Sunrise joins Volaris
Sunrise Software has joined Volaris Group, an operating group of Constellation Software. Volaris is a Canadian company providing market-leading software and services to a variety of industries worldwide. Volaris acquires, strengthens, and grows vertical market software companies.
Sunrise’s expertise in Service Management software is built on its interaction with client organisations across many sectors for over 25 years. In an age where customer and employee dependencies on technology are high, Sunrise assists organisations to better manage business processes and help achieve their customer service goals. Sunrise customers use its software to easily create, track and report on workplace tasks, events, and activities and to build and adapt related workflows, delivering greater productivity and satisfaction across the organisation.
Geoff Rees, Director of Sales & Operations at Sunrise commented, “We are proud to have built a strong community of customers, enabling them to deliver exceptional technology services to thousands of users each day. We believe that Sunrise has found a natural home at Volaris. Our shared principles of first-class product, customer care and staff development make for a true fit. Volaris is a buy and hold company, focused on sustainable growth, concentrating on the qualities that make businesses thrive, while bringing expertise and a professional framework to support us in our growth. We foresee exciting times ahead.”
“With an established tradition of innovation, and a passion for creating technology which improves the experiences of their users, Sunrise is a great addition to the Volaris Group family,” said Steven Denning-Garrison, Vice President of International Operations within Volaris Group and newly appointed CEO Sunrise. “We look forward to working with the Sunrise team to supplement their domain expertise with Volaris Group best practices in an effort to help them achieve their future ambitions.”
About Volaris Group
Volaris acquires, strengthens, and grows vertical market technology companies. As an Operating Group of Constellation Software Inc., Volaris is all about strengthening businesses within the markets they compete and enabling them to grow – whether that growth comes through organic measures such as new initiatives and product development, day-to-day business, or through complementary acquisitions. Learn more at www.volarisgroup.com.
About Sunrise
Sunrise’s software provides the framework for delivering and managing IT and other services enterprise-wide. Our service management solutions are implemented via configurable templates for IT, MSP and HR resources on a platform which is further adaptable across departments such as Customer Service, Finance or Facilities. Learn more here.
Sunrise is exhibiting on stand 520 at SITS, The Service Desk & IT Support Show, on 11-12 May 2022 at ExCeL London. Register for your free ticket here.
SITS Speaker Q&A: David Wright, Chief Value & Innovation Officer at Service Desk Institute
David Wright is an award-winning leader with 20 years experience in BPO and ITO service management. As Chief Value and Innovation Officer at SDI, his focus is to help create, uncover, curate and develop value for SDI and its global community. David is passionate about service and helping people be brilliant together. He has presented at SITS, SDI conferences in the UK, Mexico, Ecuador, Dubai, itSMF UK, itSMF USA, Finland, Denmark and has hosted and presenting virtual conferences and webinars. We spoke to David ahead of his talk...
1. From your research, which trends are you expecting to see over the next year or so?
There’s a whole host of findings from the research SDI has undertaken over the last few months. Much relates to how people, teams and organisations have adapted to so much change over the last two years. The research data clearly shows that many organisations have transformed their service strategies as they’ve adapted, accelerating the shift to digital business with the end user digital workplace experience as a core component. Some key trends related to improving the service experience, employee happiness, collaboration capability, shifting demand into smarter support channels and enabling the self-serving end user through better use of existing technology and the development of new technology. It's clear that many IT workers now think differently about what a successful service is and also what that’s meant for short and long term service strategies. It's also very clear that focusing on employee retention is an absolute must for IT leaders in 2022 and beyond.
2. What are the key points you’ll be covering in your seminar session at this year’s SITS?
We’ll be reflecting on how organisations have adapted to the changes of the last couple of years, why some adapted more successfully than others, as well as where we are heading. We’ll be looking at some key trends and what we’ve learned about the people who work in IT. The last 2 years has been a torrid time for everyone, however, there have been some incredible positives, we’ll look at some of those and how organisations are reshaping the future of support services.
3. What are you looking forward to the most at SITS?
The chance to meet people face to face again, the human stuff - sharing stories, enjoying a laugh, seeing the community in action without the need for MS Teams or Zoom. The chance to see old friends again and meet new friends.
