Process optimization specialist relies on Consulting4IT Development
Transparency—including cost transparency—standardization, and lean processes: these are, in Uwe Löffler’s view, the keys to efficient and flexible IT.
Intelligent process optimization through control and regulation technology is the core business of the SAMSON Group, which employs approximately 4,500 people and is headquartered in Frankfurt am Main. Process optimization also drives the company’s internal IT. The service desk is already highly automated in some areas; however, Uwe Löffler and his team are continuously working to further improve processes, make it even easier to gain an overview of assets, licenses, and service utilization, further simplify workflows, and make standardization appealing to employees.
The most recent example is the rollout of a “service catalog” that began last fall. It is designed to allow users to order IT services using a shopping cart—and to cancel them as soon as they are no longer needed. “The ordering process is something employees are familiar with from their personal lives,” explains Löffler, “you could also call it the Amazon principle.” The barrier to using it is therefore very low.
Changing processes is hard work
As Löffler knows, the introduction of new solutions and processes in IT Service Management (ITSM) doesn’t always generate a wave of enthusiasm. The current head of the Information and Communication Technology division has been with SAMSON for three decades, though he has only held his current position for two and a half years. From reports by his colleagues, he knows that the ticket system for IT incidents implemented in 2016 was not well-received at first—neither by users nor within IT. Changing and standardizing processes is one of the toughest tasks in any department. After all, it means questioning ingrained rituals and established relationships—and in extreme cases, even radically changing them.
Löffler’s predecessor had opted for Matrix42’s ITSM tools at the time. SAMSON had already had positive experiences with the software company: since 2011, client management had relied on the Matrix42 tool “Empirum,” which handles, among other things, the automated distribution of software. Just how helpful this is became clear, for example, during the 2020 COVID-19 crisis, when many employees began working from home. Bug fixes and updates could be installed without the computers having to be on company premises.
Once the new processes had become established among IT staff and end users alike, the Matrix42 ticket system was also very well received. Today, it not only saves service desk staff a great deal of work, but business users also benefit from always knowing the current status of their incident reports and when they can expect a resolution.
Quick assistance with billing by the quarter-hour
Two years ago, SAMSON did not switch ITSM tool vendors, but it did change its service provider. As Löffler explains, one partner company had stood out as particularly competent at several Matrix42 events: Consulting4IT GmbH, based in Waldbronn near Ettlingen. “And the fact that it is now the only company to have been named a Diamond Partner by Matrix42 confirms that we made the right decision,” says Löffler happily. Today, the mechanical engineering and technology group receives consulting and support from the system integrator with process expertise—as Consulting4IT describes itself.
When asked what specifically made Consulting4IT stand out, Löffler cites “the quality of support” as the primary factor. The “Service Line” plays a major role in this. Löffler’s colleague Michael Weigel explains its function as follows: “This has nothing to do with support; it’s not about fixing bugs in the product, but about getting quick help with configuration when we urgently need it—essentially ad-hoc consulting during implementation and customization.” When SAMSON IT needs the Service Line, they don’t have to sign up in advance or schedule an appointment. Support is available immediately or at least within the same day. The customer also doesn’t have to book an entire day of consulting right away. Billing is done in 15-minute increments. “I don’t necessarily always need a block of one or more days,” says Löffler.
There for our customers even during the crisis
Weigel’s colleague Ramon Jüttner points out another advantage of Consulting4IT: “The academy, with its wide range of training courses, is also a unique selling point. In addition to the content, we especially value the group discussions—that’s where you get to see how others do things.” During the spring months of 2020, this exchange was temporarily limited:Due to contact restrictions in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, training sessions had to be held online. Jüttner also took part in a training course during this time—in his case, the Workflow Expert certification.
“Staying in touch with colleagues from other companies was a bit more difficult,” the ITSM expert admits. But to make up for it, a free on-site day was arranged for after the crisis, during which they’ll have the chance to meet the other participants in person and catch up over dinner at a restaurant. “We would have missed that personal interaction and contact otherwise,” says theITSM expert.Overall, the ICT team finds it extremely positive that Consulting4IT is there for its clients even under difficult conditions and strives to find creative solutions: “That’s what sets a first-class service provider apart,” confirms Weigel.
It all starts with an inventory
ICT Service Manager Löffler, on the other hand, emphasizes the ability to put oneself in the user company’s shoes: “With Consulting4IT, I have a partner who knows what I want as a customer.” Together with this partner, Löffler embarked on his passion project about two years ago: the development of a service catalog system.
The first step was to lay the groundwork: taking inventory of all IT assets. That said, asset management is essentially more than just a simple inventory of devices and licenses. “We can see at the push of a button what each user is actually using,” says Löffler happily.This level of transparency is by no means a given. Behind closed doors, many IT managers admit that they can only guess which assets are in use where within their company. And with the many virtual desktops increasingly found in home offices, the situation becomes even more confusing.
The system keeps track of inventory
The Matrix42 “Asset Management” module supports SAMSON in creating and maintaining IT master data. It offers nearly all the functions required for asset management. However, the complementary Custom Pack—“Asset Management Plus”—developed by Consulting4IT specifically for the Matrix42 tool provides additional ease of use.
With the “Inventory Management” module, the Custom Pack extends the Asset Management module to include a map of the various warehouse locations and the assignment of assets to defined services according to the first-in, first-out principle. In other words, it ensures that the unit of a particular device type that was first checked into the warehouse is also the first to be shipped out.
