proactive maintenance
in 6 steps
Facilities managers who are responsible for building maintenance often encounter
difficult situations. There may have been times when you were forced to cut off the
water supply during office hours. Or perhaps, just a year after your windowpanes had
been painted, you found out that they all needed maintenance. By choosing a proactive
strategy for maintenance instead of a reactive one, you can prevent these problems,
reduce costs and improve your services to the people who work in your building. Here
are six simple steps to switch to proactive maintenance.

In many organizations, from large to small,

perform maintenance when something

a reactive strategy is employed for managing

breaks down, this makes your building and

property, machinery and other assets.

assets less safe and less reliable.

Determine what your

vision is
If you want to manage your property well,

This means that actions are taken based

You can prevent these problems by

on complaints and malfunctions as they

switching to a more proactive approach,

what you want property management and

occur. This strategy not only leads to higher

so that maintenance work is done regularly

maintenance to be. If you plan to give up one

cost in the long run, it also has a number

and according to a plan to prevent

of your buildings, you dont need to invest

of disadvantages for people who use the

malfunctions. What you need to get there

any money in it in the next few years. On

building or the assets. After all, if you only

is a good framework.

the other hand, if you want to improve the

the first thing to do is to set goals for

TOPDESK MAGAZINE - DECEMBER 2016 15

A PROACTIVE MAINTENANCE
STRATEGY PAVES THE WAY FOR
BETTER SERVICE DELIVERY

quality of your building, this means you need

you save money. For example, you can

to invest more money. Creating a clear vision

postpone minor paintjobs until after major

for each building makes long-term property

maintenance jobs on windowpanes.

Execute planned activities

When the annual plan is finalized,
youll know what activities you can expect

management much easier, because you know

Try not to put too many details in the long-

what you want for your building in the future.

term plan. If youre planning ten years ahead,

of them will be established beforehand, such

theres always a degree of uncertainty. Trying

as annual emergency equipment checks. If

to predict the details wont make your budget

you dont have an existing agreement, the

better or more accurate. Stick to the big

procedure starts with you asking for quotes

picture and go into detail in your annual plan.

and ends with completion of a job. Its a good

Create an overview of your

property
Your vision outlines what you want your
property to look like in the future. If you want
to achieve your vision, youll first need to
know what state your property is in regarding

idea to safeguard this procedure by working

Decide on actions for the

year ahead

maintenance. Its a good idea to benchmark

Organizations should zoom into their long-

the current state of your property and any

term plan once a year to see which jobs can be

flaws it may have.

finished in that year. The result should be an

annual plan. Some jobs and actions will simply

Create a long-term plan

that year and what the costs will be. Some

follow from existing contracts with suppliers.

according to a predefined workflow. This

helps you compare quotes and record this
information, so you can find easily look into
them later on.

Monitor and direct progress

To make sure a building gets to the

Regular paintjobs are a good example of this.

desired maintenance level, its important to

In a long-term plan, you establish

To avoid having to process these agreements

check its condition regularly. These checks are

what needs to be done to get your property to

manually in your operations list, you can have

usually done once every three to five years.

the state you have in mind as a goal.

them planned automatically. If youre doing

Just like with the long-term plan, you dont

Ideally, investments that come with these

this, its a good idea to have clear agreements

need to go into every little detail. Its more

actions should be spread evenly over several

with your suppliers beforehand. In those

important to focus on the main elements.

years. A good way to spread costs is to make

agreements you can establish a time frame

You can focus on the details when its time to

clusters of similar jobs. This can also help

during which the work has to be done.

carry out the plans.

16 TOPDESK MAGAZINE - DECEMBER 2016

Predictable malfunctions

maintenance can be done on the CT scanner,

Even when youve switched to proactive

so that it never has to be done on busy days.

maintenance, malfunctions are simply a fact

Users can also be notified in advance, so

of life. But you can minimize their frequency.

that they can avoid planning scans during

With proactive maintenance youre better able

maintenance. By switching to proactive

to predict when certain systems, equipment

maintenance, you take a big step towards

and parts have to be replaced. This makes

better and more predictable services and

it easier to manage maintenance costs and

happier customers.

youll have fewer peaks in your workload.