4. What tips would you give Service Desk & IT Support Professionals looking to drive their IT services forward?
I think the ITIL4 guiding principles are brilliant, so start where you are, focus on value, collaborate, think and work holistically - all great to consider. If I was giving my younger self some advice, I’d say focus on now and be more present, stay curious and explore everything, fail fast, failure is ok but be better for it, and that all problems are interpersonal relationship problems. Sounds a bit odd that last one? Well I’d also advise the younger me to read ‘The Courage To Be Disliked’ by Ichiro Kishimi and Fumitake Koga, a load of greatness in that book that can be applied in a service environment and help to build cultures of success.
5. What’s your most memorable work moment?
I was very lucky to be part of a team that achieved the very first world-class, 5 Star Service Desk Certification, a truly great group of people, a truly great service and great memories.
David Wright's session titled ‘5 things you need to know right now!’ will be held at SITS, The Service Desk & IT Support Show on 11 May 2022 at 14:00 - 14:45 in Theatre 3 at ExCeL London.
SITS Speaker Q&A: Lars Matzareth, Director Sales EMEA & Simone Rothmund, Team Lead Customer Success at AnyDesk Software
Introducing Lars Matzareth, Director Sales EMEA and Simone Rothmund, Team Lead Customer Success from AnyDesk Software who are presenting Simplicity as a Service in the age of IoT at Theatre 2 at 3pm on the 11 May at SITS, The Service Desk & IT Support Show.
Lars is a passionate software technology generalist that helps people understand the benefits of intelligent automation and digital workers at their fingertips – making those work environments more ‘human.’ He loves helping his clients see how these technologies can help them achieve positive business outcomes.
Presenting alongside him is Simone Rothmund, a passionate Customer Success Specialist and Technology Enthusiast who established and shaped the Customer Success department in two SaaS companies.
1. What are you most looking forward to at SITS 2022?
Lars: Meeting in person again is what I’m really looking forward too. After not being at a fair for close to two years I’m really excited to publicly speak at SITS and look forward to the discussions about the transformation of the contact centre and support business areas.
Simone: I'm delighted to meet like-minded people, learn a lot about latest tech, and join insightful presentations about industry trends.
2. How did you get into the IT profession (or IT support)?
Lars: I started my first sales jobs in the IT Hardware space and then switched to a BPO company transforming sales organizations for our customers back at the turn of the millennium. Ever since I have been working in the software space to address contact centre and remote access and support situations for my employers.
Simone: As a digital native with a passion for technology and good service, I always wanted to be part of a fast-paced, customer-centric environment. As a result, I began specializing in SaaS Customer Success. At AnyDesk, I am now responsible for a global team of Customer Success Specialists, and I adore my job.
3. What’s the single biggest challenge in your work?
Lars: Coordinating the high volume of requests from our prospects and customers in EMEA and to fulfil them in due time – all while onboarding and growing our future sales personnel across all EMEA Regions.
Simone: The service world and the standards for effective service are continually evolving. Customers have a wide range of needs, especially on a global scale. Finding and using tools and methods to exceed those expectations is the most challenging endeavour.
4. What have you got planned for your session?
Lars: Lots of learnings from my 20 years of experience in Customer Service and Support and how these have been challenged and changed over the last 24 months. Hope you’ll enjoy the insights we can give.
Simone: Since we speak with service experts from all over the world on a daily basis, we get a lot of insights on the service world. In "Simplicity as a Service" we gathered their best practices and will share them with you.
5. In addition to your seminar session, why would you recommend others to visit SITS?
Lars: It’s one of Europe’s biggest Events if you are serious about being in the support business. Use it to gain an advantage from the networking possibilities and the vast insights of each of the sessions shared during the event.
Simone: IT service management specialists from all over the world will convene in London to discuss the newest service desk and IT support developments. It's a terrific opportunity to learn about industry trends, network with like-minded individuals, and acquire ideas for how to please and exceed your customers' expectations.
You can watch their session titled 'Simplicity as a Service in the age of IoT' on 11 May 2022 at 15 - 15:45, Theatre 2 at SITS, The Service Desk & IT Support Show at ExCeL London.
Register for a free visitor pass, here.