As Weigel reports, SAMSON primarily uses this component to offer laptops and desktops as services. The workflow stored in Consulting4IT proceeds as follows: When a user orders a service, an available asset is automatically reserved from the warehouse in Frankfurt and added to the field service task. The field service technician can still change the asset if necessary, whereupon the workflow updates the reservation accordingly. Upon delivery—i.e., completion of the task—the workflow updates the status and primary user of the asset.If no suitable asset is available in the warehouse, the workflow creates a task to reorder new assets. With the help of inventory management, it is also possible to track whether stock levels fall below a defined minimum, allowing the reorder to be triggered simultaneously with delivery.
Automatic handling of small parts
Using the “Consumables/Small Parts” module, SAMSON IT was able to integrate its small parts inventory into the Matrix42 suite “in a simple, workflow-driven manner,” according to Jüttner.Bulk items such as USB drives no longer need to be entered individually. The module’s configuration allows these items to be imported into the system in bulk but automatically created as individual items, so they can be assigned to a specific user. Security officers—and others—will confirm just how important this is, for example, in the case of a USB flash drive.
A background workflow tracks inventory levels from the initial stock and ensures that replenishment orders are placed in a timely manner. In addition, inventory items are automatically removed from the system once they have been processed. “This is how we ensure that we always have enough of every item in stock,” explains Jüttner: “It also brings transparency to cost allocation for consumables—something we haven’t been able to offer cost center decision-makers in this form until now.”
Ordering Services Using the Amazon Model
Based on the cleaned-up master data in Asset Management and with the help of Consulting4IT, the SAMSON ICT team gradually implemented the service catalog. In short, the system works on the principle of an online store: The internal customer selects from various services defined by the respective cost center manager—for example, a laptop including installation and maintenance—adds the appropriate service to their shopping cart, and “orders” it at the end. Of course, the cost center manager still wants to review what their employees are ordering. A workflow with different approval levels is therefore in place.
All services are clearly priced, so users can see exactly how much their order will cost. This helps curb the “if it’s free, I’ll take it” mentality that is common in many companies. Users are more likely to order only what they actually need. In addition, unnecessary services—such as devices or licenses—can be returned within the system.
This way, the company saves money, and users learn to appreciate the value of IT services. “The catalog and the cost center report create significantly more transparency,” Löffler explains the benefit. “And that leads to the return of unused services.” The bottom line is that IT—and thus the company—saves a lot of money as a result: “I estimate the savings potential at 15 to 20 percent of service costs.”
Custom Pack simplifies configuration
To complement the Matrix42 “Service Catalog” module, SAMSON also purchased the“Service Catalog Plus”custom pack developed by Consulting4IT. The “Service Booking Plus” module enables, for example, the retroactive booking of services for devices already in use. When a service is assigned to each piece of hardware, the cost rate can be automatically recalculated. For example, for a user who received a new laptop in April but did not explicitly book a service, the service fee can be retroactively booked at the end of the reporting period in December.
User Information Without the Hassle of Email
In addition to the two custom packs, SAMSON also uses two applications developed in-house by Consulting4IT. The Service Desk uses the“Customer Panel”application to notify users via instant messaging about exceptional situations in IT services. “For example, we remind them of upcoming server downtime,” explains Weigel.
His colleague Jüttner adds: “We can even restrict notifications to specific user groups depending on the situation.” To do this, the Customer Panel uses the groups and roles stored in the system. It is also possible to send geographically targeted information—for example, in the event of a Wi-Fi outage at a branch office.
Instead of an email, affected users receive a brief push notification that appears in the upper-right corner of the screen. For example, it might read: “Server downtime in 10 minutes; please save your work.” Users do not need to constantly check their emails or keep the Marix42 portal open.
On-the-fly access to service metrics
Consulting4IT’s second in-house product also saves the service desk a great deal of effort:“Analyse Depot”is a tool that allows users to generate reports on service metrics. Löffler isn’t your typical techie; with a background in business administration, he’s interested in things like the frequency of certain issues, the demand for specific services, the average age of tickets, processing times, and so on.
This information is processed in the “Analysis Depot” using business intelligence. The application is based on the Microsoft tool “Power BI” and offers both pre-built reports and the ability to develop in-house standards for key performance indicator queries. “Matrix42 already collects all this information, but it’s only with the Analysis Depot that I have quick access to it,” explains Löffler. The usage fee includes an annual expert consultation with a Consulting4IT consultant—an option that SAMSON is also happy to take advantage of.
What's on the to-do list
Transparency, standardization, and process optimization are the goals that Löffler consistently cites as priorities. In an international corporation with 50 subsidiaries in over 40 countries, efficient IT would not be possible without these criteria. The Matrix42 tools help him achieve his goals. Although the tool itself is actually secondary. – Excuse me?
“Don’t get me wrong: We value the Matrix42 suite, but ultimately it comes down to what you do with it.” That’s exactly why they brought partner Consulting4IT on board. At the top of Weigel’s wish list is “Advanced Package Lifecycle Management,” or “Apalima” for short. It connects the Service Catalog with software distribution via Empirum and ensures that users always have the latest version of the software they’ve ordered, even without having to explicitly order a new version. Löffler’s conclusion: “With the add-ons, we can leverage synergies and don’t have to reinvent the wheel.”
About SAMSON AG
SAMSON offers system and product solutions for the control and regulation of all types of media. Its core competence lies in control valve technology. For more than 110 years, SAMSON has been setting trends, driving developments forward, and bringing innovations to market. SAMSON has played a key role in shaping the evolution of the control valve from an analog component to a smart control valve. Today, SAMSON is focusing on the opportunities opened up by Industry 4.0.