What To Ask From Your ITSM Demo (And Still Enjoy The Experience!)

By Jess Hill, Application Support Analyst, Marval

So, you have decided that you need a new ITSM tool to help your Service Desk provide better quality and lower cost customer service. How can you make sure you make the most of your demos, so you choose an ITSM tool that will really match your organization’s needs?

This three-step guide will help you go through the demoing process:

-          Don’t settle with a standardized tour. While it’s important to have a structured demo instead of some purposeless wandering, it’s also important to have a tour focused on your particular needs. Send a brief in advance, describing your key pain points and how you are planning to use your ITSM solution; what your priorities are and which issues you need to resolve as soon as possible. Ask for the demo to be focused on features and specs that correspond to your brief and will help you address your pain points. Don’t hesitate to ask for a second, detailed demo of a key area which you have identified as critical to your business at a later date, if you need to.

-          Ask questions. Many questions. Ask about the product; how it’s used by other organizations in your industry or line of business, and how it’s helped them. Ask about the size of the implemented projects and their results. Ask about your provider, their history and what they stand for. Check their customer loyalty rates. This is going to be an investment for years (hopefully) – therefore, you need to know you are entering a partnership that will prove functional and beneficial.

-          Check the pack on offer. A product is only a product; what makes it extraordinary is the service that comes with it! Being in the Service Management industry, you already know that great service can make all the difference. Are you happy with the product you just saw? Now it’s the time to ask about implementation times, trainings offered, support provided – all these things that will make the ITSM solution a perfect fit to your organization. This discussion will give you an overall view of the product and its services and help you assess the actual cost of it (both CAPEX and OPEX).

Investing in an ITSM tool is a big step towards reaching your team’s goals and your organization’s key business and operational objectives. As you are checking what this market has to offer, make sure you ask the right questions but also enjoy the process. After all, ITSM is all about the customer experience; in this instant, you are the customer and this is your personal experience. Make the most of it!