Vivantio Executives Speaking at Europe’s Top Exhibition Conference for ITSM Professionals: SITS 22
Vivantio, a leading provider of customer service management software and solutions, is pleased to announce Alexis Mackie, Head of Customer Success and Andy Walsh, Chief Operating Officer will be presenting Why Service Optimisation is Vital for your Vision at the Service Desk & IT Support Show (SITS 22) at ExCel London on 11-12 May.
The Vivantio team will be sharing how to improve service operations including developing and implementing partner ecosystems to create a single source of truth for service teams. They will also provide guidance on how to map the customer journey to value streams that increase internal and external customer satisfaction, advocacy, and revenue. Plus, they will demonstrate how predictive analytics can significantly reduce inbound requests and elevate the customer experience.
“I’m excited for the return of SITS 22 and especially looking forward to being a part of their outstanding educational programme,” said Vivantio COO Andy Walsh. “At Vivantio, we believe that service optimisation is key to elevating the customer experience. Companies that adopt a customer-centric strategy discover measurable benefits across all aspects of their business.”
“I love talking about the customer journey and how to maximize co-creation of value,” said Alexis Mackie, Head of Customer Success. “Andy and I are going to provide some proven KPIs that attendees can use to measure service optimisation benefits. And I hope they will stop by our booth after the session to continue the dialog!”
Attendees are encouraged to check out how critical KPI’s are easily tracked in the latest version of the award-winning Vivantio service management software. Vivantio experts will be providing demos in their exhibit throughout the conference.
To learn more about their session, on the 12 May at 10.00-10.45am in Theatre 1, click here.
To register for a free visitor pass, please visit www.servicedeskshow.com
For more information about Vivantio, please visit Vivantio.com.
Top 6 Service Management (ITSM) Trends of 2022
ITSM continues to evolve. As companies shift to digital-first, remote-friendly business models, is it finally time for enterprise service management (ESM) to have its moment? Is AI going mainstream? And will ITSM and DevOps stop competing? From the ITSM experts at Micro Focus, here are the top trends that will shape service management in 2022.
1) ESM Takes Center Stage
2021 was the year of digital transformation and remote working. IT teams rose to the pandemic-fueled digitization imperative and employees showed that working remotely works. As companies start fresh in 2022, they’re asking how ITSM can make digital transformation smoother and employees more productive. To be clear, ITSM is not going away—maturing ITSM is a continuous journey. But it’s also time for ESM to make its big entry.
ESM is an evolution of ITSM, born from the idea that a service is a service, whether it’s for IT or not. In 2022, service automation will expand even more into non-IT functions that include HR, customer support, facilities, finance, and sales.
“Every ITSM customer is asking about ESM,” said Philipp Koch, product manager at Micro Focus. “No longer focusing only on core IT, they’re looking to do broader service management using existing ITSM solutions.” Taking smaller ESM steps, traditional ITSM teams are exploring the addition of use cases for HR, document management, and visitor registrations.
Others are thinking big. “Companies with mature ITSM practices have high expectations of service management,” said Georges Farah, solutions consultant at Micro Focus. “They want their ITSM solutions to help them achieve an automated enterprise that connects external customers with internal users.”
Take one financial services company that’s thinking outside the box for processing loan applications. They envision the entire process—from online application submission and case assignment to background checking, risk assessment, prequalification, and final approval—being coordinated and automated through SMAX, the Micro Focus service management automation solution. In this scenario, RPA robots would be called to action, AI-powered virtual agents would resolve issues, and front-end systems would talk easily with back-end systems.
2) Service Delivery Gets Immersive
Do users know how to access your company’s IT portal? If your users are like most users, they probably don’t. Employees are more likely to ask their colleagues for help rather than contact the IT help desk.
That’s precisely why services will increasingly be delivered in employees’ own workspaces. “Services will become more accessible and consumable,” said Jacques Conand, senior director of product management at Micro Focus. “Delivering IT cards in collaboration tools like MS Teams and Slack is one starter example of embedding services in employees’ productivity tools.”
2021 ushered in a new way of working with a distributed workforce that is hired remotely, works remotely, uses multiple collaboration tools, and buys their own devices. “In this new era, IT isn’t centrally located, doesn’t have control of IT assets like it used to, and is less familiar with tech-diverse user environments,” said Bruno Labruère, vice president of research and development at Micro Focus.