An even bigger advantage is that since you
can plan maintenance activities much better,
they wont come as an unpleasant surprise
to your organization and the people who
use your building. Hospitals can plan when

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COLUMN
Wolter Smit, TOPdesk CEO

Supply chain
transparency

Theres an old and quite silly joke that goes: How many dumb
people does it take to change a light bulb? The answer is four.
One to hold the lamp and three to turn the table.
But how do you feel about the next question: how many
organizations do you need to fix a clogged toilet?
There are several roles in the world of real estate. An owner
owns the building. A space is rented to one or more tenants or
users. The buildings management, like maintenance and solving
malfunctions, is taken care of by the building management
company. And the work that needs to be done to fix this is carried
out by contractors, installers and building companies.
Of course these roles can be combined. There are organizations
that own the building they work in, and they also take care
of maintenance and repairs. They only hire contractors for
larger jobs.
But there are also situations, for instance at larger compounds,

This can mean that it takes three organizations (internal service

where the roles are split up. And this is when something

desk, property manager, and contractor) to solve a problem. Its no

peculiar happens.

surprise that the service doesnt run as smoothly. The more walls
you need to break down, the more miscommunication, resulting in

A chain appears from the user (tenant) to the property manager, to

the employee not knowing when something is finally happening.

the contractors. But were not done yet. The tenant has employees.
And they can report on anything: from complaints about the

To offer the end user excellent service, you need to connect these

building to calls for the IT department. They often have their own

chains more quickly, more directly, and more transparently. How

service management system (TOPdesk) that helps them get these

can we achieve this? With a new term that Id like to introduce here:

incidents to the right person.

chain transparency.

18 TOPDESK MAGAZINE - DECEMBER 2016

Ten tips to optimize

your service desk
Weve all been there: something goes wrong and you need the service desk to solve
the problem. Despite the effort organizations put into optimizing their service desks,
things dont always go smoothly. Who doesnt have a family member, friend or colleague
who, even when they finally did get an operator on the phone, didnt get the help they
needed? Many service desks still face challenges when trying to give customers the best
possible experience. Thats why we present these ten tips to optimize your service desk.
Text: Martin Beijering

Be visible

Standardize your services

Believe it or not, but there are still organizations where the service

It may sound strange, but offering standard services really works.

desk is nearly invisible. I regularly come across websites that only

There are obvious benefits to costs, but standardization also makes

have a contact form, no phone number or email address in sight. We

life easier for the customer and the service desk. Solving problems is

all know how annoying this is. If you need help, you want to be able

no longer dependent on a single employee, you dont have to reinvent

to get it right away. Dont fall into this trap. Make sure customers can

the wheel all the time and theres time for more important challenges.

get into contact with the service desk quickly and easily. Wherever and

Customers will also be happier if they know what they can expect from

whenever they want. Online and offline. An added bonus of this is that

your department.

you can get valuable feedback that customers might otherwise have
kept to themselves.

Keep an eye on customer satisfaction

Embrace self-service
Does the best service always come from another person? Sometimes
customers just want to look something up, or they may be looking for

Proper metrics for customer satisfaction are essential. If you want the

information outside office hours. In those cases its very convenient to

quality of your services to improve constantly, you need a constant

be able to fix things from home, at any time. If its possible for online

awareness of said quality. So you always know how satisfied your

shops, why not for the office? Well go even further: if people can find

customers are and what the effects of your actions are. Make sure you

answers to their questions themselves, theyll be more satisfied. At the

monitor customer satisfaction on a regular basis and set goals that

you can work towards. And make sure that the entire organization
sticks to those goals. You could, for instance, put up a screen displaying
information you think is important, like the number of calls and the
average customer satisfaction and its development over time.

TOPDESK MAGAZINE - DECEMBER 2016 19

same time, a self-reliant customer is a big time-saver for operators.

you dont require too much of your employees, though. Determine in

And they in turn can use this time to help a customer with a more

advance what needs to be recorded and stick to that agreement so that

complicated question, so in the end, that customer is more satisfied too.

the workload for recording doesnt become too heavy.

Share your knowledge

Create clear reports

As self-service develops, we see that the principle knowledge is power

The information thats recorded can be used to expose and prevent

is shifting to sharing knowledge is power. Because if you share

underlying problems of the service desk. A well-organized self-service

knowledge about optimal service delivery and help each other achieve

portal can help with this, because many reports, such as a report

this, everybody benefits. So its not knowledge, its know-where: its

about SaaS uptime, can be shared with customers. By sharing this

no longer all about knowledge itself, but about knowing where to

kind of information, your organization becomes more transparent and

find that knowledge. A self-service portal is an excellent tool to share

improvements get more priority. Look at it as a chance to see whats

knowledge, between departments as well as with customers.

important in your organization.

