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Ticket Volume

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News and information for improving IT experiences. Ticket Volume connects a community of Service Management professionals with new ideas and perspectives. Powered by InvGate. New episodes each week!
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24. The risk of enablement and the power of Value Streams, with Daniel Breston

Ticket VolumeSep 29, 2022

00:00
26:53
77. ITSM, BRM, Agile, Project Management: Why None of Them Matter, With David Tomlinson

77. ITSM, BRM, Agile, Project Management: Why None of Them Matter, With David Tomlinson

Register for our next live webinar to discuss multidisciplinary ITSM projects here: https://bit.ly/3Vkzjtm.

What do ITSM, BRM, Agile, and Project Management frameworks have in common? Kicking off this year's season of Ticket Volume, David Tomlinson invites us to explore this question.

He makes the argument that any successful framework implementation doesn’t mean obsessing over which one is better or finding a perfect fit and following it blindly. For this, he explains how organizations and leaders have to focus on adaptation, common sense, and the human factor when it comes to designing strong processes.

David Tomlinson serves as Senior Learning Specialist and DevOps Ambassador for DevOps, Agile, Project, Program, and IT Service Management at QA Ltd. Before this, he also worked for over ten years as Senior Trainer Consultant at FGI Consultancy.

Mar 14, 202401:12:15
[LIVE SESSION] - The Future of IT Service Management

[LIVE SESSION] - The Future of IT Service Management

Register here to win an "Introduction to ESM" book: https://bit.ly/3RMDADo!


Same as every year, December arrives with trends, predictions, and the need to try to take a glimpse at the future. For the IT industry in particular, 2023 brought several changes – and a few game-changers. The eruption of AI is clearly a hot topic, and we have also witnessed a more profound shift towards experience, as well as a focus on capabilities and measuring value.


And since we're not fortune-tellers, we brought a panel of experts to reveal what's in store for 2024 in the IT Service Management world. Should we be prepared for another groundbreaking innovation? Is there something else we need to prepare for? Only time will tell – but you can listen for some spoilers and predictions!


Rob England, Claire Agutter, and Mark Smalley join Matt Beran to discuss the future of Service Management, specifically focusing on IT and other shared service functions.


Formerly known as “The IT Skeptic”, Rob England is an active contributor to ITIL Service Strategy, The Unicorn Project, The Agile Manager, Open Management, The DevOps Handbook, a lead author of the VeriSM digital framework.


Claire Agutter is currently the Director at ITSM Zone and Scopism. She's a Service Management trainer, consultant, author, and Chief Architect for VeriSM. She was recognized as an HDI Top 25 Thought Leader in 2018 and 2019 and was nominated as one of Computer Weekly's 50 Women in Tech.


Self-defined as The IT Paradigmologist, Mark Smalley is an ITIL author and co-author, IT Management consultant and trainer, advisor, and former ambassador of organizations such as DevOps Agile Skills Association and ASL BiSL Foundation.

Dec 19, 202301:11:29
76. Unlocking the Main Elements of the Knowledge Centered Service, With Lana Kosnik

76. Unlocking the Main Elements of the Knowledge Centered Service, With Lana Kosnik

The KCS offers a more collective approach to Knowledge Management through a defined method. Lana Kosnik, trainer in this system, explains here the main elements that make up the Knowledge Centered Service approach. She starts by explaining how the KCS coaching programs operate through a peer-to-peer perspective.


Then she dives into the method’s main elements, including the eight solve and evolve processes, the core concepts, and the four principles that guide the whole system. To conclude, she shares some recommendations for what to do with legacy content when adopting the KCS, and lists the main benefits she has seen come along with the adoption.

Lana Kosnik is a certified Knowledge Centered Service V6 Trainer and currently works as KCS Knowledge Management Practice Manager at Upland Software. Before this, she got her start in administrative roles and catering sales and operations. Lana also served as Part-Time Faculty at Oakland University.

