With 48% of IT leaders saying their help desk needs improvement,1 the case for implementing new ticketing software is clear to most IT teams. But that doesn’t mean it’s easy to get the green light for such a project.
Instead, you need to gain buy-in from a range of executives, all of whom have their own specific needs and business objectives. But how do you achieve that?
First of all, it will require you to field…
Why they are asking
Most executives don’t have time to think about your ticketing system, which means the idea of replacing it has rarely occurred to them. Given that introducing new technology generally has a cost - both in terms of budget and time - there needs to be a strong reason to invest.
How to respond
A strong answer includes three factors:
The key is to be concrete: executives want specific reasons your ticketing system needs to be updated. Ideally, you will be able to provide both quantitative (“our current system is only used by x% of employees) and qualitative (“our techs experience x, y and z) data.
Why they are asking
Introducing new software can cause disruptions - especially when it is involved in something as important as IT ticketing. Executives want to know that you have thought through how the new ticketing software will be introduced and figured out a way to ensure it doesn’t interrupt daily operations.
How to respond
Outline a clear implementation plan that tells executives:
Once again, concrete details are essential. While you may not be able to promise an exact duration for the implementation process, you should provide clear estimates that can be backed-up with solid reasoning.
Helpful hint: Pad your timeline estimate to allow for time to address any unexpected snags in the process.
Why they are asking
Executive decisions often boil down to one factor: maximizing profit. While each executive will have their own department-specific concerns, the ultimate question when evaluating any investment is whether it will help the company run more efficiently, retain staff, or drive more revenue.
How to respond
The most compelling answer will make the ROI calculation as clear as possible, outline:
If you can tie the impact of the software back to revenue, the answer will be more compelling. This might mean explaining that the new software will reduce the number of techs you need to hire by making the system more efficient; it might eliminate the need for a few other solutions in your tech stack; it might simply mean quantifying the improvement to your company’s daily IT usage.
Key actions:
Once you have chosen a ticketing software solution to propose, you need to articulate exactly why it is a worthwhile investment. 97% of executives want data to support their decision making process, so focus on generating concrete numbers.
Key actions:
You need to have a clear plan for implementing the software, onboarding users and measuring the success of your new solution. This should include reliable estimates about the cost, duration and impact of the implementation process.
Key actions:
Bring everything together to create a business case for the new ticketing software. You should outline why you need the software; how the new software will improve things; and when the new software will be fully operational.
Key actions:
The level of information and how it’s presented should also be considered: CEOs are likely to have less time, and therefore want a simpler, more direct business case, than other C-Suiters.
Key actions:
Convincing executives to sign-off on new software is never easy. But with DeskDirector, you can showcase a range of unique benefits, such as our Microsoft integrations that place robust ticketing within the Microsoft environment your employees use every day.
As a result, you can show executives that DeskDirector helps organizations increase ticketing adoption by 20% and resolve tickets 4x faster.
Want to learn more about our market-leading solution?
1. https://www.joetheitguy.com/itsm-in-2023/