IT deps must think like construction firms to save money

Tech companies must work more like construction companies if they want to stop leaking money, after research from Oxford University showed that projects managed by IT businesses are three times more likely to go over budget than ones in the building trade.

By studying 1500 large infrastructure and IT projects in a range of sectors, the University found the average budget overrun was 27 per cent, with one in six projects costing 200 per cent more than planned. However, the IT sector was found to be more wasteful, suggesting the technology sector needs to re-evaluate how projects are planned and implemented, adopting a more thorough and methodical style akin to large scale constructions.

Hello (again) from Richmond Systems

We’re Richmond Systems and for more than 20 years we’ve been helping businesses improve their IT support and services. Yes, I know, we’ve been fairly quiet lately, but it’s not because there’s nothing going on - in fact, the opposite is true. We’ve been incredibly busy, working with new clients and developing exciting products which we are keen to share with you later this year.

This post is letting you know that we won’t be quiet from now on. So much has changed in recent years, such as the rise of consumerisation, signs the industry is outgrowing ITIL, and the ever-present pressure to do more for less while developing stronger links with the businesses we support. Our experiences working with customers and developing our own technologies mean we have lots to share on these and other topics.

We believe that freely sharing information is vital for raising standards of IT delivery and we will support this view with a series of activities. For starters, we are going to frequently publish news and ideas on this blog, for example this story about the importance of IT support to the utilities industry. This and more content will also be featured on our new website, plus we are launching a community newsletter in the next few weeks which we hope you will share with your colleagues and peers. We are excited about growing our network and learning from the ITSM community and we aim to help you do the same. Please follow us on Twitter and we hope you enjoy and comment on what we have to say.

Helpdesk's key as utilities prepare for $11.7 billion IT spending spree

Utility providers seeking a competitive edge will focus their spending on IT services, rather than hardware and software investments, according to research from IDC.

With effective IT recognised of one of the few areas that utility companies can differentiate in a commoditised market, spending on technology provision is set to peak in 2015 at $11.7 billion, a $2.6 billion increase on this year’s figures.

IT services will absorb 62 per cent of the outlay, while spending on packaged software will account for 21 per cent, and hardware 18 per cent. IT support will command the biggest share of IT services spending, followed by project implementations and day-to-day operations.

Billing mistakes earn TalkTalk £3 million fine

An IT failure has resulted in TalkTalk and its subsidiary Tiscali being hit with a £3 million fine, after the communications regulator Ofcom found the error meant that some customers were charged for unused services.

The regulator gave TalkTalk until December 2010 to rectify the problem - caused by a failure to correctly integrate Tiscali customer details into its system - however almost 3000 customers still received inaccurate bills between this date and March 2011.

The resulting fine could have been far higher - Ofcom can levy up to 10 per cent of a offending business’ turnover - but the regulator took into consideration TalkTalk paying compensation of £2.5 million, and reducing complaint calls by 40 per cent by introducing new customer service and IT systems.

“We are of course disappointed at the scale of the fine and feel it is a disproportionate penalty; however we are striving to continually improve and invest in customer experience and are pleased at the clear progress we are starting to make,” says TalkTalk CEO Dido Harding.

Career Opportunities: Account Manager (new)

Account Managers


ROLE:
This position is ideal for a self-motivated and ambitious person with strong communication skills and who enjoys working in a customer facing environment. We offer a competitive compensation package which includes a base salary + an excellent uncapped commission plan. In addition, we provide comprehensive training sessions, which offer all the necessary tools to succeed.


RESPONSIBILITIES:
Develop new prospects and expand existing accounts.
Maintain required number of quality outbound calls to customer contacts.
Generate incremental revenue according to specific targets.
Conduct in-depth product presentations.
Record accurate customer data in the CRM system.
Provide high level of customer service to ensure customer satisfaction.


SKILLS/EXPERIENCE:
Demonstrable Software sales or similar experience,
A good technical understanding
Excellent communications and customer service skills.
Determination to surpass performance goals.
Willingness to learn.
Ability to work individually and within a highly collaborative team environment.
Excellent written/oral communication skills
Accountability and Professionalism


Applications in the first instance to: info@richmondsys.com and include “Account Manager Role” in the subject field along with up to date CV


No agencies

Service Desk Statistics – Practise What You Preach

For more than 15 years Richmond Systems have been developing service desk software and advising customers on best practise for their service desk implementation. But how does their own service desk perform? Chris Ware from Richmond Systems answers this question.

“We use SupportDesk to record, classify and action incidents and requests raised with the support team. We’ve configured automated email responses as these are a useful way of reassuring Customers that we have received their requests and are working on them, especially in the case of requests logged via email or the web – customers’ hate being left in the dark.

We use service level agreements (SLAs), which are applied automatically when an incident is logged and the priority of the incident then advances until a resolution has been achieved. The technician is notified as the priority escalates and at pre-defined thresholds the team leader is also notified. Together these techniques help to ensure that Response SLAs are met.

Another visual feature that works well for us is to colour code the incident by the time since the incident was last worked on or the incident priority. This capability, combined with the use of automated escalations and notifications, means that an incident or customer should never be left without relevant information.

SLAs and response targets are analysed using reports from the Web Reporting module; these enable the service desk manager to effectively manage the team, set targets and objectives to improve customer service. Reporting back to senior management shows the current status and progress of outstanding incidents raised. All reports are scheduled and delivered via email to the relevant people at the right time.

So we certainly practise what we preach - are we any good at it? We naturally I’m biased so I’ll let the figures speak for themselves:

• Response success rate year to date: 95.8%
• Proactive incident reduction of 81% in the past 12 months
• Average customer satisfaction rating of 4.2 out of 5

We use this information to set future targets and improve our technology. Best practise requires continuous improvement and we are certainly not going to rest on our Laurels!”

Richmond Announces Reseller Agreement with RM

Richmond Systems are delighted to announce that they have entered into a strategic reseller agreement with RM, the leading provider of ICT software, infrastructure and services to education. Under the agreement RM will resell Richmond’s flagship help desk and asset management solution, Richmond SupportDesk, in their UK and international markets.


Commenting on the agreement Richmond’s Managing Director, Eric Wright, says “In recent years the requirement for technology support infrastructure use in education has grown substantially. We anticipated this high demand and have established Richmond as a leading provider of service and asset management technologies in schools and colleges. Working with RM is a logical step that will extend accessibility of Richmond SupportDesk to a larger community whilst allowing us to maintain focus on core product R&D and support.”


Su Kinton, Senior Product Manager for RM, commented “'We have seen increasing demand for helpdesk systems and are delighted to be working with Richmond Systems to meet this need for our customers.'

See us at the Service Desk & IT Support Show

What is the Service Desk & IT Support Show?:
Europe’s largest IT service management event, from the 27 - 28 April 2010 in Earls Court, London.


Where will you find us?
Stand 814.


http://www.servicedeskshow.com/


We look forward to seeing you there.


Eric Wright
Managing Director, Richmond Systems.