Dec 07, 202332:24
75. How To Reduce The Fear of AI, With Mariena Quintanilla

75. How To Reduce The Fear of AI, With Mariena Quintanilla

Based on her experience working with teams to introduce the tool, Mariena shares advice on how to reduce the fear of Generative AI, and some strategies on how to incorporate it into businesses and people's everyday tasks. Along this, she explores the process of upskilling and gives out recommendations for those looking to expand their expertise and get into something new. To finish off, she brings up the work she does with data analysis, focusing on root cause analysis and the importance of introducing insights from support teams for engineers to make improvements based on systemic and data driven analysis. Mariena Quintanilla is an Independent Consultant that works with startups on data quality testing and support systems. She has honed her skills as an organizational leader by helping to build customer facing engineering teams focused on customer data, custom data solutions, and technical support for data products. Prior to this, she spent 10 years in Product and Engineering.

Nov 30, 202329:41
74. Business Process Design in ITSM: How to Design Robust Business Processes?, With David Mainville

74. Business Process Design in ITSM: How to Design Robust Business Processes?, With David Mainville

In Service Management, business process design lays the foundation upon which everything else arises. David Mainville makes the point that robust business processes are the starting point of any solid strategy, as they are what brings together the business with IT. He breaks down everything that should be included in the design process to make it accurate and complete from the start. David also talks about the Navvia Process Designer, his own software company, and touches on some of the most frequent mistakes related to process building, and what he sees coming in the future for this field of practice. David Mainville is the CEO and Co-Founder of Navvia and a well known member of the Service Management community. Before this, he got his start as a Field Engineer and progressed through Senior Technical and Management roles over 13 years to eventually become National Manager of Professional Services at Amdahl Canada.

Nov 23, 202330:01
73. Learning From Practice In ITSM, With Ryan Ogilvie

73. Learning From Practice In ITSM, With Ryan Ogilvie

When looking to improve ITSM processes, Ryan argues that the focus should be put on learning from practice. He shares his experience of ten years as an ITSM consultant, pointing out how important it is for organizations to look inwards, avoid working on autopilot, analyze the why’s behind their operations, and, when possible, come to their own conclusions for where and how to improve. To finish off, Ryan touches on knowledge sharing, identifying the need for it to be short, functional, and practical to engage with. Ryan Ogilvie has worked for the last ten years as an independent ITSM Coach and Consultant for Blackfriar Consulting. In the past, he has also served as Service Management Lead and ITSM Consultant at Shaw Communications, as an IT Process and Procurement Analyst at CalFrac Well Services, and other ITSM related roles at Burnco Rock Products, Interpipeline, and Agrium.

Nov 16, 202327:42
[LIVE SESSION] Knowledge Management Success: Tips, Tricks, And Metrics

[LIVE SESSION] Knowledge Management Success: Tips, Tricks, And Metrics

A proper Knowledge Management strategy is essential to an efficient IT support offering. However, achieving this may present some challenges. It requires time, effort, consistency, and, most importantly, to create awareness of its relevance. But all hope is not lost! In this live session, Liz Bunger and Michelle Stumpf dive deep into the factors determining Knowledge Management success, including the Knowledge-Centered Support function, the knowledge funnel, and the path from knowledge to an article. Plus, they share tips and tricks for documenting, writing, and measuring. Liz Bunger is the KCS Program Manager at Motive, where she develops and implements the strategy for the Customer Support Knowledge program. Prior to this, she was the Business Program Management - Knowledge at Paychex. Michelle Stumpf is the Head of Knowledge Management at Celonis, a KCS-certified trainer, and a Knowledge Management strategist. She has solid experience developing and implementing enterprise-level taxonomy, metadata, and governance strategy. Previously, she was the KCS (KM) Practice Director at RightAnswers and the Content-Knowledge Information Architect at Verizon.

Nov 09, 202349:19
72. Building Community Within a Customer Support Team, With Neal Travis

72. Building Community Within a Customer Support Team, With Neal Travis

Neal Travis brings on the importance of building community, fostering strong relationships, and encouraging effective communication within a Customer Support team. He shares his current experience in AIHR, focusing on the work he does to motivate connections and share knowledge throughout the support team. Neal also talks about his experience with Support Driven, a community for Support professionals, and how his participation allows him to grow and improve in his day to day tasks. Neal Travis is currently the Support and Admissions Manager for AIHR, an online learning and edtech company, and an active participant of the popular Support Driven community. He has collected over a decade of experience in Customer-Centric Roles, getting his start managing customer and sales teams in retail Telecom.