“Service issues will require more time to resolve, and as a result, ITSM teams will start embracing a customer service mindset”, Labruère said. “That means truly getting to know the users and changing the way they experience service delivery.”
According to Lars Rossen, chief technology officer at Micro Focus, we won’t be comparing service management to what IT is doing today—that’s the wrong comparison.
“ESM is not ITSM in a non-IT function. ESM is about understanding and serving users. And when that happens, service experiences will feel highly personalized, thoughtfully customized, and simply effortless.”—Lars Rossen
3) AI Goes Mainstream for Automation
“Users expect fast, intelligent services—and the service portal is the face of IT, so of course there will continue to be a big focus on how users interact with the service portal,” Farah said. “For that reason, service portals with AI-powered capabilities—smart tickets, self-service search, virtual agents, and real-time request fulfilment—will continue to evolve. But the main reason for AI is automation.”
Think about AI as one more capability in the automation toolbox. It’s a toolbox Gartner coined hyperautomation—the orchestrated use of multiple technologies, tools or platforms, including artificial intelligence (AI), machine learning, event-driven software architecture, robotic process automation (RPA), integration platform as a service (iPaaS), and low-code/no-code tools.1
“AI is a means to an end—the end goal being more automation. Automation will never stop. It’s how companies will continue to deliver faster, meaningful, more cost-effective services.”—Jacques Conand
Dan Clayton, product manager at Micro Focus, agrees. “Our customers are asking the right question: What’s the real value of AI? The obvious answer is automation. We need to react fast, and the only way we do so is if we have the right automation tools in place.”
4) ITSM and DevOps Reconcile
For a good decade or so, DevOps and ITSM stood seemingly at odds with one another. Agile versus rigid. Teams versus silos. A mindset versus a framework.
“2022 will be the year when DevOps and ITSM reconcile,” said Carlos Arranz, enterprise service management practice lead at Micro Focus.
“Companies are recognizing that IT is better when DevOps and ITSM work together. DevOps makes for faster, continuous deployments. ITSM makes sure those deployments are compliant and risk-free.”—Carlos Arranz
According to a Forrester 2022 software development predictions blog, “developers (and the enterprises that support them) are showing a preference for holistic toolchains to enable automated governance and compliance.” 2 These toolchains will “essentially become another platform as a service,” Forrester said, predicting that 50% of enterprises will rely on them in 2022.
Arranz believes that increasingly, service management solutions will provide out-of-the-box change and release management capabilities. “Analytics for change risk and change collision, built-in AI for managing and reducing change failures, automated approvals based on risk assessment, and real-time information about the DevOps pipeline are key capabilities companies will come to rely on,” he said.
5) Service Management Becomes Agile
“By 2024, 80% of ITSM teams that have not adopted an agile approach will find that their ITSM practices are ignored or bypassed.” So said Gartner in its 2022 Strategic Roadmap for IT Service Management report. According to the research firm, companies should “federate ITSM practices within product teams and centers of excellence to complement agile approaches.”3
“There’ll be new emphasis on service agility,” Conand said. “For example, empowering DevOps teams to manage their own cloud services with quick self-service provisioning—with built-in cost control and security policy compliance—shows how ITSM is evolving to meet business needs.”
Alongside agility, value stream optimization will start working its way into service management. “True ESM is value management,” Rossen said. “Companies will focus on building, measuring, and optimizing entire end-to-end services for creating value streams, versus automating standalone tasks.”
To effectively measure value streams, metrics will become business centric. “The ones that get the most attention will be based on outcomes and user experiences,” he said.
6) SaaS Gets Real, On-Prem Becomes Niche
“Companies are increasingly comfortable moving their service automation to modern SaaS platforms,” said Matthew Bertram, business development manager at Micro Focus. “Even highly regulated industries and government entities are adjusting to the new world shaped by the pandemic and are working through their data security and sovereignty requirements.”
While most of the market moves to SaaS, some companies will prefer running their software on their own terms. On premises won’t go away, but it will become niche. “Customers still need freedom of deployment choice,” Labruère said. “That means non-SaaS customers should have access to first-class software capabilities that are available to SaaS customers.”
He added: “But as companies grow their appreciation for SaaS, they’ll seek versionless, consumer-style SaaS experiences."
