Enterprise Service Management

If you're reading this then you've likely heard the term ESM already and have an understanding of the concepts of what this is but...

Why is it important and is it really the next generation (or evolution) of your existing IT service management strategy?

Well yes, it is the natural evolution of what you're hopefully doing already and, if you're performing well within ITSM, then why wouldn't you want to spread that success and assc' best practices etc across your wider organisation and realise some/all/many of the same benefits, using the same familiar solution and quite possibly, some of the same workflows in place (re-purposed) + more..!

Before we get into the benefits and the outcomes these drive, what are the pitfalls of NOT having an ESM strategy in place?

Not having an Enterprise Service Management (ESM) strategy can expose your organisation to various risks that can impact overall efficiency, effectiveness, and ability to meet business objectives. Here are just a few potential risks, in no particular order, associated with the absence of an ESM strategy ??

?? Siloed Operations: Without an ESM strategy, different departments operate in isolation, leading to siloed information and processes. This results in inefficiencies, duplicated efforts, and a lack of collaboration between teams.

?? Inconsistent Service Delivery: The absence of a standardised approach to service management leads to inconsistent service delivery across different business units. This inconsistency then goes onto affect the quality of services and experiences provided to both internal and external customers.

?? Increased Costs: Without a cohesive ESM strategy, you can expect to experience higher operational costs due to duplicated processes, inefficient resource allocation, and a lack of economies of scale. This impacts your overall cost-effectiveness of service delivery!

?? Poor Customer Experience: You can expect your overall customer experience to suffer. Internal and external customers will likely experience delays, miscommunication, and a lack of coordination in receiving services, leading to dissatisfaction and with customer experience rapidly becoming the number one differentiator, you need to be on top of this!

?? Limited Visibility and Control: Without a unified ESM strategy, expect to struggle to gain a comprehensive view of your service landscape. This lack of visibility will hinder effective monitoring, control, and decision-making across your enterprise.?

?? Compliance Risks: In industries subject to regulatory requirements, without an ESM strategy you'll likely run up against compliance risks. Coupled with limited/no standardised processes, documentation, and controls, you'll struggle to demonstrate adherence to regulatory standards.

??♂? Reduced Agility: An ESM strategy provides a framework for adaptability and scalability. Without it, you may find it challenging to quickly respond to changes in business requirements, market conditions, or technological advancements.

?? Missed Opportunities for Optimisation: ESM strategies often include continuous improvement practices. Without a structured approach to optimisation, opportunities can be missed to enhance efficiency, reduce waste, and improve your overall service delivery.

?? Employee Frustration and Burnout: Inconsistent or inefficient service management practices can lead to frustration among your teams who rely on these services. This dissatisfaction then contributes to decreased morale, lower productivity, higher turnover (recruiting nightmares) and even employee burnout... ?

"Shaka when the walls fell..." Dathon

- look it up if you don't get the reference ?? -

One of the key areas of focus here at Xcession Ltd is assisting organisations, like yours dear reader, in extending service management to your wider organisation for the wealth of benefit, improved outcomes and amazing experiences this brings.

It also very much aligns with our decision to work with and support what are being clearly shown as Leaders in the ESM space, ServiceNow, Atlassian and BMC ??

Coupled with the fact that each of these represent what Forrester callout as key areas for customers looking at ESM solutions, chiefly ??

1. Support adoption of collaborative workflows across the enterprise and teams.
2. Integrate with other technologies for seamless collaboration and information flow.
3. Use AI, ML, and generative AI to accelerate knowledge work.

To further quote Forrester (and not Star Trek) for a moment...

Atlassian simplifies team collaboration across the enterprise. As a newer ESM entrant, Atlassian’s differentiated vision is to offer a comprehensive and integrated suite of tools that seamlessly connects development, IT, and business teams to foster enhanced collaboration and workflow efficiency across the entire service delivery lifecycle.

ServiceNow is an innovative, feature-rich, and scalable platform. ServiceNow’s strategy combines a commitment to innovation with fostering skills development. Its innovations continue to push the market forward, including features like change credit scores, process mining, benchmarking, and real-time integration with DevOps toolchains.

BMC Software is a comprehensive service operations solution for the enterprise. BMC’s strategy over the past few years has continued to close the gap between the Leaders in this market. Acquisitions like ComAround Knowledge (KCS verified) have helped it not only level up but, in many cases, surpass the competition.

All of which are just some excellent examples of why Xcession are excited to work with and support these technologies and help drive the outcomes you want to achieve!!

So what is ESM? Enterprise Service Management (ESM) is a strategy geared towards enhancing your organisational efficiency, mitigating risks, and enhancing customer – internal and external - experiences. It involves adopting a service-oriented approach to internal operations across various departments (beyond IT) such as HR, marketing, accounting, finance, facilities, procurement and others. Within this framework, each department functions as a service provider crucial to the overall success of your organisation. Recognising that every team plays an essential role in the business's success, ESM ensures that their contributions collectively impact the end customer positively and drive great experiences by making everything much more cohesive and removing unnecessary silos ??

"To say you have no choice is a failure of imagination." Jean Luc Picard

On top of driving better experiences all round, there are numerous additional business benefits that can be derived from this also ??

?? Holistic Approach: ESM takes a holistic approach to service management, considering the needs of various business units such as HR, facilities, legal, and finance. This ensures a more comprehensive and certainly cohesive approach to managing services across the organisation. You're not managing multiple solutions, potentially you're only managing one!

?? Efficiency and Collaboration: By applying service management principles across different departments, ESM promotes efficiency and collaboration. It helps break down silos, encourages and facilitates teams to work together, leading to more streamlined processes and improved communication.

?? Cost Savings: ESM can result in cost savings through the elimination of duplicated efforts and resources. By centralising service management practices, you can much more easily identify areas for optimisation as well as reducing unnecessary expenses.

?? Improved Customer Experience: ESM focuses on delivering a better overall experience for both internal and external customers. By extending service management practices beyond IT, you can enhance the quality of services provided to your employees, customers, and other stakeholders.

?? Enhanced Visibility and Control: ESM provides you with a more comprehensive view of your services and processes. This increased visibility allows for better control, monitoring, and management of all enterprise services, leading to improved decision-making. You know what's going on!!

...and many MANY more benefits...

"One of your strengths is your ability to evaluate the dynamics of a situation and then take a definitive, pre-emptive step, take charge. Now you're frustrated because you not only can't see a solution, you can't define the problem." William T Riker

If you're planning to extend your service management capability into your organisation, Xcession are on your side ??

Xcession?specialise in helping you maximise your investment in your ITSM. Assisting you to improve user experience, agility and service management productivity by providing guidance, consultancy, professional services, application managed services, support and maintenance around ESM and ITSM solutions.?Get in touch?and let's explore some ideas in how we can help you ensure you’re making the absolute most of your ITSM of choice and realise the true value within ??

"Tea. Builders. Hot." Daniel Gilbey