Nov 02, 202323:33
71. How to Become an ITSM Consultant, With Sophie Hussey

71. How to Become an ITSM Consultant, With Sophie Hussey

Have you ever wanted to leave your current position and become an ITSM consultant? Here’s a little help in that direction! ITSM independent consultant and mentor Sophie Hussey shares her work process and how ITIL4 continues to provide a solid structure that allows organizations to focus on simplifying processes and finding what really is adding value to their workplace. For this, she specifically points out the importance of Change Enablement and Risk Management and lists other frameworks and strategies that she incorporates to her program. Sophie Hussey has over 20 years of experience in the IT industry and since 2022 has dedicated herself to ITSM independent consulting, serving as Director for Lapis Consulting Services. She has also worked in different roles that go from Support Analyst and Service Desk Team Leader to Head of Service Management at companies like Lewis Group and Lowell.

Oct 26, 202329:27
[LIVE SESSION] Staffing For Service: Models, Volumes, And Training

[LIVE SESSION] Staffing For Service: Models, Volumes, And Training

Help desk staffing gets more and more complex over time. How do you know when to hire, how to hire, and how many people to hire at the service desk? If you don't know, we have a panel to try to answer that for you! Jacob White, Kincy Clark, Simone Jo Moore, Daniel Breston, and Matt Beran discuss staffing for service, available models, and training to build the best IT support team. Jacob White is a Consultant/Advisor with a rich background in Sales and Support. Before that, he was the Head of Customer Service at Adaptiva and the Director of Technical Support Engineering at CrowdStrike. Kincy Clark is the Founder of OneStudy.ai and the former Director of Support at Bolt. He has over 12 years of experience in team leadership, Program Management, strategy, operations, communication, and technical experience. Simone Jo Moore is a renowned author and coauthor guiding organizations and individuals in adopting a "Humanising IT" perspective. She's been in HDI's Top 25 Industry Thought Leaders for the last five years and is a WomenTech & DevOps Institute Ambassador. Daniel Breston is a retired coach, blogger, speaker, and writer with more than 50 years of experience in IT. He's currently a board member of itSFMF UK, and once in a while, he picks up his old habits with part-time mentorships and workshops.

Oct 19, 202355:59
70. Emotional intelligence in leadership, with Deborah Monroe

70. Emotional intelligence in leadership, with Deborah Monroe

The power of emotional intelligence capabilities in leadership shouldn’t be underestimated. Building upon her experience in IT and in learning and development, Deborah Monroe makes the point that strong psychological awareness and a people-centric approach can take you a long way. And, not only that, but it is also measurable and science-based information that has to be taken seriously. To finish off, she shares some practical insights on her experience with HDI training. Deborah Monroe, also known as the people person in IT, is currently the president of Ignite Achievements International, and HDI Faculty Member at Informa Tech. She also works as Subject Matter Expert at Gerson Lehrman Group, Six Seconds Emotional Intelligence Network, and Rehabilitation Enables Dreams. Before this, Deborah served as a facilitator for over 30 years for Oxford Health, Spherion, Visiocom and STI knowledge.

Oct 12, 202339:46
69. Unfolding Yet Another Service Management Model (YaSM), With Stefan Kempter

69. Unfolding Yet Another Service Management Model (YaSM), With Stefan Kempter

Following simple, straightforward, and adaptable rules to design Service Management processes was what Stefan Kempter had in mind when putting together the YaSM (Yet Another Service Management Model). However, as the name smartly implies, this idea doesn’t stand alone. Here, Stefan shares the process behind the making of the model, how it brings together different ITSM framework principles, and what organizations get from implementing it, including documents, templates and diagrams that avoid having to start every process from scratch. To finish off, he also gives out some valuable advice for other process-geeks like him. Stefan Kempter is the Founder and current Managing Director of IT Process Maps GbR, Germany. He is also author of the YaSM Service Management Model and ITIL Process Maps. Stefan started off as a Pre-Sales and Technical Consultant at Signalbau Huber, served as Head of IT Architecture and Strategic Planning at ADAC, and spent five years as a Process Consultant at IDS Scheer AG.