“With versionless SaaS, companies are always on the latest release without going through lengthy, costly upgrades. The accepted notion of versioned SaaS will be upended by real SaaS that’s always up to date.”—Bruno Labruère
To learn how you can deliver fast, easy, smart services experiences for all, visit microfocus.com/ESM or contact our Service Management Automation X team.
1Gartner, Information Technology Glossary, hyperautomation
2Forrester, Predictions 2022: Software Development Adapts To A New Normal, https://www.forrester.com/blogs/predictions-2022-software-development-adapts-to-a-new-normal/, 18 November 2021.
3Gartner, 2022 Strategic Roadmap for IT Service Management, by Chris Matchett, Rich Doheny, Siddharth Shetty, Mark Cleary, 26 October 2021.
Meet Micro Focus in person at SITS, The Service Desk & IT Support Show at stand 590 on 11-12 of May. For more information and to register for a free visitor pass, please visit www.servicedeskshow.com
7 ways service management is changing
The past couple of years has radically transformed nearly every aspect of our world. Living through a global pandemic has brought about paradigm shifts in how companies operate and how people live. While industries coped with varying degrees of uncertainty, digital transformation became the focal point of information technology as it determined enterprises’ success. The quick transition to work from home, online education, and telehealth in response to a large-scale disruption is a reminder that digital technology and IT play an important role in crisis response and management.
According to a global survey report by McKinsey, “companies have accelerated the digitization of their customer and supply-chain interactions and of their internal operations by three to four years.” It is evident that IT has been stepping up quickly with organizations’ new and renewed reliance on technology, and has become an unstoppable force as it continues to reign its impact across people, processes, and technology.
However, in this new era of hybrid work culture and a scattered workforce, how does IT shape up? We can be confident of one thing – change is the only constant, and it is fast. How quickly IT adapts to the evolving world is the plasticity and flexibility that resilient businesses require to become successful and manage the economic downturn.
Let’s take a look at some of the IT trends impacting industries and enterprise IT teams, changing how service management is handled.
- Apps reign supreme for customer service engagement
Our research shows that 68% of WhatsAppTM users report that it is the most convenient way to engage with brands. Both customers and employees prioritize messaging channels for engagements that are traditionally otherwise had via phone or email. Collaboration between customers and brands are moving away from the call center and into the app store.
- Automating the mundane, humanizing the pain
As the pandemic pushed businesses online overnight, companies quickly scaled automation and self-service technology like chatbots and FAQs to deflect and resolve employee support issues. However, IT teams have a big opportunity to go beyond resolving tech requests and make it a delightful exchange that deepens relationships across the business. More companies continue to automate the mundane using Robotic process automation (RPA) so that businesses can continue to operate even when the employee is unable to gain access to the infrastructure. Companies are also rethinking employee service as a branding opportunity, using bot deflection for even the simplest conversations and exceeding delight with the human touch.
- Customer data security will make or break brands
In 2021, most IT departments strengthened their endpoint protection, identity and access management, data loss prevention and perimeter security posture in response to the pandemic. These investments have a long shelf life and have set the foundation for enhancing the overall security posture for the new year – customers are sticking with brands they trust in 2022, as they cherish reliability overall in this ‘always on’ world. To customers, uninterrupted IT means unstoppable business.
- Companies need to establish a complete “tech review” for employees
Every organization struggled to get all of their employees securely online after the world went remote. Companies need to implement a ‘tech review’ for each employee showing who and where they are, what role they play in the organization, what devices, tools, and apps they use and what level of access they need. This will enable IT to provide a more secure, seamless and frictionless experience for the end-user should the need to go remote occur in the future.
- Beef up IT consumerization
We’re in the golden age of consumer-tech simplicity, and employees expect to see that same simplicity, instant gratification and autonomy in their workplace tools as they experience in their everyday lives. The continued deployment of Robotic process automation (RPA) tools, bots and smart applications are table stakes for businesses who want to keep their employees happy and minimize frustration or resignations.
- Create a cloud infrastructure for the long haul
One positive outcome from the pandemic was the long-overdue corporate acceleration towards and adoption of cloud and SaaS platforms. Unfortunately, many architectures or solutions deployed in reaction to the pandemic were not ‘enterprise-grade.’ Organizations now need to reevaluate what technologies work best and which are sustainable for the long haul.
