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Our Work Migrated ITSM tickets and project work from ServiceNow, VersionOne, and SharePoint to Jira Service Management (JSM) and Jira Software, creating a unified platform for managing IT services and project tasks Simplified change management by replacing multiple forms with a single change request issue type in JSM Set up automation rules for ticket prioritization, comment synchronization, and SLA tracking Implemented Insight Asset Management integrated with JSM for real-time visibility and streamlined asset management Provided comprehensive training for JSM agents and administrators

One of our clients previously used Zendesk as their ITSM solution, which no longer met their needs due to high costs. Additionally, they operated Jira Software on a Server environment for both software development and business teams. With the end of support for the Server environment, the client decided that it would be best to migrate their tools to the cloud . Aiming for centralization, cost reduction, and performance improvement , the client opted to transition from Zendesk to Jira Service Management .  To accomplish this movement they decided they needed an Atlassian Platinum Partner and chose e-Core to be their trusted partner in this journey. Phase one: Jira server-to-cloud migration The first phase of the project involved the migration from Jira Server to the Cloud. For this step, our team dedicated time to consultative support in scope refinement, defining and adjusting what would make sense to migrate within a viable migration window, following the complete migration process according to Atlassian’s best practices and the phases outlined in their runbook. The Jira data migration took place within a two-day window , covering 165 projects and 408,000 issues. This process also included the migration of specific operational projects, which were adjusted to operate as service projects. Phase two: development of service portals in Jira Service Management In the second phase, while the migration team focused on the Jira Server-to-Cloud migration , an e-Core implementation team worked on setting up Jira Service Management by developing service portals for the company’s ITSM and operational departments. e-Core’s team of specialists and consultants provided consistent consultative support, understanding the unique needs of each service area, assisting in defining scope with the client, and developing workflows, forms, projects, and process automation. Phase three: Zendesk to Jira Service Management migration In the third phase, as the implementation team completed the ITSM project and portal development, another e-Core team created a solution to facilitate the migration of over 260,000 Zendesk tickets, including more than 400,000 attachments and comments, to Jira Service Management. Zendesk did not allow easy exports of ticket comments and attachments via CSV or XML. An export in JSON or direct access to the REST API was required to access this data. Then e-Core developed a solution that accessed the Zendesk API, temporarily stored data, and formatted it to allow import into Jira Service Management. This included customizing fields and mapping fields like priority, issue type, request type, and status to meet the client’s needs. Though tool development was involved, this phase followed all recommended project stages: pre-testing, testing, pre-production, production, and post-production, as per Atlassian’s guidance. After the testing phase, where the migration was approved on sandbox, and during pre-production, the migration of historical data from closed tickets within a cut-off date began. During this stage, 240,000 tickets were imported from Zendesk to Jira Service Management before moving into production. The production migration was completed within a two-day window. The access to the previous platform was disabled during it and active tickets were migrated to the pre-created ITSM project. Historical deltas were managed. This ensured agents could operate seamlessly as soon as Sunday night, ensuring a transparent transition. The collaborative efforts between the client and e-Core consulting teams were essential in ensuring all project phases proceeded smoothly and incident-free, making for a transparent and effective Zendesk to Jira transition . Moving forward, e-Core’s Managed Services team will support the client’s team in using Jira and implementing any necessary enhancements for the full adoption of Atlassian Cloud across the company . e-Core will also consult into leveraging new functionalities and AI to continuously gain from its best features and benefits.