Communicate

Keep improving

We all know of people who were sent from one person to the next

Even after youve taken all of these steps, keep looking for

by service desk employees. Prevent this from happening at your

opportunities to improve your services. Theres always room for

department by putting in place agreements on when, what and how

improvement. An important part of this is to keep up with the times:

you deliver your service. This means that its perfectly fine for you to

keep track of whats happening around you in terms of service delivery

tell a customer that you dont know the answer to a question, as long

and pick up developments that fit within your organization. Accept

as you also tell them that you will look into it and indicate when youll

the role of self-service in todays society, for example. If you dont

get back to them. Good communication is important in both reactive

accept such changes, business will soon start to demand you do, or

and proactive contexts: if a date has been planned for maintenance or

worse: it will pass you by. Its better to stay ahead of those risks with

a delivery has been delayed, let your customers know whats going on.

your organization.

Also dont forget to communicate improvements that have been

implemented after customer feedback. This lets customers know that
you really use their input, so theyll be more likely to keep giving you

And finally: be human

feedback in the future.

The tips mentioned above are all useful to improve the quality of your
services, but you should never forget the human aspect. Because in
the end youre not doing it for the tool , youre trying to help people.

Keep records

One of the biggest pitfalls of service desks is that they stop engaging

Nobody (or almost nobody) likes to constantly record what customers

people to look at whats best for the organization. Avoid this by

are asking and what agreements are made. But the information is

involving employees and encouraging them to actively contribute to

useful for colleagues and customers. After all, work shouldnt grind

improvements to the departments services.

to a halt if youre absent. The accountant will also be happy that you
keep an up-to-date record, because if he or she has to account for
something, proper records make their job easier. Do make sure that

Bob

20
TOPDESK MAGAZINE - DECEMBER 2016
ADVERTORIAL

TimeTell
Planning & TimeSheet

TimeTell - The solution for planning and time registration

TimeTell is an extensive system for planning and registration of time,
hours, leave and absence. One of the characteristics is the ease of use; it
is important that people do not hesitate to work with the timesheet. It is a
complete and powerful solution, which can interface with other systems
like TOPdesk or other HR, ERP and financial systems.

To support the management, TimeTell offers a dashboard with a summary

of the most important information.

Furthermore, you can plan staff and projects. Staff planning can be used
to allocate people to a specific job and project. The TimeTell project
planning functionality helps you make Gantt charts in order to gain more
insight into the process structure and progress. Both planning and
realisation of spent hours can be registered in TimeTell, which makes it
easy to control and manage projects.
The solution is available both online and on-premise. This can be
combined with the TimeTell App, enabling you to work anywhere with
TimeTell.
Every organisation large or small, profit or non-profit can work with
TimeTell. Users around the world are Bosch Security Systems, Bayer,
DB Schenker and the Rail Safety and Standard Board.
Like TOPdesk, the TimeTell software is developed in the Netherlands.
It is used by more than 500 clients worldwide, and is available in English,
German and Dutch.

If you would like to know more about our

solution, please visit our website:
www.timetell.com
+31 (0)70 311 48 11
info@timetell.com

TOPDESK MAGAZINE - DECEMBER 2016 21

ABSOLUTE
POWER TO THE
CUSTOMER?
Paul Iske on the paradigm shift in customer centralization
Paul Iske is professor of Open Innovation & Business Venturing at the School of
Business and Economics of University Maastricht. He is also a speaker and consultant
on innovative, durable and smart business models. At SEE 2016, Iske spoke about the
paradigm shift in customer centralization: putting your customer first is outdated. We
asked him how organizations can anticipate this paradigm shift.
Text: Brenda Heeringa

What does this shift mean

exactly?

Can you give an example of a

perspective shift?

Even though many organizations put their

Currently customers need a user name and

So the customer determines

what information he shares
with organizations?

customers experience first, the result is

password for almost all websites to access

Exactly. A very good example is the new

often a letdown for the customer. This is

their own information. When your services are

application Dappre, which is based on the

how I explain it: organizations create an

based on the Qiy Scheme, customers control

Qiy Scheme. With Dappre you create secure

environment and place customers at the

their own information no matter where its

connections with people, organizations and in

centre of it. So, from their point of view, they

located. Your bank account details are at your

the future even with things. You then decide

actually are putting the customer first. But

bank, name and address details at the council,

what information you want to share and

customers are only interested in their own

et cetera. When a random service organization

receive. This all happens without a traditional

world. They want the organizations service to

needs certain customer data to deliver

platform in between. Its a 1-to-1 connection

fit in with them. This is a shift in perspective:

their services, the customer can give the

where you can decide what you want to share

you dont look at the customer, but try to

organization a code to access this information.

with whom and for what period of time. For

figure out how the customer looks at you.