- Enduring the Great Resignation
Many tech workers left the workforce due to burnout and retaining talent remains a priority for companies across all industries. The shortage of workforce created some challenges in recruiting and hiring talent. Companies need to step up on all fronts of employee culture, from pay to benefits to career development and adopting technology that is easy to use and makes working more delightful.
We have come a long way since the beginning of 2020. CIOs and leaders across industries are now re-thinking their strategic long-term plans in light of the unpredictable times ahead. Companies are expected to deliver user experiences that mimic the seamless digital experiences that employees have in their personal lives and proactively embrace and practice the highest data privacy standards for their customers to maintain brand trust. Small and medium businesses have realized their move towards cloud technology and infrastructure has provided more freedom in the way they can operate, grow, and expand in different areas.
Businesses and the workforce will continue to adapt as the hybrid workplace evolves and IT will be the catalyst for change that will cut across all business functions and operations.
In a world where the ‘anywhere operations’ model is slowly becoming a norm, where businesses can be accessed and enabled anywhere — where customers, employers, and partners operate, the onus then lies on IT to continue implementing various technologies to improve existing systems. Strong, reliable and uninterrupted IT services and practices enable organizations to stay competitive and help the world become digitally resilient to future large-scale disruptions.
Join us at the Freshworks Global Jam Tour in London and Manchester this June as we’ll bring together the brightest minds in service management to help inspire your own strategy. Spaces are extremely limited, Register your place.
You can also meet Freshworks in person at SITS, The Service Desk & IT Support Show, stand 340 on 11-12 of May. For more information and to register for a free visitor pass, please visit www.servicedeskshow.com
Overcoming Distances in Customer Support: 5 Pillars of Successful IT Service Desks
Over the last few years, customer expectations have changed tremendously. Customers expect instant help and real-time responses, no matter where they are. These expectations have even increased since the pandemic creating new challenges for ITSMs. The idea of a state-of-the-art IT Service Desk needs to be rethought and existing service processes need to be put to the test.
Customer Service Becomes Customer Experience
Outstanding customer support is more than just simple responding services, it is about creating a pleasant customer experience throughout the entire customer journey. The modern Service Desk is not only becoming an essential part of the product a company offers, but it also accompanies the entire customer journey. Support Centres are therefore shifting to Experience Centres and changing their focus.
Due to changing customer expectations and the need to overcome distances, Remote Support is becoming an indispensable tool for businesses to succeed in meeting these new customer demands. By offering efficient Remote Support within their Service Desk, companies experience much higher flexibility and savings when it comes to travel cost. At the same time, they can operate much more efficiently and serve customers in a more competent way, ultimately leading to improved customer satisfaction and a higher customer retention rate.
The 5 Pillars of Successful IT Service Desks
Your Service Desk will only be able to exceed customer expectations if it is being built on these 5 pillars:
- Product Knowledge: Knowing the product and always being up to date regarding product enhancements is key to understanding customers’ pain points, and further enhancing the product for them in the long run.
- The Right Tools: Investing in the right technology today will save you money in the future. Be sure to work with a simple, secure, and fast tool when you look for the right Remote Support Software for your company.
- Customer Knowledge: By getting to know your customers and understanding both their needs and their pain points you will be able to serve them in the right way. Satisfied customers are key to your business success.
- Self-Service: You may want to implement a self-service portal that is available for your customers 24/7, regardless of the distance and time of the day. Self-services are location-independent and a great way to complement your Service Desk.
- Customer Feedback: Listen to your customers’ feedback carefully, the positive and the negative! Only by paying attention to your customers constructive criticism will you be able to improve your service offerings and raise customer satisfaction in the process.
Conclusion
Customer expectations are constantly changing. If you want your business to succeed and stand out from the competition, you may want to adapt your services to these changed customer demands. Being able to offer efficient Remote Support is not just nice to have, nowadays, it is a must-have, as customers want to be supported instantly and distances need to be overcome. With the right tools and the matching strategy in place, Service Desks can shift from simple “Service Centres” to “Experience Centres” creating a pleasant customer experience throughout the entire customer journey.
