What is ESM? How Can ESM Help My Company?

Enterprise Service Management is a phrase continuing to pop up more and more as organizations look to refine their business strategies to improve efficiency and reduce costs.

Enterprise Service Management or ESM is the application of IT Service Management (ITSM) strategies, processes, and workflows to departments across the organization. ESM enables you to connect and empower your teams, streamline their operations, and track the progress of work (and ownership) in a more transparent manner.

ESM is the solution for handling the workday's inefficiency that comes along with departments working in silos, lack of governance, and accountability of who is responsible for what. And all those email requests that go back and forth trying to move an inquiry along the process. 

You might like: Why You Should be Using an Enterprise Service Management Tool

To take an enterprise approach, you can use a single platform such as Jira Service Management to standardize your process while allowing both customization and collaboration of departments.  For example, using the one platform, you can customize portals (service desks) for each department; utilize a single knowledge and information repository; track and report on outcomes, and automate routing and workflows.

Selling Enterprise Service Management

ITSM practices have been widely adopted by IT teams in organizations across the globe. But ESM is still a relatively new phrase for many businesses and organizations. Therefore, when trying to sell ESM to the Human Resources or Marketing teams, you must recognize their lack of familiarity with the terminology and processes.

Our article on ‘Selling Enterprise Service Management to IT and Beyond’ illustrates the importance of focusing on outcomes rather than getting in the weeds with processes. Focusing on the needs of the individual business unit allows you to identify points of leverage and opportunity, resulting in a higher likelihood of acceptance and adoption.

Some Benefits of Enterprise Service Management

• Reduced operational costs and improved efficiency
• Workload reductions and self-service efficiencies
• Higher satisfaction with customer experience and service
• Increased governance and control
• Better collaboration within and across departments
• Maximize ROI on a corporate ITSM solution
• Process standardization

Which Departments can use ESM?

We have found that every department sees benefits when implementing ESM. The number of departments only limits the possibilities. Almost every business unit provides an internal or external service for the organization. 

• Customer Service: Proactively addressing issues and automating replies for standard requests, and providing a self-service option for customers.
• Human Resources (HR): Onboarding new employees, security checks and audits, handling departures, dealing with a request for PTO or leave, health plan or personnel changes
• Purchasing/Procurement: Processing purchase orders, building quotes, authorizing discounts and price adjustments, and communicating with vendors.
• Facilities/Building Services: Managing requests for repairs, office furniture assets, relocations, and general maintenance.
• Accounting and Finance: Approving expenses, sending invoices, tracking payments.
• Creative and marketing teams: Creating stock images and templates, applying product changes to the website, tracking social media content, deadlines for deliverables.
• Legal: Reviewing and approving documents, requests for standing contracts/forms, and certifying documents.
• Admin/General Admin: Request office supplies, manage couriers/delivery services, and schedule meeting rooms.
• Sales: Customer relationship management, pipeline management, etc.

Getting Started with ESM

Is your IT Department already using ITSM? How willing is your organization to adopt new software or processes? Are the existing pieces of software you’re capable of implementing ESM-type strategies? There are several questions you’ll have to ask.

Find a service management program with templates, workflows, and the knowledge to help guide you through the process. Some businesses do it themselves, and some partner with a company like Praecipio, which has 15+ years of experience assisting companies to implement these principles.

You might start with ITSM or build onto your existing ITSM with a product like Atlassian Jira Service Management. Click here to learn all about ESM at Atlassian. However, if you’re trying to do it yourself, make sure you avoid these common ESM tool mistakes.

We’re proud to have helped many companies, like yours, successfully implement ITSM or ESM throughout their organization. So, contact us to get started today.