In the fast-evolving landscape of IT service management (ITSM), embracing the principle of continual improvement has never been more crucial. This concept, a core practice borrowed from Agile and integrated into ITIL 4 , stands as one of the pivotal elements of the Service Value Chain. It underscores the necessity of an ongoing cycle of reviewing and refining processes to enhance IT service delivery effectively.  At the heart of this principle lies the strategic use of ITSM metrics. To optimize IT service delivery, it is essential to consistently analyze and interpret performance data. This approach enables organizations to identify areas for improvement and gauge the impact of implemented changes. As the famous saying by Peter Drucker goes, “You can’t improve what you don’t measure,” companies need to pick the right metrics that help them see what’s going on in their operations. However, the task of selecting the right metrics is compounded by the challenge of data overload. In today’s digital age, IT departments are flooded with diverse data types, from problem and change records to service requests and user details. This wealth of information, while potentially valuable, can often lead to disconnected data sets, making it difficult for leaders to obtain a comprehensive view necessary for informed decision-making. Implementing ITSM offers a significant advantage: the ability to aggregate data. This process involves compiling various pieces of information from across the organization, a crucial step for making informed decisions and identifying trends. However, this is merely the beginning of the journey. The IT sector encounters further challenges in effectively utilizing this aggregated data. Developing the ability to select relevant data to enhance processes and services is an essential skill for IT teams . This skill is vital for turning raw data into actionable insights that drive continuous improvement and operational excellence. This article aims to shed light on this challenge, offering practical advice for IT leaders. By exploring how to select metrics that align with Agile principles integrated into their ITSM frameworks, it is possible to enable IT teams to effect meaningful, ongoing enhancement in their service delivery. To uncover valuable insights, look beyond the surface Take Dropbox as an example: after launching in September 2008, they quickly realized that referrals were key to acquiring new customers. By rewarding both the referrer and the referee with extra storage, they ignited a 3900% growth in 15 months. Imagine if they had only tracked basic metrics like storage usage or overall customer growth without honing in on acquisition strategies. This principle applies across the board. For instance, in IT, it’s not enough to know that an incident resolution was delayed. Effective ITSM metrics can reveal deeper insights, such as delays in engaging the correct team due to poorly documented resolutions from similar past incidents. This approach not only identifies the problem but also suggests actionable steps for improvement, moving beyond mere observation to facilitate real solutions. + Case Study: How e-Core delivered in 40 days an ITSM solution involving Incident, Problem and Change Management Step away from the vanity ITSM metrics Vanity metrics are metrics that make you look good to others but do not help you understand your performance in a way that informs future strategies. Your metric should lead you to a course of action or inform a decision. It should allow you to reproduce good results, being specific and measurable. If you can’t control the variables to help you repeat the outcomes, then you cannot improve it. An example of that is ticket volume. A large quantity of tickets does not imply low user satisfaction or that your team is not working effectively. If you leverage other information besides only the number of tickets (like date and time of creation, type of request, among other data we can get from Jira, for example), you can identify potential patterns and use this data to, for example, assign support agents for a high-volume period, or focus on knowledge-base articles which can help to divert those requests. Reliable metrics are non-negotiable You need to make sure the data is a real reflection of the truth, after all, data can be manipulated. Imagine your support team was pushed by the executive team to define a time to first response SLA. Your Service Level Objective (SLO) was defined as 90% of tickets meeting the defined SLA. If there is no transparency and the right visibility, what would happen if the team itself, by seeing the SLO would not be achieved, bulk-created tickets, quickly responded to those, to simply meet the numbers that were pushed to them? One of our clients had a scenario where there was a liability in the trust in data, as reports were exported in CSV format. After the JSM implementation with the right ITIL practices in place, data became more reliable, as team performance indicators are automatically generated by the tool and can be shared in real time. This allowed the company to make strategic management decisions based on reliable data, enabling continuous improvement in service provision. As businesses evolve, so should their metrics Jacob Drucker, in Forbes Magazine , detailed how his company initially focused on listing as many sellers as possible to establish credibility. Once a critical mass was achieved, they pivoted their attention towards expanding the product range and depth. Eventually, their metrics evolved to emphasize shipping times and compliance with shipping guidelines. This narrative underlines a key point: metrics that kickstart a business may become less relevant as priorities shift and the company grows. If we approach this from the perspective of ITSM , we can think of First Call Resolution, for example. This might be relevant for an organization when it’s starting to implement a Service Desk platform, but as it matures and implements other processes, knowledge management, the ticket which would be resolved on a first call, can start to be resolved by the user itself through a Self-Service Portal, leveraging the knowledge base articles. Remember: metrics should help your company discover what you don’t know. Ultimately, the continuous improvement of ITSM metrics is grounded in the Scrum pillars: Transparency, Inspection, and Adaptation. If you’re facing challenges with your metrics or seeking to advance your ITSM practices, reach out to e-Core. We can assist in integrating your tools to enhance visibility and transparency across solutions, enabling data-driven decision-making.

Experience this enlightening on-demand webinar where e-Core experts unveil how to effortlessly elevate your customer experience with Jira Service Management. Watch the session hosted by Flavia Batista (Regional Delivery Manager) and Martin Ferreira (Software Consultant) at your convenience to:  Discover how to achieve a seamless customer experience by integrating speed, convenience, and efficiency. Learn how to optimize operations, expedite issue resolution, and leverage automation and AI to eradicate bottlenecks while gaining a holistic view across all systems. Find out how to achieve a rapid return on your service management investment. Submit the form below and discover how to unleash a frictionless experience in your service management!