To learn more about trends that can help to improve your services, please visit our session at SITS 2022 "Simplicity as a Service in the age of IoT", on 11th of May at 15:00 (Theatre 2). We are looking forward to seeing you there!
About AnyDesk
Founded in 2014 in Germany, AnyDesk is an innovative provider of fast and secure Remote Desktop Software. Our unique video codec DeskRT allows a virtually latency-free collaboration and fluent on-screen experience. Trusted by millions of people and more than 100,000 companies in 190 countries, we are growing internationally transforming from Start-up into Scale-up. Until today, our software has been downloaded 500 million times. It is used by enterprises, organizations, and government institutions from all over the world to streamline their Service Desk Management and provide efficient Remote Support, in-house as well as externally.
Lean more about AnyDesk.
SITS Speaker Q&A: Satty Virdi, Senior Principal Product Success Manager at ServiceNow
Satty has 15+ years of experience in ITSM with two years in Product Success, covering all ITSM applications. He's responsible for evaluating how the ServiceNow ITSM solution solves the market’s problem and assists customers with any adoption challenges. Satty also acts as the voice of the customer to help align the ServiceNow roadmap with market needs and priorities. From being "desktop support" for his family to gaining insight into what you can look forward to in his session, get to know Satty before his session at SITS, The Service Desk & IT Support Show on the 11-12 May 2022 at ExCeL London.
1. How did you get into the IT profession (or IT support)?
I’ve always had a passion for technology and enjoyed problem solving from a young age. Like most, I ended up being “desktop support” for my family and friends so starting my career in IT Support was a natural move for me. I also grew up in the dial-up modem era, so I knew I had the patience to deal with customer queries! 😊
2. In addition to your seminar session, why would you recommend others to visit SITS?
I have been attending SITS for many years now and have always found the event invaluable. I would recommend taking the opportunity to speak to numerous suppliers on tools and products that can support your business objectives. There is usually a wide, diverse set of solutions out there, so take the opportunity to ask as many questions of them as you can think of. More importantly, take in as many of the presentations as you can. I always find these provide great value and insight. You get the chance to hear, learn and challenge your peers on various topics and best practises.
3. What can we look forward to in your session?
I am fortunate to get the opportunity to speak with multiple customers on a daily basis and it’s a question I get asked a lot – how can I modernize my service desk experience? This question has many layers, so during the session I plan to provide an overview of the typical challenges we face, the types of areas to focus on, the approaches that have worked across various customers and some insights into common pitfalls when customers tackle this outcome.
4. What’s the best advice you’ve ever been given?
“You have 2 ears and one mouth – so listen twice and speak once!” – this has stuck with me throughout my career in Customer Service and IT Service & Support. Being able to listen to a customer and take in what they are saying before responding has always put me in good stead during my engagements.
5. What’s been the proudest moment in your career?
That’s a tough question! I have many moments I am proud of but if I was to choose one that often resonates with me…I’d say it’s the opportunity to become a leader in organisations I have worked in. I’ve worked with some great team members and I feel proudest when I see members of teams we have built, go on to fulfil their potential. I feel proud that the work we did together helped them to move forward on their journey.
Satty Virdi's session titled 'Build a smarter, modern Service Desk experience' will be held on 12 May, 12:00 - 12:45 at Theatre 1.
SITS Speaker Q&A: Cees Bos, CTO at Marval Software
Cees specialises in managing enterprise management environments, resolving complex ICT architectural and organizational situations in large enterprises. He has been working on large AI and ML projects, service management, outsourcing deals and European tenders and has worked for national and international companies in various industries. Learn a bit about Cees before his session at SITS, The Service Desk & IT Support Show on the 11-12 May 2022 at ExCeL London.
1. Why would you recommend a visit to SITS?
The event will be showing the latest developments in the service management industry. It allows people to learn about the latest technology and make the right decisions for their organisation. It is one of the biggest events which means visitors get a view of the latest and greatest developments in the industry over two days. Efficient and effective. And of course it is a great place to meet customers, partners, suppliers and contacts.
2. What’s the best advice you’ve ever been given?
First listen to the full question before asking questions or coming up with solutions. Getting an understanding of ‘the question behind the question’ allows you to come up with the best possible business value instead of giving a technical solution. Usually a technical solution by itself does not bring the maximum value to a company. It is all about people, process and technology that can bring value. Especially in these days of digital transformation and IT4IT, we need to have an holistic view of the situation and best possible solutions.