Oct 05, 202327:41
68. How to Become a Help Desk Technician? First Steps as an Agent, with Abby Sininger

68. How to Become a Help Desk Technician? First Steps as an Agent, with Abby Sininger

Abby Sininger is taking her first steps in IT having landed an internship as support analyst at GRE and shares her insights into what it’s like working on the front line of a help desk. As a young adult making her way into this field of work, she talks about which skills she believes are most important for the job, her educational background and current studies, and how she first got interested in tech through the program Women in STEM. Finally, Abby gives out some advice for people with similar interests and professional goals, and goes through what she expects for her future. Abby Sininger is a Computer Science Major at St. Cloud State University in Minnesota and an aspiring software developer with a passion to inspire women to join STEM fields. She has served in roles as an administrative assistant at Simonson Lumber Company, a manager at House of Pizza, and recently landed a role as IT support analyst at Great River Energy.

Sep 28, 202326:11
67. The power of Simulations in ITSM training, with James Gander

67. The power of Simulations in ITSM training, with James Gander

ITSM is all about serving the people. And that counts for both sides of the equation. IT industry veteran James Gander walks us through the power of simulations in ITSM training and service desk environments. He highlights their ability to encourage communication and collaboration amongst teams, and real-life experiences over pure books and theory. He also shares some recent projects, such as The Project Phoenix and MarsLander, and examples of remote simulations.

James Gander has over 30 years working in the IT industry. In 2010 he left full-time employment and started serving as Managing Director of Gander Service Management. He worked in the past in many IT roles at different companies like Xansa, Waikato District Health Board, Genesis Energy, the University of Auckland, Northpower, and Carter Holt Harvey. James is also a contributor to VeriSM and has made appearances on other IT media channels, like The ITSM Crowd, Karen Ferris's Conversations, and more.

Sep 21, 202333:19
[LIVE SESSION] ITAM Challenges: Epic Fails, Red Flags, And Tales From the Battlefield | David Foxen

[LIVE SESSION] ITAM Challenges: Epic Fails, Red Flags, And Tales From the Battlefield | David Foxen

There's no point denying that IT Asset Management is a vital business process. However, implementing a strategy and improving it is no easy task. Matt Beran and David Foxen go over the most common ITAM challenges (and how to solve them). Plus, David's vast experience on the topic helped him collect (and share!) some epic fails, stories, and learnings. David Foxen has dedicated his career to IT Asset Management. He's the Founder and Principal Consultant for SAM Beast Consulting Ltd and was named the ITAM Consultant of the Year in 2022 by "The ITAM Review." He has also founded the ITAM Volunteers, which helped organizations struggling during the COVID pandemic through ITAM.

Sep 14, 202343:13
66. Mastering the art of training help desk staff, with Lisa Schwartz

66. Mastering the art of training help desk staff, with Lisa Schwartz

Co-founder of the ITSM Academy almost 20 years ago, Lisa Schwartz knows a thing or two about how to effectively train help desk staff in their jobs. Here, she goes through the training approach that went from classroom to microlearning, highlighting however the importance of not losing the sense of community. She also shares some practical strategies to stay relevant in teaching, such as adapting to different learning types and undergoing simulations and role changings. Finally, for the company's side of things, Lisa goes through advice on how to make sure they really are getting value out of the training investment. Lisa Schwartz got her start in hospitality and applying Service Management standards, and currently specializes in ITSM, ITIL, Agile, DevOps and VSM training. She is also the Co-founder and CEO of ITSM Academy, Founding Partner for XLACollab, and the Co-founder for the DevOps Institute.