Let's kick off 2024 updated about the trends affecting service management this year! Are you ready to embark on a journey into the future of service management? Join us as we dive into the exciting world of Jira Service Management in this Atlassian exclusive webinar, sponsored by e-Core. Discover Jira’s New Ranking in Forrester’s ESM Wave Report:  For many organizations, navigating the landscape of IT Service Management (ITSM) tools can be a daunting task. Atlassian’s Jira Service Management has not only risen to the challenge but has also earned a prominent place in Forrester’s WaveTM: Enterprise Service Management (ESM), Q4 2023. In this webinar, we’ll unveil the details of the report, breaking down the 24-criterion evaluation that identifies the most significant players in the ESM space. A Sneak Peek into the Future: Get ready for an exclusive preview of the exciting enhancements and features set to roll out in 2024. Grady and Ken will shed light on the advancements that Jira Service Management has in store, promising to elevate your service management practices to new heights. Meet and Ask the Experts: Have burning questions about Jira Service Management or the future of service management in general? We’ve got you covered! During the webinar, you’ll have the opportunity to ask your questions directly to Atlassian ITSM experts: ↓

CVC Corp is the largest travel group in Latin America. It comprises business units from different segments in the tourism sector, such as vacation and leisure travel, corporate and course-related travel, and cultural exchange abroad.

Learn how e-Core's solutions helped the university boost efficiency, delight customers and cut costs. Seton Hall University is a prestigious Catholic institution in New Jersey with over 10,000 students, offering more than 90 majors across undergraduate and graduate programs. Its exceptional academic programs and the success of its men’s basketball team attract a growing number of prospective students each year. After over a decade of relying on outdated processes and tools to manage IT and business services, the solution in place became inefficient and costly, frustrating both students and the IT team. Seton Hall chose e-Core to create an effective strategy to address these challenges and find a cost-effective solution within a tight deadline. The partnership resulted in the successful implementation of a new ITSM suite two months ahead of the deadline. The new solution brought enhanced efficiency and productivity in service management while simultaneously reducing annual software licensing costs by 70% . Our work Created a strategy for modern service management Implemented self-help tools Established a repository for knowledge-base articles Developed an asset management tracking system (for laptops, printers, AV equipment, etc.) to eliminate use of outdated spreadsheets Migrated the ticketing system to Jira Service Management (JSM) Results Cost savings of 70% in licensing fees Reduced ticket volume by 18% in the first three months, enhancing the customer service experience Reduced help desk phone service costs Increased team productivity, enabling the relocation of five IT personnel from the service desk to other critical functions Access to meaningful data and accurate reports on asset management and ticket creation for strategic decision-making The challenge Technology is intended to simplify our lives. However, at Seton Hall, a complex and costly software suite for ITSM, PMO, and other IT services posed challenges for users and staff. All full-time, undergraduate students enrolled at the university are issued a laptop and access to 24/7 IT support through the University’s innovative Mobile Computing Program. Yet, the manual and outdated processes to deliver ubiquitous computing to the Seton Hall community contrasted with the university’s technology-driven approach to education, leaving users with an inefficient experience and staff without the data needed for strategic decision-making. There were 12,000 tickets created per year, most of which were for simple tasks such as password resetting. Users relied heavily on Seton Hall’s help desk for support because they found the self-service online portal too difficult to navigate. As a result, the university had to pay an external help desk service provider to handle incoming calls, leading to escalating costs per call. Additionally, it kept five in-house IT agents dedicated to supporting this service by inputting tickets into Seton Hall’s system. That was the situation when Associate CIO Paul Fisher reached an inflection point. Faced with a tight deadline before his core ITSM tool license expired, he had to find a new solution, but his IT team was already stretched thin with day-to-day activities. Hiring e-Core gave Fisher the expertise needed to craft and implement a cost-efficient strategy to meet the needs of Seton Hall’s digital operations within the given timeframe. “What we thought would be an impossible task became possible once e-Core got involved. Their communication, flexibility and knowledge made it all possible.” John Fernandes Director, PC Support Services The solution e-Core started by evaluating the university’s internal processes and systems to identify areas for improvement. Despite the time constraints, a well-defined strategy was crucial for determining priorities and the most effective approach to transform Seton Hall’s service management. From the beginning, it was clear the new service management solution had to integrate with Seton Hall’s project management tool. At the time, the Project Management Office was using a costly add-on module that introduced