3. What is one common misconception about the industry you would like to change?
In general it is the idea that a tool will solve the problem and it needs to be customised because a company has unique processes. This most of the time results in a massive landscape of customized tools that hamper version upgrades and do not integrate, leaving a company with silo’s of data. A situation that makes it difficult for companies from taking the next steps in digital transformation. To enable maximum value companies need to be able to combine the data from different systems and sources to bring additional value in the business processes. That’s where the combination of People Process and technology will solve this silo thinking.
4. Do you have any goals you’d like to achieve at SITS 2022?
First and foremost we are there to connect with our network in the industry. The combination of clients, partners and suppliers is important. And of course the opportunity to share knowledge on how the use of data and artificial intelligence will change the way processes are set up and run. This statement is always key: An old business process + new (expensive) technology = an old complex and expensive business process. To explain a little further: to succeed in creating business value the use of data and Artificial intelligence needs to be used in the right way in a process to deliver value. The process might need to change to facilitate this use.
5. What are the key points you’ll be covering in your seminar session?
Presentation Synopsis: We are all familiar with a rapid changing world due to the increased speed of innovation and disruption of markets using new technologies. The market asks more and more from businesses to respond instantly and deliver top-notch service. This trend puts more pressure on supportive departments like IT to keep up with their businesses. The use of AI, ML and automation has become a necessity instead of a luxury. But how to use it? Step into the world of self- healing capabilities and explore how to use the data where it works best.
Presentation takeaways:
1. What will be the role of AI/ML in the coming 5 years in Service Management
2. How can a business benefit from self-healing capabilities?
3. How do we remove the barriers to digital transformation
Cees Bos’s session on ‘The future of AI and Machine Learning in Service Management' will take place in Theatre 1 on 11 May at 1pm, at SITS, The Service Desk & IT Support Show at ExCeL London.
Register for a free visitor pass, here.
SITS Speaker Q&A: Richard Josey, Lead ITSM Solutions Architect at AFJ Solutions
Richard Josey is a SM Solutions Architect for AFJ Solutions. With over 20 years’ experience in Service Management, he's been a driving force behind many organisations efforts to implement and embed mature Service Management processes. He is a consultant/CSI manager and chair of the BCS Service Management and IT Asset Management Specialist group. Richard is also a public speaker and thought leader for Gartner, itSMF, SITS, GSDC, Cherwell and BCS Conferences. Hear from Richard below before seeing him speak at SITS, The Service Desk & IT Support Show on the 11-12 May 2022 at ExCeL London.
1. Tell us about your journey with SITS, how has the show shaped your growth?
I first went to SITS back in 2014 when my employer had a stand. Since then I have spoken, exhibited and visited several times. It has helped to expand my view of the ITSM industry, providing me with a greater understanding of various companies and experts in the space. I’ve learned a lot from the presentations and had the opportunity to network and exchange thoughts and perspectives.
2. In addition to your seminar session, why would you recommend others to visit SITS?
It’s a great professional development environment and a must-visit for anyone whose organization wants them to update or expand their ITSM tooling and capabilities.
3. What can we look forward to in your session?
As interactive a session, packed with practical examples and key principles to consider and hopefully, some humour.
4. How do you foresee IT/business alignment changing over the next 2-3 years?
This is a long-term theme in our industry, which seems to have gone from ‘thought leadership’ to ‘strategic importance’ in the last couple of years. We have had practitioners calling on increased alignment, but with the pandemic driving the agenda forwards, we are now seeing this at board level. I predict that we will see this filtering through, from senior management to operational models, in an increasing number of organizations. This will lead to it becoming a significant part of organizational culture and be increasingly seen as a basic ‘job skill’ for IT practitioners, including junior positions. Correspondingly, I expect to see increased perception of IT as being a strategic driver, for line of business leaders, which will lead to this to be seen as a must have skill and attitude.
Richard Josey’s session on ‘Building the perfect Change Management process' will take place in Theatre 2 on 11 May at 12pm at SITS, The Service Desk & IT Support Show at ExCeL London.
Register for a free visitor pass, here.