Developing Integrated Teams In Service Management

By Richard West, Service Desk Manager, Marval

High employee turnover is a common issue for many Service Desks; one that can affect the quality and consistency of the service delivered. Support Analysts come and go, affecting the team’s performance, efficiency, stability, and knowledge transfer. While training is important (and most organizations have a good training program in place), enhancing the team’s integration is crucial to service delivery.

So what can we do to make sure that the Service Desk team remains unified, collaborative and highly integrated, even when frequent changes happen?

1.      Have a clear vision: Vision will help build the team’s motivation and commitment towards shared goals, but also increase the people’s sense of belonging. Furthermore, teams that share a common vision are more likely to stick together and work collaboratively to realise it.

2.      Pre-set objectives and metrics: Clear and measurable objectives help the team visualise the vision and understand the steps that need to be taken to reach the final goal. They also keep staff motivated and focused on their target.

3.      Define roles: Having specific roles for each member of the team eliminates conflict and feelings of repulsion and dissatisfaction: everyone understands what is expected from them and what they need to do to achieve it and be successful in their roles.

4.      Introduce processes: Well-designed and proven processes provide the structure which each member of the team is expected to work in. Processes set clear paths for people to follow and strengthen the sense of stability and security among the employees. A well-established set of processes gives confidence to the team and helps new recruits be more easily integrated.

5.      Develop solid leadership: At the end of the day, it all comes down to leadership. Teams need strong and reliable leaders who will define and clearly communicate the team’s vision, goals and each individual’s role; they can then feel secure and develop a better understanding of their role within the team, the department and the organization.

Service Management technology can help of course, and Marval MSM’s advanced functionality is a perfect example.

Designed to help organizations exploit the industry’s popular standards and adopt good processes, it also improves accountability, responsibility, knowledge sharing and collaboration among the Service Desk Staff, instilling confidence and reassurance. Its strong reporting tool helps Service Desk Managers have real-time insights on crucial metrics like performance and responsiveness, so they can amend and adjust their approach if needed; ensuring that they deliver a consistent, impeccable customer experience.