Qiy is the key. The customer places himself

instance, you can subscribe to each others

at the centre and gives service providers and

contact details immediately. As a user I can

suppliers access to his world.

grant access to another user or organization

22 TOPDESK MAGAZINE - DECEMBER 2016

by scanning a QR code. When a user gets a

advantage is that its easy to deny access

see this happening between organizations:

new phone number or email address, his or

when necessary.

the providers systems complement the

her contacts are automatically informed.

This way, users only have to keep track of

receivers systems. A bank now chooses

to send a customer monthly credit card

Organizations can transform CRM to CMR;

As an organization, how do you

get and keep this access?

Customer Managed Relation. Its expensive to

Organizations need to understand that if

the customers world. If the bank changes

keep track of all customer details, user names

they fit into the customers world, they have a

the frequency or format of its supply of

and more in several databases. An additional

higher chance of succeeding. You can already

information to the wishes of the customer,

their own details saving time and money.

statements. If the customer wants one each

week hes out of luck. The bank doesnt fit in

TOPDESK MAGAZINE - DECEMBER 2016 23

ORGANIZATIONS THAT FIT IN THE

CUSTOMERS WORLD HAVE A HIGHER
CHANCE OF SUCCEEDING

they will make the customer happy and it

the world when an innovation fails. When the

will be easier for the bank to enter the

organization works from a client-managed

customers world.

relations perspective, the customer will be

more willing to forgive. He knows that the

Do organizations need to keep

the wishes of every customer in
mind?
Thats a bit of a stretch, but it is possible to be

organization doesnt do things out of selfinterest, because they deliver services that
put the customer first.

organization that gets familiar with the

How will the importance of a

relation between customers and
organizations change?

individual based on his or her internet search

New technologies such as blockchain, the

history. When typing jaguar one person will

technique behind the bitcoin, will make

end up on a car website, another will find

it unnecessary for organizations to know

information about felines. Just like Google,

everything about their customers. Everything

organizations should place themselves in the

will be recorded in a large internet database.

individuals world.

Interference from a third party, like a

more flexible when it comes to the customers

wishes. A good example here is Google, an

bank, is no longer needed. Customers and

How should they do this?

organizations can settle the transaction

between themselves. Soon, customers

With customer journeys, for example. Try to

can profile themselves anonymously and

get under your customers skin. What does

determine what they want to share. The

your customer see or experience, and what

organization will take out a so-called

issues does he or she have? Try to optimize

subscription on the customer and accepts

from that perspective. Once the organization

the terms and conditions the customer has

sees things from the customers perspective,

set for exchanging data. A paradigm shift

both organization and customer will be able

that brings back the human dimension in

to understand each other better. Creative and

the digital world.

innovative organizations have a better chance

at improving and getting a better relation
with the customer. When organizations
step into the customers world and create
enthusiasm and loyalty, they can innovate
together with the customer. If the trust
between the two is good, its not the end of

24 TOPDESK MAGAZINE - DECEMBER 2016

Patrick Mackaaij
is a marketeer at team Worcade.

Is your TOPdesk up-to-date?

Every time a new version of TOPdesk is released, you may wonder: what are the most
important reasons to upgrade to the new version? You are probably especially interested
in whether the new functionalities justify the purchase.
TOPdesk developers spend months working on new functionalities

New versions

based on the latest insights. Theyd love to let you use them sooner,

TOPdesk regularly releases new versions in order to keep up with the

instead of saving them all up for a new generation of our product.

latest technological advancements, market changes and trends. New

In order to give you access to new features more quickly weve

changed the way we deliver software. We are leaving behind

versions are also needed to solve errors and maintain connections with
hardware and software from third parties.

product generations like TOPdesk 5 for which we would save up

If you use TOPdesk SaaS, your version number is no longer relevant

major new features. From now on, you will receive new features as

in most cases. Its just like with LinkedIn, Gmail or Facebook, where you

soon as theyre ready. For this subscription model you pay a monthly

also dont know what version youre using.

fee rather than a fee for each upgrade, so you always have access to
the latest TOPdesk version.

