Don’t Let Your ITSM Software Break the Bank – Why Codeless ITSM Matters

There’s no mistake about it, regardless of your industry, your IT Service Desk is likely getting crushed with increased volume right now.

Between the rapid uptick in the number of apps and software being used within each department in an organization; the distribution of the workforce as businesses continue to support remote and hybrid work options; and an endless request for routine, manual maintenance tasks such as user/group management, password resets, etc. coupled with system-to-system integration and project-related work, there’s simply not enough time or resource to handle the amount of work coming into IT.  

Compounding this challenge is the fact that most ITSM software requires technical expertise and developers to create the automation and workflow necessary to accommodate much of this work.

For this reason, many IT leaders are looking for a better way.

That’s where codeless IT Service Management comes in.

With codeless integration and automation, nearly anyone can do the work – there no longer needs to be a reliance on IT for departments like HR, finance or marketing to set up their own service portals, dynamic forms and knowledge bases.

With an ITSM tool that includes codeless integration and automation, departments outside of IT can manage these tools on their own and even build out their own integrations and automations – all using the same platform IT is using so there are no discrepancies and no lack of governance over what’s being built and where.

IT can be assured that other departments are using the right software and processes, with visibility into the core platforms, and the departments can have the flexibility to build what they need when they need it without needing to bog down an already busy IT department.  

Heavy Admin Burden of ITSM Software Driving the Migration to Codeless

When it comes to IT Service Management, organizations are trending toward increased maturity with more sophisticated routing, engaging in knowledge-centered service, adopting ITIL, leveraging change management, using self-service portals, etc. None of these concepts are new and their adoption continues to grow. But what else can be done to relieve the drain on IT?

As organizations look forward, the next big initiative is to tackle true automation and enterprise integration through the use of iPaaS. 

Until recently, building integrations and automations would require coding and the use of technical resources which means, as ticket volume grows, it would get pushed to the back burner as IT teams work to satisfy the ongoing and ever-growing requests for support.

Today, however, IT leaders are realizing that codeless iPaaS can make a big difference.

Supercharging ITSM with automation and integration can alleviate much of the strain on the IT service desk, but this can only be accomplished if there’s no further drain on technical resources and developers – meaning you need an ITSM tool that isn’t going to require serious overhead and a full team with custom code to manage. 

IT Administration of an ITSM Software System Should Not Drain Your Resources

In the Info-Tech ITSM Quadrant and Vendor Reviews, IT leaders said they are focused more and more on ITSM administration. They are examining the total cost of ownership – particularly around system configuration, and workflow/automation. There is a real need for this level of IT maturity, but it can’t take 6-8 IT resources to manage the ITSM software.   

Further, this heavy drain on admin prevents enterprise service management (ESM) adoption. Adding forms, workflows, variables and so on should be easy – it shouldn’t require any coding or scripting. Codeless ITSM with integration and automation is emerging as the best way to optimize budgets and resources. 

How Enterprise Integration and Automation Are Changing the Service Desk

As we look forward, enterprise integration and automation are going to fundamentally change how organizations think about IT Service Management. Most service organizations are spinning their wheels when dealing with procedural and repetitive ITSM tasks.  

With an integration and automation layer, tasks such as user management, onboarding/offboarding, name updates and more can be completed automatically from the service desk platform. Without the integration and automation capabilities, service desk technicians are spending too much time doing this work manually or are relying on a patchwork of scripts and APIs that lack governance and security. 

“The drudgery of working through mundane, repetitive tasks doesn’t exist just in IT,” Mark Hayes, information technology leader for Pima County, said. “I think the more we can reduce toil within the departments that we support, the more people are going to buy in and understand the value of what we’re trying to achieve. There’s nothing like success to breed more success, and once other departments see the benefits they’re going to want these tools too.”

And it’s that success that IT is starting to realize with ITSM and iPaaS from TeamDynamix, “We’ve been able to use our success to drive additional headcount in our organization, to do more and better things,” Hayes said.

“As we begin to do automation via workflows it’s only going to make it better,” he concluded. “We’re lucky in that our leadership understands that as the world has changed, IT has become the center of everything. They know that the more they invest in us, the more they can reap benefits and savings in other places.”

Low Admin Burden Makes Enterprise Service Management a Reality

More departments are looking to use service catalogs to document business needs, workflow and action efforts. Many IT leaders interviewed by Info-Tech identified usability, vendor support and vision and standards-based features as core to their product experience.

This results in positive referrals to peers based on vendor engagement, the ability to manage projects (with the integrated project management features) and the tool’s usability (low code) and functionality. 

With this in place, teams from HR, marketing, legal and facilities can easily adopt the solution for managing both service management and projects – and they can integrate it with their broader tech stack, all without any coding. 

Pricing Model, Flexibility and Ease of Use Deciding Factors for University of Michigan to Migrate Away from Large, Complex ITSM Platform to TeamDynamix

Through their search, the University of Michigan’s ITS found TeamDynamix, “The platform was easy to use, it was SaaS-delivered, and required no coding knowledge for users to create customized forms and workflows. The platform was flexible enough to support the university where it is now while positioning it for future IT processes.”   

In just four months the university went live with TeamDynamix, replacing the ITSM tool previously in place. 

In an article on their website, they talk about why they made the switch, “By equipping our staff with the best tools for their job, each person in ITS is empowered to better support the university community,” said ITS project sponsors Bob Jones, executive director of Support Services, and Diane Jones, executive director of Administration. “Selecting the right tool was only the start. The most impactful work was introducing a simple methodology for how we serve our campus customers and then aligning the entire organization to support it.”

Want to learn more about smart service management and how it can save your organization time and money? Check out: The Changing Landscape of ITSM Technology and Why It May Be Time To Upgrade