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Text: Nienke Deuss

INTRODUCING A NEW WAY OF WORKING IS NOT AS EASY AS IT SEEMS

Rik Roelofsen - Waternet

Rik Roelofsen, Waternet

Photography: Kees Muizelaar

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WATerneT mAkes WAves

After implementing TOPdesk, Waternet asked itself, How do we motivate our employees to actually use the tool? The answer: a Self Service Desk promotion campaign.

aternet, one of Europes biggest water companies, is based in Amsterdam

for our Assets sector, which spans several departments.

spaces. But introducing a new way of working isnt quite that easy, explains Roelofsen, especially when new TOPdesk users react sceptically to the tool. The IT

and is the only company to deal with the Netherlands entire water chain. Waternet purifies waste water, produces drinking water and keeps surface water clean and at sufficient levels. The latter is contracted out by the water board Waterschap Amstel, Gooi en Vecht and the Amsterdam city council. Waternet supplies clean and safe potable water to 1.2 million people in the central and west Netherlands. Waternet is also responsible for rivers, ponds and lakes in these regions.

The Assets project

To ensure optimal results, project leaders Cynthia Anas-Roose, Jody van Kerkwijk and Rik Roelofsen involved as many departments that deal with Assets in the project as possible. Roelofsen explains further. To be able to select a system, the project team first evaluated the advantages and disadvantages of the packages that were already in use at Waternet. Among other things, the positive experience with the Support department, the existing knowledge of the system and the pricing model made

department was already used to working with TOPdesk. Employees from the Facilities, Documents and Records and Human Resources departments on the other hand find human interaction more important than IT employees do. Because of this, some people viewed the tool as hindering their service.

Attention to communication
In order to turn his colleagues reticence into enthusiasm, Roelofsen took a structured approach to the implementation. At the start of the process we discussed our approach and wrote a product description for communication that would serve to introduce the Self Service Desk, Roelofsen recalls. No matter how much you organize or how often you post on the intranet, the impact will never be big enough. With such a big change, you have to be more

IT and Facilities
When Waternet was founded some five years ago, TOPdesk emerged as the best tool for IT management. Rik Roelofsen, TOPdesk application manager, worked closely with colleague Jody van Kerwijk from the start. Jody was manager of the facilities service management system at the time. Roelofsen explains the situation. There came a point where Facilities wanted a system more attuned to the departments developments. Waternet wanted to reduce the number of applications and improve support of internal employees, so we formed a project team to select a single central system

TOPdesk the obvious choice. Many of the processes surrounding Asset management have been included in TOPdesk, offering great improvements. For example new, relocating and exiting employee processes are now dealt with entirely within TOPdesk. Roelofsen explains.

Challenges
Choosing a tool was relatively easy, but integrating it into the existing methodology was something else entirely. After introducing TOPdesk, Waternet began using the Self Service Desk to reserve meeting rooms and parking

direct when communicating. Thats why we discussed the role our communication would play at such an early stage of the project and why communication was an important part of the project planning. Roelofsen also included the internal media channels that would be used to >>

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Personal approach
In addition to using promotional material, Roelofsen underlines the importance of a personal approach. He regularly visits the Facilities department to help them with TOPdesk. This means Im no longer just that guy from the eleventh floor who does things with TOPDesk. Personal support is also a very important part of an implementation. People find it that bit easier to come to you with questions or problems.

Impressive results
By timing the communication releases correctly and involving employees in the projects objectives, TOPdesk was introduced very successfully. At Waternet, the Self Service Desk in particular is now used much more. Roelofsen is very pleased with the results. The Self Service Desk promotion was very well received. Facilities have noticed that the number of phone calls has gone down and already half of the reservations are made via the Self Service Desk, even during the holiday season! Employees like the fact that they are now more independent. They are no longer left waiting on the
Waternet Service desk employees

telephone if they want to reserve a parking space, they just request it themselves via the Self Service Desk. According to Roelofsen, the Self Service Desk offers another

promote the Self Service Desk in the product description.

important advantage. Now that supporting departments have been brought together in the Self Service Desk, people work more closely with one another. In the past, departments were primarily

self service Desk promotion

To help with the Self Service Desk promotion, Roelofsen hired Design Agency DDC. I had always found TOPdesks magazine and website rather attractive and I heard that Design Agency DDC also offers Self Service Desk promotion. That led me to involve them in our project. During the intake, they discussed which materials would be used. With such a new way of working, you must be able to present information in a very accessible way. We decided to make four video tutorials, so that everyone would see straight away how the Self Service Desk works, explains Roelofsen. Not all employees in the target group have the same affinity with IT. To get around this, Waternet also used a medium that does not have to be viewed on a computer: the 3D desktop card. The 3D card explains, in a few simple steps, exactly how an employee can make a reservation or create an incident in the Self Service Desk. And that can give you just the confidence you need to go ahead and use the Self Service Desk, Roelofsen says cheerfully. To complement this information, the intranet, employee magazine and newsletter were also used to promote the Self Service Desk.

concerned with themselves, but now they are required to confer more often. As a result, they soon find that they learn a lot from each others procedures! The Self Service Desk is a positive step towards one central service desk.

About Design Agency DDC

Design Agency DDC started out six years ago as TOPdesks Communications and Design department. DDC now enjoys working independently for a wide range of customers. DDC is a one- stop shop for graphic design, web design, copywriting and translation. If you are interested in the promotional material used by Waternet, turn to the DDC advertorial on page 31. For more information, call us on +31 (0) 15 270 09 60 or go to www.designagencyddc.com