Market changes and trends

In order to keep meeting our customers demands, we at TOPdesk work

Continuous deployment

according to the latest market changes and trends. Examples of this

are cooperation between supporting departments (shared service

With Continuous Deployment, we can release a new TOPdesk version

management), resolving calls as closely to the end user as possible

to you every day. This way we build new functionalities in TOPdesk

(shift left) and cooperation between suppliers outside an organization

step-by-step. You can see these steps at releasenotes.topdesk.com.

(chain integration).

New versions are first rolled out in our test environments, and
after that in our own production environment. From there a version

Bugs and security issues

is rolled out to customer groups, starting with customer who have an

Automated tests ensure the quality of our software, but programming

acceptance environment on TOPdesk as a Service (SaaS) and then

is done by people. Because of this TOPdesk will never be flawless.

SaaS production.

Depending on the impact of an error, we will solve it as soon as possible.

If there are any significant errors in a version, we will hold back

Security issues are a special category. We try to solve these very quickly.

delivery of that version to the next group in line. Do you manage

In recent years weve dealt with security issues concerning Java and

TOPdesk on premises? Then youll receive a version that works well in

HTTPS (Poodle and Heartbleed). For security reasons, its important that

our production environments a few times a year.

you switch to the latest version of our software as soon as possible.

TOPDESK MAGAZINE - DECEMBER 2016 25

Consultancy and Support

Updating the acceptance environment (optional)

TOPdesk product generations follow a cycle from full support to

Are you using an acceptance environment? Start by updating it with

extended support and finally to end of life. In the continuous

the latest data from your production environment (database and files).

deployment cycle any specific version of TOPdesk is supported for

If youre not using an acceptance environment yet, then everything

18 months.

should be fine if you simply store a backup of your TOPdesk database

As this article is being written, TOPdesk 5 (released in 2012) is in

the extended support phase. This means that were still releasing new
versions to keep it compatible with new version of supported web

and software. If anything goes wrong during the update, you can easily
return to what you had before.
If TOPdesk is considered critical to your organizations workflow,

browsers, operating systems and database servers. We also still fix

we recommend having an acceptance environment installed. An

serious flaws and security issues.

acceptance environment lets you test new functionalities, check

After the extended support period, TOPdesk 5 will move to End of

life and then we wont release new versions anymore. This phase will
be announced a year before it starts.

whether a customer solution still works and see which errors have
been fixed in the new version.
You can request an acceptance environment for SaaS. When we roll
out a new version, your acceptance environment will automatically be

Updating TOPdesk
Do you use TOPdesk on-premises? Check Help> About TOPdesk to see

updated a few days earlier than your production environment. Do you

use TOPdesk on-premises? Check help.topdesk.com to find out how to
set up an acceptance environment.

whether youre using the latest version. You can download the latest
version via the TOPdesk Extranet. As this is being written, the latest

Updating the production environment

version is 5.7 SR5. Updating TOPdesk can be done within a day or even

When you prepare to update the production environment, you can

a half day.

use your experiences with the new version from the acceptance
environment to create a plan. The updating process can be divided into

Preparing for the update

these general steps:

The processing time of an update to TOPdesk depends on the impact

the changes will have on your organizations processes, and the on any

1. Deactivate any customer solutions or add-ons.

customer solutions you may have.

2. Shut down TOPdesk.

3. Create a backup of your TOPdesk database and software.

1. Check whether your IT infrastructure meets the system

4. Install the new TOPdesk version in the same location as the

requirements. You can find the system requirements at

old version.

help.topdesk.com.

5. Start TOPdesk again.

2. Read the update manual and check for important changes.

6. Install new versions of any customer solutions or add-ons you have

This manual is included in the download for the latest version.

7. Make functional changes if needed

3. Check whether you use any customer solutions or add-ons. Your

TOPdesk application administrator can see whether any bespoke

The first time you start TOPdesk after an update may take a little

work is activated.

longer because TOPdesk automatically updates your database to

the latest version.

Customer solutions and add-ons have to be built again for each new
version of TOPdesk. If you want your customer solutions to be updated
for a new version you will need to confirm the order.

26 TOPDESK MAGAZINE - DECEMBER 2016

Editorial
Download this issue and more at www.scribd.com/TOPdesk
The TOPdesk Magazine covers subjects that are topical in

TOPdesk as a Service

the world of professional service desks in IT, facilities and

Is your TOPdesk version older than 5.7 SR5? Or would you like

other service providing organizations. TOPdesk Magazine

a consultant to help your update TOPdesk? Consider getting

is intended for managers, service desk employees, facilities

TOPdesk as a Service so you never have to worry about managing

organizations and electronic city councils anyone who

and maintaining TOPdesk.

is involved with supporting clients on a daily basis. This

About half of our new customers choose TOPdesk as a Service. Of all

our customers, about 25% lets us take care of technical maintenance.

concerns both the processes and the technology behind

these services.

