6 TOPDESK 5

Text: Nienke Deuss

TOPDESK 5: ACHIEVE MORE WITH FEWER CLICKS

The first version of TOPdesk was released almost twenty years ago, and has improved with each new version. The result? TOPdesk 4, our most successful version ever. However, we believe we can do better. We proudly present: TOPdesk 5!

wenty years ago we were glad that we could create an inventory and track calls without Excel sheets or Post-its, says Wolter Smit, TOPdesk CEO. But

This version also ensures that you have immediate access to TOPdesks most important functionalities, as Smit explains. Links provide quick access to common actions, such as creating a new card. TOPdesk 5 introduces the Quick Launch Bar, which you can equip with buttons for the functions you use most. For instance, you can create a new call or reservation in a single click. We dont know which functions you use every day, so the Quick Launch Bar is customizable: you can add buttons to create new cards, or to directly open a report a selection. The ability to customize your work environment, such as with the Quick Launch Bar, is one of TOPdesk 5s characteristic

organizations have become much more complex since then. Many IT departments work according to ITIL, which currently comprises 26 processes. Moreover, it is more and more common for Shared Service Centres to combine IT, Facilities and HR processes. Our customers have to deal with complex situations. We developed TOPdesk 5 with this in mind. This version is intended to make your work easier and ensure that you achieve more with fewer clicks.

Achieve more with fewer clicks

But what does achieve more with fewer clicks really mean? TOPdesk 5 is designed to let users access the information most important to them without the extra clicks, explains Smit. We achieved this by creating more space on the screen: we moved or reduced the size of the elements that took up a lot of space but were not frequently used. This lets users utilize the space when they need it, and more space means a better overview.

features. There are many ways to personalize your TOPdesk, ensuring that you will always see the information you need. You can also see this with the new bookmark feature, says Smit. As an operator, you may want to track a number of calls or changes without having to create a new selection. This is why you can create bookmarks for virtually any card. These cards are included in an overview, which you can open directly from your Quick Launch Bar. This overview can include cards from several processes.

Photography: Robin Kuijs

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On the start page, you can directly click through to all the information you need.

The progress trail displays all the customer communication, including emails and documents.

The start page

As mentioned previously, you can use the Quick Launch Bar to click through to important functionalities. However, you can also access handy overviews via blocks and buttons on your start page. With a single click you can open your Task Board, the Dashboard and TOPdesks most important new feature: the Plan Board for operators.

All your tasks on one Task Board

Your start page displays all your tasks, and lets you click through to task overviews for each module. It is also possible to click through to the Task Board. The large button at the top of your start page lets you open an overview of all tasks assigned to you, from all processes. This gives you a complete overview of everything you need to do.

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Above: View, create and group reports and KPIs on a single Dashboard Below: The Plan Board for operators lets you easily (re)schedule tasks

YOU DETERMINE WHICH KPIS AND REPORTS ARE DISPLAYED IN GRAPHS ON THE DASHBOARD
Wolter Smit about the Dashboard

YOU CAN EASILY SCHEDULE YOUR DEPARTMENTS STAFF AND EVEN SET UP RECURRENCE PATTERNS
Wolter Smit about the Plan Board

When you open a call, you will immediately see another important improvement introduced in TOPdesk 5. The call or incident card is one of the most commonly used cards among operators. This card has always contained a lot of information, right from the first version of TOPdesk: a caller block, additional information, processing and planning data and of course the request and action field. The layout has been changed in TOPdesk 5: all fixed administrative data is contained in (collapsible) sections on the left, leaving room on the right side of the card for customer communication the so-called progress trail. You can follow the entire process without a single extra click. You can see the request, the action undertaken and the reactions, presented chronologically, says Smit. Whats more, all sent emails are included in the progress trail as links, and you are able to see all internal notes and uploaded files. The progress trail is available in both Incident Management and Change Management.

better overviews for these users. You can open the Dashboard directly from the start page. We developed the Dashboard for monitoring processes, explains Smit. It allows you to gain immediate insight into the status of your processes. You can view KPIs and reports displayed in graphs. If something catches your eye, then you can access the underlying details in a single click, right down to individual cards. You can also determine what is displayed on the dashboards. You can add overviews of current situations, reports, KPIs or selections, to name but a few. Moreover, you also have access to an Overview Dashboard that lets you display reports and KPIs from several process on a single page.

Plan Board for operators

A coordinator is responsible for monitoring his teams schedule. What do you do when someone goes on holiday, or if someone calls in sick? Do you still have the capacity to handle all incoming calls? Many of our customers use Excel sheets to keep track of their planning, with a

All reports and KPIs on one Dashboard

Managers monitor their departments progress and mostly use TOPdesk to make sure that everything is on track. We have also created

list of employees on one axis and the service desks opening times on the other, explains Smit. The cells are then colour-coded to indicate who is in the office, who has the day off, the shift someone is working,

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DID YOU KNOW...

The Dashboards, Plan Board and module pages are standard parts of the framework? TOPdesk 5 was developed by three development teams in the Netherlands, Germany and Hungary? Many TOPdesk 5 elements were developed based on users feature requests? The first demonstration of TOPdesk 5 for beta customers took place on 2 April? The next page features pictures of part of the team responsible for TOPdesk 5? You can view the names of all TOPdesk employees who contributed to the 5 under TOPdesk menu > Help > About TOPdesk?

The module page uses diagrams to show how your processes are set up.

and so on. Its no wonder people use Excel for this: it is quick, accessible and easy. But we wondered if we couldnt offer something better, something in one application. TOPdesk 5 introduces the Plan Board for operators, which combines the simplicity of Excel with the power of TOPdesk, as Smit explains. With a single click you can access a list of all operators, ordered by operator group. You can register and adjust your departments staff, take morning and night shifts into account when doing so and even set up recurrence patterns. However, the Plan Boards main advantage is that you also have access to other information registered in TOPdesk, says Smit. You can see who is present, but you also know how busy they are and what they are doing. The Plan Board displays the number of tasks your employees need to complete, and how many tasks are assigned to them before or after this week: you have optimal insight

into your employees workflow. You can use this information to reassign tasks, ensuring that your schedule will not be disrupted when someone goes on holiday or calls in sick.

Manage your processes

TOPdesk application managers or process managers spend a lot of time setting up processes. They maintain the Change Management templates or process surveys, to name but a few tasks. We have introduced the module pages with these users in mind, explains Smit. The module page displays everything you need to manage a module. At the top of the screen is the module diagram, which shows how the module is set up for your organization: the parts you do not use are marked as light grey. Moreover, you can click straight through to expand the modules settings with new selections, templates or surveys, for example.

Interested in a demonstration?
Are you interested in TOPdesk 5s new features and functionalities? Get in contact with a TOPdesk office near you and request a free demo today.
Mark van Meurs Development (Delft)

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Niels van Klaveren Support

Robert Amesz Development (Delft)

Ivette van Putten Support

Bart van der Hel Support

Jalitha Wills Development (Delft)

Laurent van Berkel Testing

Balzs Ndasdi Development (Budapest)

Olga Reutelingsperger Functional design

Dirk Ammerlaan Functional design

Willem Bottema Functional design

Cees de Quaasteniet Testing

Bart Enkelaar Development (Delft)