Analytics improves IT service delivery, believes 85pc service desk users

CHENNAI, INDIA: Companies are looking to rely more on advanced analytics tool to analyze service desk data, as they seek new ways to improve IT service delivery and efficiency via better IT service management(ITSM) processes.

Almost 85 percent of users believe analytics would enhance IT service delivery, which includes 36 percent who believe that analytics would improve service desk efficiency and 30 percent who believe it would identify any gaps in the IT service management (ITSM) process, reveals a survey by ManageEngine.

But, the overwhelmingly large amounts of data often make it difficult to manually access, track and analyze critical help desk information quickly. Analytics solutions enable users to visually analyze critical information so they can improve IT service delivery.

"There are currently many analytics tools in the market, but most are too complicated, require expert assistance, or are too time-consuming and expensive. Based on the survey findings, users want a self-service analytics tool that will allow them to build and personalize reports quickly. Empowering users in this regard is the first step toward achieving any form of process efficiency," said Sridhar Iyengar, Vice President, ManageEngine.

The survey identified some common data analysis challenges and preferences that service desk users share, including the following:

Report creation takes too long.

Users still find it challenging to create reports, with 48 percent stating that they took more than 30 minutes to create a service desk report. As reporting is not a primary task for most IT users, they need to be able to create and share reports quickly with other decision makers.

Increased dependency on other sources.

While 43 percent of users preferred to generate reports on their own, 21 percent of those users depended on third-party software or other teams.

Report customization is critical. 43 percent of respondents prefer custom reports over standard ones.

Incident management module needs more attention.

When asked which modules need more reports, 22 percent of respondents chose incident management, helps reduce the impact of an outage. 17 percent voted for asset management and 13 percent wanted more customization for change management.

Deep analysis uncovers hidden gaps in ITSM process.

36 percent of respondents believe that an analytics tool would detect inefficiencies and gaps in the ITSM process, while 30 percent felt that reporting helps them identify problem areas and tackle issues, and 19 percent believe an analytics tool improves customer satisfaction.