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IT Simplified: Service Catalogue

IT departments are facing pressures to align their IT services with business needs, develop standardized processes and improve the IT customer experience and IT customer satisfaction, all while keeping costs low.  Arguably one of the best ways to achieve this is through a Service Catalog.

A Service Catalog is the store front (or directory) of services available to the enterprise user. This includes setting expectations (what you get, when, how, at what cost) and proper measurement of those expectations to determine if they have been met or exceeded In essence, a Service Catalog helps IT departments demonstrate the value and innovation they deliver to the business and help enterprise users to access the right services at the right time, to be more productive and do their job more effectively.

A Service Catalog defines a clear view of what IT can do for employees–the value IT delivers. It enables a common understanding of what a service is, who they are available to, and what characteristics (and costs) they have. Service Catalog design templates deliver unique experience and branding; each enabling IT departments to choose the best option to meet their business and user needs 

The following is a quick list of best practice attributes that should be considered when populating services in a service catalog:

Service Description – what the service is/does in easy-to-understand business language.

Service Levels – to avoid misunderstandings, every service should clearly & simply describe the agreed service levels. What are the attributes of the service?

Support – every service should describe how the user should report problems or make requests relating to the service.

Service Conditions – set the expectations for any specific terms of usage and operational maintenance and change periods.

Cost – every service must have an established cost, whether the organization’s financial model is to charge the stakeholder or inform the employees of its cost to deliver , so that IT can record and report on the quantified value delivered to the business.

Functions and Benefits – a brief description of the functionality and benefit of the service; why the employee would want it.

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