We make sure that your TOPdesk remains up-to-date and we take

care of IT infrastructure such as the operating system, Java and the

TOPdesk Magazine is a TOPdesk publication,

database server.

+44 (0) 207 803 4200, editorial@topdesk.com

Editors-in-chief and copy editors: Acacia Kooij, Nicola van
de Velde

On-premises

SaaS

Translators: Fijke Roelofsen, Laura van Rosenberg, Nicola van

de Velde
Contributors: Martin Beijering, Elisette Daams, Fiona IJkema,
Tom Knippenberg, Patrick Mackaaij, Wolter Smit
Layout: Denise van Rijst
Illustration: Frank van Klink
Photography: Aad Hoogendoorn, Menno van der Bijl

A print run of 10,000

6.9

6.8

6.7

6.x

5.7

5.6

5.5

5.x

6.10

6.9

6.8

6.7

6.x

5.x

Quarterly magazine
Languages: Dutch, English

Division of TOPdesk versions managed on-premises

vs. managed by TOPdesk (SaaS)

Copyright 2016 TOPdesk. Although this publication has

been produced with the utmost care and attention, the
writers cannot be held responsible in any way for any

The diagram above shows that most of our TOPdesk SaaS customers

damages that may occur due to errors and / or deficiencies

use the latest TOPdesk version. Half of our on-premises customers work

in this publication.

with a version thats over a year old. TOPdesk SaaS customers that have
an older version usually have a customer solution or add-on.

Official TOPdesk partners: 3Fifty, AskRoger!, Bomgar, DDC,

Delta-N, Gartner, IBIS Software, Mavim, Nexthink, OGD,

Okta, Partners in Technology, Plandatis, RES Software,
Servitect, Scope4mation, Snow Software, Testersuite,
The Backbone, TimeTell, Tools4ever, Victa

SUPPORT YOUR
EMPLOYEES IN
USING YOUR
SELFSERVICEDESK
To get the most out of this software, it is important to motivate
and help your employees. Use the professional and effective
communication of Agency DDC.
Through professional communication, Agency DDC (TOPdesk
official solution partner) will increase the number of successful
ServiceDesk users.
Visit www.agencyddc.com/changecommunication/ssd
to learn more about DDC services. Or contact one of our
communication advisors at +31(0) 88 012 02 50.

PA R T N E R

I N

E F F E C T I V E

C O M M U N I C AT I O N .

W W W. AG E N C Y D D C . C O M

28 TOPDESK MAGAZINE - DECEMBER 2016

tips + tricks
Calls temporarily not in task list: monitored
period

Placing webpages on your home page with

the web widget

When a second line call has a target date in the distant future,

Operators can add one or multiple web widgets to their home

you might want to temporarily take it out of the task list (to

page. With this widget they can directly add websites or

do). These are calls that dont require immediate action and

YouTube videos.

dont have to be on the operators radar for now.

1. Log in as operator
Enabling functionality:

> You are now on the home page

1. Go to Settings > Module Settings > Call Management >

2. Click Add widget

Second line calls.

3. Choose Web widget

2. Tick the box Monitored under Functionality.

4. Give the widget a title and add the URL for the website or

> A Monitored checkbox now appears in the Planning box

YouTube video.

of second line calls.

5. You can also change the height of the widget. The width
is determined by the column on the home page where the

You can now use a filter to indicate in the to-do overview

widget is placed.

of second line calls that monitored calls dont need to

be showed.

This functionality offers a variety of possibilities. You can add:

- Software tutorials

Setting up the filter

- Traffic information for current traffic jams

1. Go to the to-do for second line calls.

- Overview of open calls

2. Click More > Filter.

3. Untick the checkbox Show monitored calls.

You can use the following URL to place an overview of

first-line calls:

When the target date of a monitored call approaches, its

http://server:poort/tas/secure/incident?action=showlist&arc

important for the operator to see the calls in his or her task

hived=2&status=1

list. You can set up how many days before the target date
the monitored call shows up with the monitored period.
Go to our Extranet for more information
Setting up the monitored period:

on URLs to other pages and overview

1. Go to Setting > Module Settings > Call Management >

within your TOPdesk environment.

Second line calls.

2. In the Planning block you use the field Monitored period
to fill in the number of days before the target date the
monitored call needs to appear in the task list.

www.topdesk.com