In the world of IT Service Management (ITSM), the need for organizations to be flexible has never been more important. With rapidly changing customer needs and ever-revolving remote requirements, it is vital that critical IT services don’t get left behind. One way to do this is with ITIL®.
ITIL is a globally recognized framework for ITSM that is proven to help businesses build and organize a solid IT management system, while at the same time ensure continuous improvements to their IT services and provide high-quality customer service.
(This article is part of our ITIL 4 Guide. Use the right-hand menu to navigate.)
Along with these, there are a wide variety of advantages for organizations, individuals, and customers alike, which is why we have put together some of the top benefits of ITIL:
- Stronger alignment between IT and the business
- Improved service delivery and customer satisfaction
- Reduced costs through improved utilization of resources
- Greater visibility of IT costs and assets
- Better management of business risk and service disruption
- More stable service environment to support constant business change
Stronger alignment between IT and the business
One of the first major benefits of adopting ITIL is that it unites two departments within the company that might not normally be brought together: IT and business. In a lot of typical situations, both business and IT might be fairly siloed, only laser focusing on their specific tasks and responsibilities. This lack of communication can quickly cause delays, resulting in setbacks in planning, developing, and releasing new products.
ITIL, however, requires that the targets of business and IT remain aligned, helping to ensure both teams have the same objectives and key goals. This cooperation results in further accountability and clarity for the business as a whole, allowing for IT teams to provide faster complaint resolution services and earlier release dates.
(Read more about IT/business alignment.)
Improved service delivery and customer satisfaction
With both the business and IT departments being in better communication with each other, customer service deliveries will see fast improvement. From a strictly IT perspective, ITIL’s overarching best practices are inherently designed to keep operating systems running smoothly, which in turn allows customers the best possible user experience.
Greater visibility of IT costs & assets
For companies looking to reduce some IT expenses, adopting ITIL can prove to be a smart move. Not only have companies reported a decrease in overhead costs as a result of ITIL, but they have also gained greater visibility into their spending, deducting extraneous software as well as other unnecessary service costs. Thanks to ITIL’s metric-based strategies, IT teams can also gain greater insights into their expense data, helping to stay on budget and make important decisions when costs need to be cut.
Better management of business risk and service disruptions
All of these benefits of ITIL contribute to helping organizations manage risk. When there is strong alignment between both IT and business, there is a vastly smaller possibility that something is going to fall through the cracks.
In fact, one of the main benefits of ITIL is that its change, incident, and problem management processes have a direct focus on preventing service outages while also quickly repairing them should they occur. By minimizing these service disruptions, teams can ensure consistent, high-quality service. With teams aligned and service outages at a minimum, risks are mitigated.
More stable service environment to support constant business change
Given the constantly evolving and changing digital landscape, organizations that don’t consistently assess and improve are sure to get lost in the shuffle. ITIL ensures that organizations will always keep up with the times thanks to its dependable monitoring of systems and regular strategic reviews. Along with its flexibility and commitment to staying agile, ITIL best practices will keep businesses on top of the industry.
Great community
ITIL is so well-established, that training and meeting other individuals and companies makes it easier to transition its practices to your own organization. With the support of the ITIL community, you are standing on the shoulders of thousands of organizations who’ve achieved service management success through the framework.
Conclusion
Across the globe, high-level organizations have adopted ITIL for their ITSM practices, and it’s apparent why. With better communication, reduced costs, improved customer service, and less service disruptions, to name a few, the benefits of ITIL reiterate why it is one of the most trusted and utilized service management frameworks on the market.
