Continuing the Responsibility for ITSM Tool Selection

Previously

In Part 1 of this debate, we ended with the fact that the Service Desk Manager had a major role to play in the selection of an ITSM tool and this was based on spheres of influence. 

These spheres of influence can be broken down into clear categories that describe the level of involvement of the Service Desk Manager but are not an indication of their standing or ability within the company but a reflection of the structure of the company in its purchase and decision processes.

Service Desk Manager Influence

1. Directly accountable for budget and involved in the design
2. Prime Influencers – they exercise control of the budget size and allocation 
3. Secondary Influencers  – they are consulted about the budget size and preferred vendor but their influence is limited
4. Consulted about items such as timescales for rollout, tools in the discussion, budget reduction and resource allocation but they have no influence on purchase decisions 

So, for vendors planning their marketing and prospect engagement strategies, this means one crucial thing, the Service Desk Manager can have considerable input and control over their budgets and must be consulted before any of the usual financial management team. 

The key for any ITSM vendor is to ensure that the roles of the relevant people involved in the selection process are clearly identified and that those persons directly accountable for their budget and who are involved in its design, work closely as a ‘project team’ consisting of the key ITSM vendor personnel. 

This unified team means that all parties have a coordinated approach and view of how a project should progress and with all the key decision-makers having the same information to hand at all times. The project manager/s can make important decisions knowing there is no project lag for information across the decision-makers and this will hel p the flow of the project and make all team members feel included. 

So, for many vendors, Service Desk Managers are vital to be engaged with, in the overall decision process to purchase ITSM technologies and overcome the challenges they face and deliver more value. In smaller organisations, they may be the only decision-maker and thus capturing their attention and listening to their needs is even more important. 

 Part 3 of this article will wrap this discussion up…