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Change is a necessary aspect of all business movement. Whether a company needs to change the color of the carpeting in the office or change the software or hardware in the computers, change is a common denominator that links all businesses together. How businesses implement change is an important factor in how smoothly the business operates. On the one hand you don’t want employees taking responsibility upon themselves to make changes in the office whenever they see a problem. That would be chaotic. On the other hand, if no one does anything when problems arise, then a business may move backwards or become stagnant. There must be a way to manage the necessary change in a systematic manner that serves the needs of the business in an orderly fashion. That’s where Vision Helpdesk’s CRM software comes into play.

CRM software offers a change management component that aids in facilitating necessary changes within your IT department.

What does Change Management mean?

Change management refers to the systems, materials, projects, or procedures that need to be changed within the IT infrastructure. Managing these changes in a methodical manner allows everyone to be on the same page and ensures business operations continue in a seamless manner.

Changes are going to happen and the response to change will make or break operations within the business. Change usually occurs in one of three ways:

• Spontaneously as a result of an immediate problem.
• Scheduled but with no forethought of consequences.
• Scheduled implementation that results from foresight of future issues and proactively prepares for them.

Of course, the last of the three is the ideal way for businesses to implement change. With CRM software you have a program that manages all the intricate details of these actions.

How do changes come about in IT?

Changes are needed for a variety of reasons. Sometimes they arise because of problems with the current system. When this happens, a change in software, hardware, or other items need to occur. Change may also arise as a response to external requirements. These changes are more in line with equipment updates. Finally, businesses make changes to improve the effectiveness or efficiency of business operations.

What are the components of Change Management?

• Submission: Before change is implemented management must lay out their plan for the change and submit their proposal to the appropriate individuals.
• Enforcement: After getting approval, staff must work to enforce the necessary modifications.
• Achievement: The final stage is achieving the goal of change.

How can CRM software implement Change Management?

In large, and even small, businesses, making IT infrastructure changes can be detrimental without standardized reliable methods in place. For example, if IT were to change out the software of hundreds of computers without careful planning, the whole business could be pushed into frenzy. There are several considerations that IT would need to weigh before making such a sudden move. What employees will be affected? How will they be affected? What are the pros and cons of the change? What is the best way to prepare everyone for the change? This is where CRM software steps in to help.

Change Advisory Board (CAB)

A Change Advisory Board is necessary to answer the questions about who, what, when, where, and why of the proposed change. CRM software allows them to access change requests and manage the entire process, thus keeping everyone on the same page.

Submitting a change request

Log in the necessary or desired change to the CRM dashboard. This allows the CAB or management team to review the particulars. The submission form has a designation for priority, status, and impact. Here is a breakdown of these criteria:

• Priority: This is relevant as it lets the team know just how important the change request is. A change for a more efficient system will have a different priority status than one that requests change because of a corrupt server.
• Status: Is the change still in process or already completed? Open and close designations allow others to know if they need to continue researching this issue.
• Impact: Let the team know just what kind of impact the system is having on the business. This ties in with how high of a priority the request has.

Tracking the status

Once a change begins the implementation process, status updates are critical to ensure everyone is prepared. CRM software offers an easy way to track all current projects and filter using predetermined criteria.

Reducing incidents

A CRM software feature links the change with prior or potential incidents. So, for example if email communication was damaged due to a server issue, then linking all email incidents with this change order helps others know how the two are related. Department heads will not waste time trying to determine the problem because it will be solved once change is completed.

Completion status

Once the change is completed, the IT team posts an update regarding the status. A final review stage occurs before closing the ticket.

Reporting function

Finally, once the changes are complete, CRM software allows IT staff to create a report of the change.

So, while change is a necessary element in all businesses, the implementation of change can be a smooth scenario. With the CRM software that Vision Helpdesk offers, you can submit, implement, manage, track, and report changes occurring in the company Find this streamlined approach to business management a boost to your business. Connect with us for more information!