In the realm of IT service management, traditional metrics often fall short in delivering valuable insights into the actual value delivered to the business. This has led to IT service desks being treated as cost centers. However, a shift in perspective is needed. With the technology available today and your understanding of the business, you can shift how you report on metrics to highlight the value you bring to the business. It is more desirable to be an IT hero versus an IT cost center.

What gets measured gets managed.

– Peter Drucker, Drucker Institute

Service Desk Lagging Metrics Hold You Back

Historically, IT was measured on specific metrics. This has not changed in decades despite the ability to collect, manage and report on data significantly improving. One common metric in IT service management is the number of tickets closed. Think about that metric. If you report that 80% of password reset requests (one of the highest volume requests) were quickly closed, what does that really mean? Other metrics include ticket growth rate, ticket to agent ratio, ticket backlog, first level resolution (FLR), customer satisfaction and mean time to resolve (MTTR) to name a few. However, service desk only metrics provide little insight to the value delivered to the business. When you show cost center metrics, the result is that you are treated as a cost center.

Need for a Holistic Approach to Metrics

It is time to pivot from presenting metrics to telling a value story that highlights how you are impacting business productivity and growth. A combination of business and internal metrics include:

These metrics not only track past performance but also set clear objectives and quantify obligations between service providers and customers. Let us go back to our volume rate and closure of password reset requests. Instead, you can report on the IT service desk annual spend per user, or the spend per contact. It is important to understand the traditional metrics as a starting point to then create a story about the business value of the IT service desk.

Create a Business Case for Innovation

Promote the idea that service management can affect growth’s cost and productivity. According to Gartner 2022, the top CEO priority is growth. Ensure that you have the current state metrics as a baseline. Collaborate with business teams to understand priorities and productivity challenges. Work with those colleagues to define strategic innovation goals and align key metrics. Identify a business champion to partner with and finally, create a business case.

By aligning with the business first you can create credibility and value. IT service desks are the foundation of a digital transformation. Improving productivity and supporting growth is why companies are investing in this area. We need more IT heroes to champion the value they bring to an organization.

Stay tuned for our next blog which discusses how you can improve the quality of service and reduce costs by improving self-service options.

Speak with a Serviceaide Solutions Expert today to see how we can help.