The evolution of support – Going back to the future

Business insights

The evolution of support: Going back to the future 1

Executive summary

Are support services fit for an era of digital transformation and constant change? This paper looks at how we can evolve our support service to suit modern needs – and how that involves ‘going back to the future’.

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Contents Introduction

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The insurance policy model

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The pre-paid package model

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The third way – going back to the future

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Conclusion

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Ready to go back to the future?

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Introduction

When it comes to support services, it’s not unusual to see colleagues from different departments coming to blows (figuratively, at least) over how this can be best utilised.

The reason for these differences in opinion stems from the fact that support services have evolved to serve two purposes – and debates occur over what should take priority.

The primary role of a support service is, of course, to keep the lights on and the wheel turning. Although, we now live in an era of digital transformation – and change is the new constant. This has seen demands for support services evolve to also include change projects, which are taking place across all lines of business.

With several emerging technologies moving tantalisingly close to the business mainstream – think the Internet of Things, AI and blockchain – the number of change project requests is only set to grow.

Businesses that can adapt quickly to the emergence of any new technology have a clear advantage over less agile competitors – those ill equipped to meet the evolving expectations of customers and employees.

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B U S I N E S S E S T H AT C A N A DA P T Q U I C K LY TO T H E EMERGENCE OF ANY NEW TECHNOLOGY H AV E A C L E A R A DVA N TAG E …

The danger, though, is that in looking too far down the road we get can swept up in the promise of the future, to the detriment of the present. Existing technology infrastructure and systems can cause enough headaches, and they can bring ambitious businesses back down to earth with a bump if they’re not careful.

It’s difficult for anyone to move forward when the ground beneath their feet is crumbling away. So, while one person might want to shift resources toward future-thinking projects, another may be more concerned with keeping basic operations fully functional in the short to medium term.

These competing demands have led support services to evolve over time, from a basic subscription model that covers ‘break-fix’ requests, to one that also covers change requests. As CIOs have sought to shift their focus further towards strategic goals however, many have found this dual-purpose approach is not ideal, and it has left them looking for a third way forward.

This paper will examine all these options – including that third way; an option that’s quickly gaining popularity.

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The

INSURANCE POLICY MODEL Historically, many companies took the view that they only needed a support service to provide a safety net. Available in a subscription model, covering the ‘break-fix’ remit, this was an insurance policy essentially, taken out just in case things went wrong.

On the surface, it seems sensible to mitigate against any potential problems the company could encounter in this way. But there were two big problems with this approach:

… Q UA L I T Y M AT T E R S – AND CHEAPEST IS S E L D O M B E S T.

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1. You get what you pay for Too many people saw enlisting a support team in the same way they viewed taking out vehicle insurance in the early days of price aggregation websites. This was when you were simply shown a list of prices, with little to differentiate the offerings. Inevitably, most people chose the cheapest – after all, they all did the same job, right?

Well, we know that was not quite true. They were only the same until you needed them. That was the point when you found out how good the customer service was, how quickly they paid out and what wasn’t included in the policy – including that post-accident complimentary replacement car you so vitally needed to get to work in the morning. The fact is, when it comes to the technology in a business environment, you use your support service all the time. So, quality matters – and cheapest is seldom best.

2. Insurance is not a growth enabler As we’ve mentioned above, we are in an era of digital transformation and change requests are now the norm.

Organisations are constantly seeking to improve their solutions and improve their ability to process data – with the goal to become an intelligent enterprise. A support service provider should be able to help businesses do this.

To build for the future though, companies need a long-term support partner that offers more than a safety net. After all, you cannot build on a safety net; you need to put down solid foundations for that, and only a support partner thinking about the long term is likely to take that into consideration

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The

PRE-PAID PACKAGE MODEL As the perception of support has moved away from ‘break-fix’ only, to a model that incorporates ever more complex projects and change requests, the way these services are supplied had to be adjusted.

As such, pre-paid packages were introduced to allow organisations to buy a set number of support days to cover off all requirements.

With this approach, companies can enlist a support provider to cover both proactive improvements and reactive break-fix work.

In essence, this works in a similar way to your mobile phone contract.

You estimate the minutes and data you’ll use each month and buy a package to match. Then, if you are nearing your contract limit, you have the option to buy extra minutes (or days, in the case of support). If you have a good support partner (unlike mobile phone contracts) you’ll also have the option to roll over unused time into the next contract period.

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This remains a very popular offering, and for good reason. But the dual-purpose approach is not perfect for everyone as it includes complications that suit some more than others – such as the need to play the gatekeeper role.

The gatekeeper role Pre-paid contracts normally come with inbuilt checks that require IT managers to approve work that will likely eat up more time than initially expected. Although designed to protect the organisation, this creates a gatekeeper role that leaves IT managers with the responsibility of deciding what projects get prioritised over others.

