How to Improve IT Service with Automation and Integration

One of the many advantages of using a platform like TeamDynamix  for service management is that it’s highly versatile. TeamDynamix integrates easily with other software, and users can build customized workflows and processes without needing any programming knowledge.

In an age of digital transformation – this is especially important. As public sector organizations look to modernize aging IT infrastructure, a modern IT Service Management tool that offers flexibility, automation and integration is key. By combining all these functions, you can create a better digital experience for citizens and reduce the drain on your IT resources.

In addition, you can use the integration functionality to modernize legacy systems and better manage workflows and projects.

TeamDynamix brings together IT Service Management with Project Portfolio Management and integration and automation on one platform – meaning you don’t need to switch between different tools to manage projects, automations, integrations or tickets.

Another benefit? TeamDynamix is a low-code/no-code tool – anyone with technical knowledge (no matter their department) can use the TeamDynamix ITSM platform to spin up a configurable service portal or build out workflows and integrations with a drag-and-drop builder.

Florida’s Gainesville Regional Utilities (GRU), a multi-service utility owned by the City of Gainesville that serves 93,000 customers, switched to the TeamDynamix platform to solve a key challenge for the city’s IT department, making it easier for IT staff to provide exceptional customer service for the thousands of retired GRU employees who live all over the country.

A Single Pane of Glass

Before bringing on TeamDynamix, the City of Gainesville was fragmented – keeping track of incidents, service requests and IT account management separately. In addition, it couldn’t handle the management of multiple IT projects, so the city had to use an entirely different platform for Project Portfolio Management (PPM).

“We had to look in four different places to see what employees were doing,” said Jean Clark, IT Manager for Enterprise Services. This lack of a holistic view made it difficult to manage IT resources effectively.

In switching to TeamDynamix, Gainesville now has one unified system for managing projects, incidents, service requests and IT accounts. “Having a single pane of glass allows us to prioritize our work better,” Clark observed.

What’s more, the automated workflows that IT leaders can set up within TeamDynamix help make IT staff more efficient. In return, city employees are getting better IT service and technicians are reducing the amount of time they are spending on manual tasks.

The flexibility of the platform, no-code workflow and the integration hub allow for some more advanced and sophisticated automations. Gainesville has been able to use the platform to easily establish and operationalize a way to help former employees receive better service.

The software’s exceptional versatility and its Integration Platform-as-a-Service (iPaaS) capabilities mean that the IT team can do things like create web forms that kick off automation tied to not only the ITSM platform but also to any business application. This is achieved using a library of pre-built connectors to common platforms including Workday, Salesforce, Active Directory and hundreds more.

Customizable to Fit Specific Needs

TeamDynamix is highly configurable, enabling IT departments to build personalized workflows for managing multistep processes and handling critical tasks. In addition, the software’s iPaaS enterprise integration enables IT staff to create customized integrations between TeamDynamix and other software programs using a simple drag-and-drop process, with no knowledge of coding required. This easy-to-use feature was designed using the Google Blockly and MIT Scratch visual programming languages, which allow users to drag and drop blocks of code into place to create the functionality they’re looking for in a matter of minutes.

As a result, TeamDynamix users can easily build and adapt workflows for automating IT functions to fit their specific needs using a visual flow builder. Gainesville Regional Utilities has used this capability to solve a key IT support challenge that’s affected thousands of retirees.

The software that handles payroll for GRU employees is Workday, which is supported by Gainesville’s IT department along with the other applications used by the city. Retired GRU employees receive their pensions through Workday as well.

However, prior to TeamDynamix, if retirees weren’t getting their pension checks or had trouble with their Workday account, they couldn’t submit a service request using GRU’s online service portal. Because retirees are no longer city employees, they don’t have an Active Directory account, and they need an Active Directory account to submit tickets to IT support staff online.

Building an Exemplary Service Experience

GRU Business Systems Analyst Tristina Grywalski worked with the TeamDynamix implementation and process consulting teams to develop a simple solution to this problem using the platform’s flexible configuration options.

As a result of their efforts, GRU retirees no longer have to call IT support staff during normal business hours, wasting valuable time for retirees and support staff alike. Instead, they can use the online service portal just like current employees with an Active Directory account can, resulting in faster and better service.

In just the first two months of this capability alone, more than 150 retired GRU employees from all across the country had submitted service requests online. “The service team is very grateful for this solution,” Grywalski said, noting that it has allowed them to be more efficient in resolving people’s problems.

The solution to GRU’s challenge was made possible not only by the platform’s flexibility but also by TeamDynamix’s own exemplary service.

“Our implementation partner was such a part of our team and invested in our success,” Clark said. “I can’t say enough good things about him.”

TeamDynamix only uses its own in-house services team for implementations which gives the customers deep technical expertise and process consulting services. They worked side by side with GRU’s service team to configure the platform to meet their unique needs, and he recommended specific strategies to address the utility’s biggest challenges.

“The TeamDynamix consultants are highly valuable – use them as much as you can,” Clark advised. “They’ve seen how other organizations have approached problems similar to yours, and they can give you some great ideas.”

Learn more about TeamDynamix and read how other state and local governments are modernizing their ITSM in the eBook: Modernizing ITSM in the Public Sector