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Cireson Platform Accelerates Service Manager Performance for Kitsap Credit Union
Technology Category
- Functional Applications - Enterprise Resource Planning Systems (ERP)
- Application Infrastructure & Middleware - Data Exchange & Integration
Applicable Industries
- Finance & Insurance
Applicable Functions
- Business Operation
- Facility Management
Use Cases
- Remote Asset Management
- Process Control & Optimization
Services
- System Integration
- Software Design & Engineering Services
The Challenge
System Center Service Manager (SCSM) was the credit union’s first professional help desk solution. Their original system was a homegrown product comprised of 4 different systems. “Service Manager proved too simplistic for us. We needed more options and features. It was also different for each department, and not straightforward. You had to know the person who would help you with your problem, before submitting a ticket,” explained Kevin Goodwin, Business Systems Analyst. Since the credit union already owned the System Center suite, it was a natural choice for them to pick Service Manager for their new help desk solution. The credit union’s IT team deployed SCSM in mid-2015, without using an outside consultant. “It was a process of trial and error. The basic functions were easy to deploy, since a lot of information is Googleable. Customization features were difficult, since there is not a lot of resources out there to figure it out,” said Kevin Goodwin. The credit union used SCSM with no add-on products for about 10 months. Their primary complaint was that SCSM was very slow. “Microsoft portal is Silverlight-based,” said Kevin Goodwin. “It always took a while to load. The HTML5 version was buggy, and didn’t work right.” The credit union’s IT group learned about Cireson through word of mouth. They decided to try the apps from Cireson to make SCSM faster, and more user-friendly.
About The Customer
Kitsap Credit Union is a financial institution headquartered in Bremerton, Washington. Serving the needs of individuals and businesses of the Kitsap county, it provides a variety of services, from loans to checking and savings accounts. Kitsap Credit Union has 12 IT professionals in its IT department. The IT workers support about 300 users in 17 locations, and manage over 400 devices. About 99% of the company’s IT infrastructure is Windows-based.
The Solution
Deployed in April 2016, the apps from Cireson have quickly made a noticeable difference for the credit union’s IT workers, as well as their end users. The deployment was quick, without any major problems. “We only had to open one ticket,” said Kevin Goodwin. “It wasn’t different from deploying any other stand-alone app.” The increase in speed was the first thing noticed by the IT workers. “It’s definitely faster,” commented Kevin Goodwin. “We like the Cireson Portal from Cireson much better than the Service Manager console. It’s nice to have it in a browser.” The credit union intends to use Service Manager and Cireson apps for more than just their IT needs. The plan is to expand the capabilities to other departments, including facilities, training, and others. The Cireson Portal from Cireson allowed the credit union’s management group to get a better understanding and overview of the entire groups’ requests. “Our Management wanted to know what was going on with their groups. It wasn’t possible with Microsoft. With Cireson, we can see the entire portal, and requests from each team.” The combination of Service Manager and Cireson benefited not only the IT group, but also the end users. “One of the biggest benefits was the centralization of help for our employees. They now have a single link to submit their requests, and the system automatically forwards it to the right person.” “Cireson’s portal visually makes sense to people,” concluded Kevin Goodwin. “Cireson’s portal visually makes sense to people. 95% of our users like it better than Microsoft’s product.”
Operational Impact
Quantitative Benefit
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