Service Request Management is a relatively simple subject, but most people facing Service Desks do not consider some important details.
Therefore, it is good to bear in mind that, according to ITIL 4, a service request is a call for the action of a service that is agreed as a normal part of service delivery.
Understand here what Service Request Management is, types, guidelines, considerations, and much more!
Also read the article: What is ITIL 4? Definitive Guide to ITIL 4
About Service Request Management
In short, the goal of the Service Request Management practice is to support the agreed quality of a service by dealing with all requests, pre-defined and initiated by the user, in an effective, easy, and user-friendly way.
Thus, service requests are a normal part of delivering a service and do NOT represent a failure or degradation to be treated as an incident.
Therefore, the Service Request Management practice is essential to take your Service Desk to the next level.
Types of Service Requests
Firstly, service requests can be divided into some types:
- A request for a service delivery action, such as providing a report or replacing a printer ink cartridge;
- An information request, such as how to create a document or what the company’s business hours are;
- A request for the provision of a resource or service, such as a phone or notebook for a user or a virtual server for a development team;
- A request for access to a resource or service, such as access to a file or folder.
Furthermore, there are also feedback, compliments, and complaints, such as complaints about the new interface or compliments to the support team.
Considerations on Service Request Management
As service requests are pre-defined and pre-agreed, they can be formalized into clear procedures for initiation, approval, fulfillment, and management.
Moreover, some service requests have very simple workflows, such as an information request.
On the other hand, others, such as setting up a new employee, can be quite complex and require collaboration from several teams and systems.
In this case, it is necessary to be familiar with and test the steps for executing a request, allowing the provider to make agreements on response times or deadlines, as well as providing clear communication about the status of requests to users.
Of course, this is independent of complexity.
Some service requests require authorization according to financial policies, information security, or any other applicable policies.
General Guidelines on Service Request Management
Finally, there are certain guidelines that the Service Request Management practice must follow to ensure its success. Here are some of them:
- Automate, as much as possible, service requests and their fulfillment procedures;
- Establish policies on which requests can be fulfilled with little or no approval, simplifying fulfillment;
- Establish user expectations about response times clearly, based on what the organization can realistically deliver;
- Identify and implement improvement opportunities to streamline and take advantage of automation benefits in service fulfillment.
In addition, consider creating workflows to document and redirect any request considered as a service request but that should actually be treated as an incident or change.
Service Requests and Automation
Some service requests can be fully fulfilled through automation, from submission to closure, allowing for a complete self-service experience.
Examples include installation of client software, provisioning of virtual servers, issuing simple reports, answering questions, among others.
In short, Service Request Management relies on well-designed processes and procedures, operated through automation and tracking tools to maximize the efficiency of the practice.
In this case, different types of service requests will have distinct fulfillment workflows.
Important: efficiency and ease of maintenance will be greater if we consider a limited number of workflow templates.
And when adding new service requests to the service catalog, take advantage of existing workflow templates.
Contribution of Service Request Management to Value Chain Activities
So, considering ITIL 4, it is possible to understand how Service Request Management contributes to service value chain activities.
The practice is involved throughout the value chain, except in the “plan” activity.
Improve
Service Request Management can provide a channel for user feedback, compliments, and complaints, and contribute to improvement by providing trend, quality, and feedback information on request fulfillment.
Engage
Service Request Management includes regular communication to receive user requirements, establish expectations, and provide status updates.
Design and transition
Standard changes can be initiated and fulfilled as service requests.
Obtain/build
Fulfilling requests may require the acquisition of pre-approved service components.
Delivery and support
Finally, Service Request Management significantly contributes to the normal delivery of service. This activity has its greatest focus on ensuring that users remain productive, which sometimes greatly depends on the fulfillment of their requests.
Have questions about Service Request Management? If so, leave them in the comments. Don’t forget to check out the other blog posts.
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