Service Request Form Template
In order for a user to officially request something, be it a simple password change or a more difficult software installation, they need to submit a service request form to the service desk of the organization. The ITSM describes a request as a “standard change” which requires the service desk to follow a simple procedure to create a service request form template and is a low-risk change.
ITSM Service Request Template
ITSM Service Request Goals
The four goals of the ITSM Service Request form are –
- Outline to the users which services are available, how to request any one of them, and what the standard duration is to fulfil these requests
- To create a clear and simple procedure for handling any type of request
- The detail which approvals a user needs for each type of request. For example who needs to approve installing new software, procuring a license, etc.
- Grant a platform for general requests, comments, and tips for improvement
Service Delivery – 5 Steps
The process of resolving a submitted form should be straightforward, and usually is made up of the following five steps –
Open a request
This is done by a user, and there is no place for proactivity here.
Assign
This can be done automatically by a simple load balancing system, which spreads the requests amongst the service desk employees. Once a request is assigned, the responsible party will see the request through to fruition.
Resolving the request
This step is the most important one of the process and is where the service desk shows its value to the organization. The service desk must follow a procedure for fulfilling the request, and if one doesn’t exist then an escalation should be used. In this case, the supervisor of the service desk needs to weigh in, and decide on how to continue from here.
Complete the request
Once the procedure has been fulfilled, the service desk needs to validate that the solution is acceptable to the requester. If it is then continue to the next step, if not then go back to the previous step.
Close the request
This is the official closure of the request and is important for evaluating the timeline of the resolution to make sure that no SLA’s (Service Level Agreement) were breached.
Service Desk Best Practices
- KIS (Keep it Simple): Try and make it as easy as possible for the employees of the organization to request anything that will make their lives easier and allow them to be more productive.
- Clearly communicate the SLA’s (Service Level Agreement): This will lower the communication between the requestor and the service desk to a minimum, allowing both sides to focus on more important things.
- Request feedback: Ask the requestors for feedback after their request was fulfilled, this will result in continuous improvement of the service desk.
- Document the requests: Make sure that the service desk professionals don’t feel the need to invent the wheel every time they receive a new request.
