The last two years have been transformative for many markets and industries. IT has been pretty much the star of the show, with the acceleration of digital transformation and the urgent need for remote work arrangements.

But it’s definitely been a two-way street. Just as IT service management (ITSM) has played an impactful role in shaping the new workplace, developing workplace norms are having a major influence on how ITSM is seen and used. In 2022, this trend will take on a more defined shape with an intensified focus on individual employees and the tools that empower them.

In 2021 #ITSM played an impactful role in shaping the new workplace, & in 2022 this will continue with an intensified focus on individual employees & the tools that empower them – @SarahLahav Click To Tweet

Redefining ESM as ‘Employee Service Management’

The digitally transformed, remote workspaces created with more and more frequency in the last two years have made life more convenient for many, many people. However, they’ve also made it harder to make connections at one’s place of work and, in turn, that much easier to leave. This is especially so in the current labor market, with a high demand for employees in the tech sector and generally looser location requirements. In fact, a Harvard Business Review (HBR) Analytic Services study found that 77% of companies surveyed believe good employees are willing to look for a new employer if they don’t have the tools, technology, or information they need in their current position.

As it’s getting harder to retain staff, there’s a push toward providing employees the best possible experience. Companies that are able to do so gain a clear competitive edge, because they’re more likely to keep their most valued employees and tend to get more out of them.

A key element in employee satisfaction, according to the same HBR Analytic Services survey, is how well their workplace technology performs. If Enterprise Service Management (ESM) is defined as the use of ITSM principles and capabilities to improve performance, service, and outcomes in an enterprise, then 2022 will see ESM reimagined as “Employee Service Management.” That is, a move away from focusing on the undefined, faceless “enterprise” and toward considering the individual employee’s needs, while applying the same service management concepts. 

2022 will see enterprise service management reimagined as employee service management, says @SarahLahav. Click To Tweet

As a result, the IT department can expect to be called upon to assess how they contribute to employee experience (much like other departments that provide service and support). While this is not unprecedented in and of itself, the intensity and centrality of the focus is. Employee satisfaction has become one of IT’s main KPIs in many organizations, which is a trend that will continue, grow, and evolve – along with employee expectations. 

When Everything Is Digital, Everyone Is IT (Sort of)

It wasn’t that long ago at all that the IT team would get requests from employees across the enterprise to handle every issue, routine or otherwise, that involved any software or technology. But that’s changed dramatically.

There’s now highly accessible software for handling everyday tasks in almost every area of business activity. Each department has its own tools – essentially IT tools, whether they’re called that or not – managed by professionals who aren’t IT people. A human resources team leader, for example, may use the HRM solution Hibob for day-to-day activities and fulfilling requests from other departments – from approval for maternity leave to changes in the Hibob workflow itself.

Personnel in corporate departments like HR, marketing, administration, and more, are becoming, in effect, “citizen IT” service professionals for their colleagues and themselves. The process for employee requests is much more intuitive, as they’re made directly to the relevant department and addressed without need of a third party. In addition, a search for practical solutions to daily issues of management will drive the various company teams to understand that they need to employ tools that ensure employees get what they need in a timely manner, with the proper prioritization and organizational impact. 

The shift is already happening. Nearly every internal team is thinking about how to provide a better employee experience; they just don’t have the methodology yet. This is expected to change in 2022, as more and more IT people will be tasked with enabling other teams in the organization to provide digital services directly – using valuable, specialized software.

In 2022 more and more IT people will be tasked with enabling other teams in the organization to provide digital services directly – using valuable, specialized software, says @SarahLahav #ITSM #EX Click To Tweet

The New Office Is Recreating Very Old Challenges

Each department in almost every organization is searching for specialized service management software, mostly in a scalable SaaS model, that has exactly what it needs, and only what it needs. That is, while small teams are using no-frills versions of a chosen solution, larger teams in the same organization may need more and select a different application to meet their requirements. The result is multiple software packages or implementations in use at the same time for very similar purposes.

That process has already produced two significant downsides: the cost; and the creation of new operational silos. Each solution may not be a significant expense on its own, but they quickly add up when each team is purchasing separate software or implementations. Coordination and communication across departments and teams also becomes increasingly difficult with various solutions in play, leading to duplication of effort and leaving many openings for human error.

In other words, the same advances in software empowering the citizen IT person are also recreating very old challenges – siloed teams and workflows, with costs that are hard to track and control.

As we head into 2022, there are a few ways such costs can be controlled, human error mitigated, and silos eliminated:

• Service automation. Ideally, this includes automating both routine processes and interactions between applications used in company workflows. It’s also the key to handling growing employee demands and expectations in the new employee-centric environment. As Roy Atkinson, one of the most recognized thought leaders in ITSM and customer experience, wrote in a recent blog for SysAid: “Automation done right produces rapid results and reduces the inconsistencies that will invariably occur when humans are involved. Consistency is a major component of good experience for both employees and ultimately for customers.”
• ‘One tool to rule them all.’ The main building block of ESM today is adoption of a single, flexible software package that can be adapted for teams across the entire enterprise and manage interactions among them.

As we head into 2022, there are a few ways such costs can be controlled, human error mitigated, and silos eliminated, including service automation and adopting one tool to work across all departments – @SarahLahav #ITSM #automation Click To Tweet

A New Role for Asset Management

Another aspect of ITSM that will take on much greater importance in 2022, is software asset management.

In the case of remote employees, software is essentially their office. It’s “where they are” when they’re using a chat application or Slack channels, when they’re collaborating together over Microsoft Teams, when they’re using shared office tools or platforms, etc. Therefore, the remote employee’s digital footprint becomes key to understanding their behavior and experience, as well as measuring their productivity and expenditures.

One aspect of #ITSM that will take on much greater importance in 2022, is software asset management, says @SarahLahav #ITAM Click To Tweet

A Final Word: 2022 and Beyond

According to a survey carried out by Walters People Ireland (a world-leading specialist professional recruitment consultancy), 85% of employees agreed their productivity is enhanced by technology and 80% said working for a tech-savvy company boosts their morale.

The question is: Which technology?

It’s simple. The answer is: Striking the balance between allowing citizen IT service professionals to use software focused on delivering the best possible employee experience while delivering service across the organization, without silos.

That is where SysAid will play a key role, as the service automation company delivering software for organizations that want to get more done. Our solution, the result of many years of experience, provides every internal team with the citizen IT capabilities needed to provide effective service and practical solutions to daily management issues. At the same time, SysAid remains the go-to system for IT teams, which can expect to be tasked more and more frequently in coming years with providing other departments with the tools and best practices to effectively deliver service in a digital way.

IT is about to grow far beyond “support” to become a strategic partner in the effort to enhance the employee experience from end to end.

@SarahLahav's #ITSM prediction for 2022: IT is about to grow far beyond support to become a strategic partner in the effort to enhance the employee experience from end to end. Click To Tweet