Real Enterprise Service Management use cases

As its name suggests, Enterprise Service Management (ESM) takes a more holistic approach than IT Service Management (ITSM) in that it’s designed for non-technical teams, such as HR, marketing, and facilities, to name a few.

As a business consultant with experience implementing both ESM and ITSM solutions, I've seen firsthand how they can transform overloaded service desks in industries and departments of all kinds. In this blog post, I share some of my experiences with you.

So, if long wait times, frustrated teammates, and a stressed-out IT department sound familiar, don’t go anywhere!

The power of a CMDB

Before we get to the real-life examples, I’ll briefly cover the core of an effective ESM strategy—the Configuration Management Database (CMDB).

A CMDB might sound technical, but I think it’s useful to have an understanding of what it does to help you see how these solutions make the entire business run smoother with better incident resolution and change management.

Think of it as the central nervous system of your IT infrastructure, housing a comprehensive and up-to-date record of all your IT assets (hardware, software, network devices, licenses, etc.).

With accurate and up-to-date information, a CMDB aligns services with business needs, improving delivery and performance across all departments and providing:

• Improved first contact resolution: The CMDB automatically populates service requests with relevant details about the assets involved, allowing for faster and more precise resolutions.
• Proactive problem prevention: By analyzing trends and relationships within the CMDB, you can identify potential issues before they arise. For example, the CMDB might reveal a server nearing the end of its lifecycle, prompting proactive replacement to prevent downtime.
• Data-driven decision-making: The CMDB provides a wealth of insights to inform strategic choices. You can analyze software usage to optimize license purchases, identify underutilized hardware for redeployment, and track asset life cycles for informed budgeting decisions.
• Empowered employees: A self-service portal connected to the CMDB empowers employees to find solutions independently. With a knowledge base system that contains assets such as instructive articles, users can fix issues without having to contact the service desk. This encourages self-sufficiency and reduces the burden on IT.

Real cases of increased efficiency with an ESM solution

Now, on to the more exciting stuff! As I mentioned earlier, I’ve helped many businesses implement an ESM solution during my time as a business consultant, some of which I share below. For legal reasons, I cannot name them, but I have included the industries to give you an idea of how far and wide ESM solutions can be applied.

• Manufacturing company: Facing a backlog of service requests due to inaccurate data and manual processes, I helped this company implement ESM with Atlassian tools. The results were significant and included:
  
  
  • Automated resolution: Common requests were automatically populated with accurate data, reducing errors and speeding up resolution times.
  • Proactive problem prevention: By analyzing their central hub, we identified a server with high failure rates and proactively replaced it, preventing downtime.
  • Empowered employees: Employees utilized the self-service portal to find solutions independently, reducing the service desk workload.

This translated to a happier IT team, faster service delivery, and a more productive workforce.

• Large union: When I was called in to help the team at this association, it was clear they needed a more efficient system to handle the high volume of support requests coming in from more than 3,600 end users.

Using Agile methodologies, the implementation project was completed within a short window to meet the expiration of their previous system's license. We implemented Jira Service Management as the solution, and they experienced the following:

• Reduced reliance on consultants: The union prioritized training their staff to manage the system themselves, reducing reliance on external consultants.
• Improved user experience: A user-friendly service catalog and streamlined issue tracking improved the experience for both agents and end users.
• Wood products industry: A company in the wood products industry experiencing rapid growth needed to improve its IT service desk capabilities. They contacted Eficode to implement an ESM solution using Atlassian tools. We focused on improving their Jira Service Management configuration, creating best practices for ITSM, and training the company's IT staff for ongoing management. They achieved:
  
  
  • Enhanced functionality.
  • Improved workflows: Features like automated workflows and integration with existing systems improved efficiency and reduced manual tasks.
  • A future-proofed system.

Implementing ESM in your organization

As we saw in the examples above, ESM can be a powerful solution, extending ITSM practices across your entire organization. While the benefits vary between businesses and use cases, there is a common outcome—a collaborative and service-oriented culture.

A service-oriented culture is important because it puts customers at the heart, making sure their needs and satisfaction come first. It encourages employees to be more helpful, responsive, and understanding, which makes for a better overall customer experience.

This mindset promotes teamwork and ongoing improvement, as everyone works together to solve problems. And a service-oriented culture where customers are happier and employees are more motivated makes for a stronger position in the market.