Sep 07, 202342:35
65. How to Build a Strong Team Culture, With Gregg Gregory

65. How to Build a Strong Team Culture, With Gregg Gregory

How do you build a strong team culture? And what makes up solid leadership to do so? Gregg Gregory, a practiced expert, provides some key points on teamwork and guiding positions, and how to keep up both productivity and morale across the workplace. He goes through the foundations of what makes up an efficient team: teamwork, team culture, leadership, ground rules, and shared core values. He also shares some advice for leaders, such as the importance of sharing the whys, adapting to changing scenarios, and consulting behavior models to organize your team’s positions. Gregg Greggory is an experienced trainer and consultant, and a national leading authority in the areas of teamwork, leadership, and organizational culture. He has worked with over a thousand companies to build highly effective employee training and development strategies to build more cohesive teams. Gregg is also the host of the podcast “The Teamwork Advantage” and the author of two books on Leadership, “ONE Team - ONE Dream” and “The GPS of Leadership”.

Aug 31, 202338:25
64. The importance of IT Asset Management, With David Foxen

64. The importance of IT Asset Management, With David Foxen

Hardware and Software Asset Management are the two sides of the IT Asset Management equation. This means, one simply can’t exist without the other. ITAM professional David Foxen takes us through the importance of IT Asset Management and where both practices stand today, especially after the pandemic, the steady movement towards remote work, and the supply chain issues that were faced along 2021. He points out how central being mindful about HAM has become for cost saving opportunities and the current shift of focus in SAM from compliance to a customer service mentality. David Foxen is an ITAM Professional and principal consultant for SAM Beast Consulting Ltd. He worked doing ITAM at companies like Aeroflex, Santander, Arup and Johnson Matthey, among others. He also started ITAM volunteers, an organization that helped companies struggling to adapt Asset Management during the pandemic and currently serves as a committee member for ISO.

Aug 24, 202332:24
63 . How to put an Experience Management strategy into effect, with Joshua Nelson

63 . How to put an Experience Management strategy into effect, with Joshua Nelson

Building upon his own work at Power Design and his years of research on the topic, Joshua Nelson dives into the world of Experience Management (XM) and the different processes it works along. He goes through some key components to put it into practice and develop an XM strategy, such as the single point of contact for end-user experiences, XLAs, the relative importance of metrics (and which ones are worth looking out for), and the value of relationship building. Joshua Nelson is Director of Technology Experience at Power Design, Inc. and the best selling author of “Leadership Distilled, Serving with Purpose”. He also has a PhD focused in Business Administration and Management, Information Systems and Enterprise Resource Management from California Intercontinental University. Formerly, he was a Program Manager for the district of Pasco Coun County.

Aug 17, 202331:26
[LIVE SESSION] The ITSM Implementation Roadmap, With Doug Tedder

[LIVE SESSION] The ITSM Implementation Roadmap, With Doug Tedder

There are various phases of improving Service Management. However, the path might not be entirely clear. But worry not because in this Ticket Volume live episode, Doug Tedder shares an ITSM implementation roadmap! He and Matt discuss where to start, how to mature, and what "good" looks like. Get ready to dive into IT value maximization! Doug Tedder is an IT Consultant and author specialized in helping businesses improve and leverage their use of IT organizations. He currently assists organizations in ITSM plan development, process implementation plans, ITSM and strategy roadmaps, and more. His experience also includes some remarkable roles as the President of itSMF USA, the Director of Managemetn Systems at The priSM Institute, and the Manager of Service Delivery at Roche Diagnostics.

Aug 10, 202335:50
62. A Field Guide on How to Build a Successful CMDB, With Allen Dixon

62. A Field Guide on How to Build a Successful CMDB, With Allen Dixon

Building upon his years of experience with Configuration Management, Allen Dixon gets practical and dives deep into how to build a successful CMDB. He provides insights on what to prioritize through the building process, shining a light on the importance of clean and valuable data, communication with customers, the difference between a CMDB and an inventory, and the significance it has for Change Management. He finally puts together opportunities and gaps for future improvements to look out for. Allen Dixon is an ITIL-trained professional with over two decades of IT experience across industries such as healthcare and automotive. For the past nine years, he has been dedicated to IT Service Management and ITIL process implementation. He is a valued contributor to the book "VeriSM: Unwrapped and Applied" and has recently been named as DB Shanker's, Head of Regional Service and Operations Management for the Americans.

