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Defining a Service Catalogue and Tips to Help You Improve It

March 13, 2017 No Comments

Featured article by Nancy Van Elsacker Louisnord, Pesident of TOPdesk US

A service catalogue is exactly what you might expect: an online portal that an organization uses to list is collection of services it provides and a display window of said services. For the user (an employee, for example) the service catalogue provides a concise, yet detailed services overview; terms and conditions of services offered, the ability to track and trace services; and frequently asked questions about the services. For the organizations, the service catalogue clarifies service clarity; manages user expectations; markets the organization’s services to users; and justifies their existence.

Other than that, an online service catalogue allows users to request services right when they are needed; provides users clear terms and conditions for the services provided; and, perhaps most importantly, provides for the ability of users to self-service their own needs whenever they need them.

While it is important to always provide your customers with sufficient and correct information, when compiling the online service catalogue, always take the following into account:

– Put the customer first

– Think big but start small

– Add FAQs

– Promote the service catalogue

Beyond that, the following tips are useless for any organization looking to implement an online service catalogue:

Provide a clear description for each product or service

Answers to frequently asked questions regarding a product or service can help customers quickly find their own answers. Examples of common questions are: How do I set up the Wi-Fi connection on my telephone? How do I print on both sides of the paper? How do I adjust my desk?

Pay attention to the quality characteristics of a product or service

Make it clear which regulations apply. For instance, you could explain which meeting room can be used for which event, or which facilities are present in the meeting room.

Explain the ordering procedure for a product or service

A clear ordering procedure prevents customers ordering a product or service incorrectly, or them not adhering to the request’s lead time.

Specify the terms of delivery

Inform your customer about the delivery time for a product or service, and make it clear where the product ordered can be picked up.

Communicate the service desk’s availability

Grant your customers insight into when and how the service desk can be contacted, and when the customer can pick up his or her order, for instance.

While these tips may not address every possible obstacle in the development of a service catalogue, the materials mentioned herein do offer groundwork on the importance of the technology and it relevance to users. And, as organizations and IT departments take efforts to create deeper organization efficiency and more self-service for their internal customers, solutions such as service catalogue go a long way toward their meeting this goal. And, as manual processes continue to be deleted organizationally, such an approach is all too often better for all parties involved and well worth the minimal investment and effort such a project takes to launch, and be successful.

Nancy Van Elsacker Louisnord is the president of TOPdesk US.

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