In 2013, ITS adopted ServiceNow as part of a multi-phase initiative to provide consistent and effective IT service management (ITSM). Since then, ITS has been steadily raising its level of service excellence by establishing several ITSM processes and customizing ServiceNow to meet service management needs. But there was still room for growth and improvement.
User-centric, laser-focused customer service
To achieve this, ITS launched a program to both expand and optimize its ITSM processes where needed. In parallel, ITS sought to adopt an appropriate tool to replace ServiceNow. This project is part of ITS’s larger Service Excellence initiative, which also includes service life cycle development and creation of a cohesive digital experience.
“ITS is committed to providing proactive, laser-focused customer service to campus,” says project sponsor Bob Jones, executive director of Support Services for ITS. “To do that, we have created a vision of One ITS: a more cohesive, aligned organization that will re-focus on the basics by simplifying and streamlining interactions with our campus customers. Part of that process involves using the right tool for the job, but the most important aspect is the creation of a shared methodology of how ITS serves its customers.”
After gathering input from key stakeholders and completing a thorough review, the university has signed an enterprise licensing agreement for TeamDynamix, a solution that will help ITS deliver an improved customer service experience as well as reduce operational costs. ITS plans to make the switch to TeamDynamix on May 12.
ServiceNow will be available until the end of 2020, so there will be no immediate impact for units currently using the platform. Over the coming year, ITS will work with these campus partners on a migration plan to TeamDynamix based on each unit’s needs.
Flexible, appropriate technology
“ITS is committed to providing proactive, laser-focused customer service to campus.”
— Bob Jones
“Although ServiceNow is a powerful and sophisticated platform, it is overly complex for our needs and difficult to maintain. In addition, the cost of licensing has been increasing,” explains Rhian Copeland, assistant director of ITS Service Support and one of the project leads. According to Copeland, TeamDynamix is developed by a company that specializes in and understands the needs of the higher education market.
For example, TeamDynamix provides flexible general ticketing and work tracking capabilities at the unit level. Units with simple ticket tracking needs may join the ITS-managed ticketing application. Units that need their own ticketing process or additional capabilities may establish their own self-administered tenant in TeamDynamix for a small setup/training fee.
The U-M agreement with TeamDynamix provides for unlimited, enterprise licensing and robust multi-tenant capabilities. Under this model, ITS pays for enterprise user licenses and is the global administrator for the service. TeamDynamix will be made widely available after current ServiceNow users have migrated.
“The optimization of our service management processes and the adoption of TeamDynamix is a first step toward achieving our organizational goal to elevate the customer experience and transform IT delivery,” said Jones. “As we move to this new platform, we look forward to sharing our experience and knowledge with the rest of campus.”