Imagine your organisation has recently acquired another business and you’re in the process of integrating their systems – rewriting scripts, training staff, etc. – when a major break-fix request comes in from another area of the business. Do you a) put the break-fix on hold until the end of the month in order to complete the system integration, b) put the integration project on hold, or c) raise a purchase order for additional support days to cover both requests?

While this check gives companies added control, it also means the introduction of an administrative process that can delay requests being resolved.

Split focus The dual-purpose model also has the potential to distract the IT team from strategically important tasks. This is often through good intentions. For instance, IT teams can sometimes spend time resolving ‘break-fix’ requests themselves in order to preserve the expert consultancy available through their support days for a change project.

This distraction issue is only complicated by the various types of support now needed to maintain a modern-day infrastructure, which can also include cloud hosting, licence management and general maintenance for security patching and updates.

T H E D UA L - P U R P O S E MODEL ALSO HAS T H E P OT E N T I A L TO D I S T R AC T T H E I T T E A M F RO M S T R AT E G I C A L LY I M P O RTA N T TA S K S .

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The third way –

GOING BACK TO THE FUTURE The alternative to these two choices is to go ‘back to the future’ and operate a hybrid model that reintroduces the old subscription model, alongside the pre-paid package. Introducing EdenRun. This new subscription model needs to be one that is fit for the modern era, however. As well as guaranteeing all break-fix requests are resolved, it also must cover hosting support, maintenance and licence management – as well as all those small change requests that are frequently required. Larger change projects – those likely to take a day or more to complete – are then handled separately through the pre-paid package arrangement.

While this may seem a simple response to the challenges many CIOs are currently facing, the benefits are numerous.

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1. The removal of bottlenecks With IT managers no longer being asked to play the gatekeeper role (with all break-fix requests now guaranteed to be resolved) a significant bottleneck is removed. It’s allowing different line of businesses to raise support tickets directly – and, therefore, removes IT from the awkward position of having to decide what department gets priority treatment.

By eradicating this administrative step, there is also no chance that your support provider is left idling, waiting for approval, when a problem exists. As such, break-fix requests are resolved much faster.

2. Better governance By separating large change requests from break-fix requests organisations can also exercise better governance and oversight. It effectively means the project leader for any big initiative will need to take full responsibility from a change request by personally raising the PO for the required support days – as these projects will no longer be mixed in with break-fix requests.

This can help organisations prevent support days being eaten up by change initiatives that fall beyond their core strategic goals.

3. Consolidation of suppliers and costs By pulling together various forms of support – for break-fix requests, hosting, maintenance, licence management or small change requests – the subscription model helps organisations reduce the number of suppliers and contracts their IT team need to manage.

This consolidation of suppliers also means that all forms of support are covered by one monthly fee. No extra one-off payments or annual spikes in budget means greater certainty over cashflow is provided.

4. Reduced risk and increased confidence By guaranteeing to resolve all requests through a subscription model, it’s now the support partner that is taking on all the risk when it comes to allocating resources to complete the work. This model incentivises a support provider to fix problems for good and prevent further issues from arising.

In effect, organisations gain a strategic long-term partner that will ensure recurring issues are a thing of the past – increasing confidence that downtime will be kept to a minimum going forward.

5. Increased ability to execute strategic goals As companies strive to drive forward digital transformation, removing the distraction of the gatekeeper role can also be a huge enabler, as IT departments no longer need to split their attention.

As they aren’t required to make decisions over break-fix requests anymore, CIOs can ensure their teams are fully focused on the organisation’s main strategic tasks.

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Conclusion

Although the pre-paid package remains a credible option for many businesses, the reality is that when a support provider works with a business for a long period, they become well placed to estimate the time required to manage requests.

With this knowledge it is possible to allocate the resources required to cover off all ‘break-fix’ requests and offer a flat fee for this service.

This ‘no quibbles guarantee’ approach doesn’t just ensure a company’s support costs remain constant, it takes away difficult decision making – removing a significant internal challenge.

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This third way is allowing businesses to stride forward with confidence and embrace digital transformation projects, safe in the knowledge that they are operating on solid ground.

Ready to go back to the future?

Find out more about Edenhouse’s new subscription model for SAP support today

edenhousesolutions.co.uk info@edenhousesolutions.co.uk Or call us:

+44 (0) 330 058 6020

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Edenhouse Solutions help forward-thinking businesses reimagine their business processes, by harnessing the power of SAP innovation to drive transformation and change management success.

A leading strategic partner to small, medium and large businesses across multiple industries, Edenhouse inspire business leaders to create a growth mindset to leverage their SAP investment, and Cloud strategies to achieve competitive edge.

edenhousesolutions.co.uk

Headquartered in Birmingham UK, with offices in Farnborough and Manchester, the company employs highly talented SAP consultants and solution architects who are passionate about driving our ‘Customer for Life’ ethos and helping create an Intelligent Enterprise to drive success.