a lot of unnecessary complexity and failed to meet Seton Hall’s needs . e-Core replaced the previous solution by implementing a streamlined integration of Jira Service Management and Jira Software. This integration improved issue visibility and made processes faster and more intuitive. Because Jira and JSM are built on a common platform, the two systems work seamlessly to speed up service requests and eliminate the need for expensive add-ons. The integration also eliminated the use of spreadsheets for inventory tracking . Now, when students reach out to the support team, the assigned agent can access the asset management repository and retrieve key information about the user’s device from a centralized system. If too many tickets are created for a particular laptop model, for example, they can easily pinpoint the pattern and act to prevent similar issues with other users. To boost team productivity and elevate customer service, e-Core designed an online self-help tool that integrates Confluence with JSM. This solution offers users recommended knowledge-base articles before they create tickets to assist with simpler queries. Additionally, the customer support interface was simplified to make the system more intuitive and accessible through Seton Hall’s online portal. The results Increased productivity The implementation of a modern, streamlined online process for customer services powered by knowledge-base articles allowed users to independently resolve the most common issues without the need for additional IT support. In the first three months of using the new system, the number of new tickets decreased by 18%. Five IT agents who monitored and responded to calls for the service desk were relocated to more critical functions. Seton Hall also hired a more cost-effective phone service desk company to answer calls and create tickets directly into JSM. “I used to have five agents answering phone calls (from the external help-desk service). Now I have zero,” says John Fernandes, Director, PC Support Services at Seton Hall. “Two of the agents were promoted to desktop engineers and are doing second and third-level work, which added value to the team.” Improved customer service and access to reliable data Professors, students, alumni, and vendors now have a much better experience when they need assistance from Seton Hall’s team. The streamlined and simplified system interface, powered by a self-help tool, empowers users to easily find solutions for common questions and open tickets with the click of a button when they require additional support from IT. They also receive automated emails to keep them informed about the status of their ticket, encouraging users to trust, use, and track their tickets in the portal. According to Fisher, the mobile app experience of JSM was another added value. “If a technician is dispatched to a computer lab, they can just use their phone and navigate easily through the system, while in the past they had to carry a 2-pound laptop that made the whole process more complex.” Additionally, the new system eliminated the use of spreadsheets and allowed the team to have access to valuable data to better serve the community. “Our dashboards and reports are much more effective and capture what is happening at the organization,” says Fisher. Significant Cost Savings Seton Hall has achieved cost savings of 70% in software licensing fees after switching its ITSM service provider to JSM. By improving processes, the university was able to increase team productivity and enhance savings. “We moved away from holding everyone’s hands and getting everything done for them to a more self-service environment, where everything is available for users to do by themselves,” says Fernandes. With the savings, the IT team now has the budget to invest proactively in initiatives that drive value to the business. “I can provide a higher level of service to our community. We’re working on a whole new series of services to enhance the user experience and give more options for the rest of the institution,” says Fernandes. Digital acceleration. Delivered. Fernandes acknowledges the stress that comes with changing a service provider the institution had been with for 25 years. Migrating to another solution in less than a year seemed impossible, but by partnering with e-Core, Seton Hall found the expert help needed to accomplish the mission. “The day we switched to Jira and I heard the team say, ‘We’re live! Everything’s working!’ I went home and told my wife that tons of pressure on my shoulders was gone,” says Fernandes. “I attribute that to e-Core. They stuck with us, helped us, and got us moving to where we needed to be.” “The day we switched to Jira and I heard the team say, ‘We’re live! Everything’s working!’ I went home and told my wife that tons of pressure on my shoulders was gone. I attribute that to e-Core. They stuck with us, helped us, and got us moving to where we needed to be.” John Fernandes Director, PC Support Services Next steps The natural progression for an organization adopting a modern service management approach for specific business processes is to extend this practice to other critical areas to leverage the tools and expertise gained.  The same holds true for Seton Hall. “We want to expand the system to employee onboarding, facilities management, and other applications,” says Fernandes. Once again, e-Core has been selected as a trusted partner to accomplish the mission. “It was an easy choice for us. When you find a vendor that really understands your business and helps you, they become more than vendors – they become real partners. This is how we see e-Core,” says Fernandes.