It’s bound to happen if it hasn’t already. If you’re an IT or Operational leader, sooner or later you’ll find yourself at the intersection of Point Solution Street and Platform Avenue.
You’ll be weighing your options and deliberating between different ticketing systems, acutely aware of the high impact your decision could have on operational efficiency, productivity, and customer satisfaction.
In this post we aim to point you in the right direction, exploring the merits of each to help you make the most informed choice for your business.
Ticketing Platforms: A Refresher
First, let's review what ticketing platforms are. At their core, they're digital tools that categorize and manage various aspects of an IT environment. From incidents that disrupt services, systemic problems that require root cause analysis, changes that ensure controlled evolution of the IT infrastructure, to service requests catering to user needs; each type of ticket represents a distinct yet interconnected facet of IT service management.
Implementing a robust IT ticketing system can revolutionize your business operations. It streamlines your workflows, improves team collaboration, reduces response times, and most importantly, ensures no issue, big or small, slips through the cracks.
However, the archaic manual ticketing systems are more of a bane than a boon. They're often a logistical labyrinth, riddled with human errors, inefficiencies, miscommunication, and significant time sucks.
Exploring Point Solutions
Switching gears to point solutions — these are specialized tools designed to master a specific task within the larger ITSM landscape. They’re like surgical scalpels of IT solutions — precise, specialized, and highly efficient at what they're built for.
Their strength lies in their capacity to solve particular pain points with pinpoint precision. Some examples are Atlassian's Jira for incident management or Zendesk for customer support.
The advantages of point solutions include:
- A best-of-breed solution for a specific department with deep functionality for a single channel
- The expertise of a specialized technology partner
- The ability to easily replace the specific component in the ecosystem
- The ability to make changes to one component or “module” without impacting or disrupting other components
There's a flip side though. While point solutions may be masters of their domains, their need for other specialized systems to complete the ITSM puzzle can lead to integration headaches and a host of other problems.
Some of the disadvantages of point solutions include:
- Often require other complementary solutions to form a comprehensive ITSM system, adding more cost and complexity
- Additional burden on IT to support and maintain multiple systems
- The need to manage multiple systems, multiple databases, and multiple vendors
- Lack of a 360-degree view of customers and interactions across touchpoints
- Best-of-breed solutions for one department will not benefit the entire organization
- It’s not uncommon for them to falter with integrations, leaving you with a disjointed IT ecosystem
The Power of Platform-Based Ticketing Systems
Platform-based systems shine brightly where point systems fall short. Unlike the latter, they are designed as a comprehensive ecosystem with an array of solutions all under one roof.
Ticketing platforms deliver advantages such as:
- Enhanced interoperability for cohesion across departments
- Centralized data and knowledge management for ease of accessibility and efficiency
- Scalability and flexibility for future growth
- A single technology partner for all troubleshooting and maintenance issues, saving you considerable time
- Fewer integrations, lower implementation and training costs
- Integrated and consistent end-to-end business processes
Think of Platform-based systems as the multi-purpose Swiss Army Knife in the ITSM world. With various tools and functions folded into one compact unit, they offer a versatility and flexibility that surpasses the capabilities of individual point solutions.
Making the Decision: Factors to Consider
So, how do you choose between a dazzling array of point solutions and the alluring promise of a platform?
- Start by scrutinizing your organization's specific needs.
- Evaluate the potential long-term benefits and the return on investment.
- Keep a close eye on how well the new system will integrate with your existing tools.
For a detailed blueprint on selecting the ideal ITSM solution, check out this comprehensive guide.
Aligning Your ITSM Choice with Business Needs
Ultimately, your choice depends on your specific business needs. While point solutions certainly have their merits, platform-based ticketing systems, like DeskDirector, provide an all-inclusive, and unified approach to managing IT services. They link up different processes, promote collaboration across departments, and maximize efficiency.
Curious about the possibilities of a platform-based ticketing system for your business?
Demo DeskDirector today!