Aug 03, 202339:09
61. Where Does Organizational Change Management Stand Today, With Karen Ferris

61. Where Does Organizational Change Management Stand Today, With Karen Ferris

Frameworks are very popular in the Service Management world, and Organizational Change Management (OCM) is no exception. Karen Farris, an expert in the matter, explores the field in the current landscape, where change is becoming more frequent and faster. Based on the guidelines of her published – and recently updated – book, she goes through the OCM framework, explores the OCM process, and provides advice to leaders looking to implement change successfully. Karen Ferris is an Independent Organizational Change Management and Leadership Guide, as well as a Service Management Expert at Macanta Consulting. She has published books on Organizational Change and workplace resilience, and has served in the past as a Practice and Service Manager at Proactive Services and National Australia Bank.

Jul 27, 202333:07
60. How to Measure Knowledge in IT? Skills vs. Theory, With Matthew Burrows

60. How to Measure Knowledge in IT? Skills vs. Theory, With Matthew Burrows

How to measure knowledge in IT in a standardized way? Where does experience outside formal education chip in on this equation? Mathew Burrows brought his years of experience with the global skills and competency framework SFIA and with his company SkillsTX to unfold some possible answers to these points. Whether you’re recruiting, managing teams, or looking to stay relevant as a professional, he goes through successful learning processes, including both theory and applied learning, and encourages all professionals to create both a skills profile and a development plan. Matthew Burrows is an internationally recognized thought leader, a SFIA Accredited Consultant, Assessor, and Trainer and the Co-Founder and President Emeritus of SkillsTX. He works with companies and governments to improve their Digital Skills Management Maturity. In the past, he also served as President of the Institute of Service Management and as a contributor to Service Management and Project Management standards and publications.

Jul 20, 202341:08
59. How To Run A Successful Help Desk - And Win An Award For It, With Moe Sulliman

59. How To Run A Successful Help Desk - And Win An Award For It, With Moe Sulliman

What does it take to run a successful help desk? And what does it mean to win an award for it? From the motivational push that comes with it, to what the path to this reward looks like in the first place, Moe Suliman shares how to keep things running at high levels of purpose and productivity. He breaks down what it means to be a good help desk agent and focuses on the importance of providing them with a safe work environment to learn, a team work feeling, and clear models to look up to. Moe Suliman is currently Information Technology Help Desk Manager at Wajax. He is also the winner of the Best Service And Support Manager Of The Year 2023. Moe served a wide range of roles in IT, before finally getting into Service Management. He was Service Desk Manager for Axon Medical Technologies, Maeve's International Software, Rio Can Real Estate Investment Trust.

Jul 13, 202324:49
58. How to Stay Relevant? Tips And Tricks For IT Leaders with Anthony Orr

58. How to Stay Relevant? Tips And Tricks For IT Leaders with Anthony Orr

As with most professional domains, but especially in IT, staying relevant and updated is an everyday job. In this episode, ITIL author Anthony Orr brings on his long years of ITSM experience and leads us through what this looks like for him. He shares with us his chosen channels to stay informed, recommendations for IT teams and leadership roles, and gives us a sneak peak of what might be coming in ITIL 5 and the imperative importance of adopting business focus. Anthony Orr is an ITIL and Executive ITSM Advisor-Consultant. He has been serving at HDI for over six years and is also currently a Solution Director for SDI Presence. In the past, he has worked for some of the most well known brands in ITSM, amongst which you can find Honeywell, the Department of Veteran Affairs, Axo, and BMC Cherwell.

Jul 06, 202330:49
57. A How-To Guide On Boosting Team Morale, With Sandy Confer

57. A How-To Guide On Boosting Team Morale, With Sandy Confer

As a true advocate for building and maintaining team morale, Sandy Confer brought all her experience on fostering team engagement whilst managing a service desk. She highlighted the importance of keeping teams motivated, having fun, and working together at all times, and, most importantly, provided a wide range of different strategies, practical tips, ideas, and activities to do so. Sandy Confer is an IT Support Specialist with many years of experience in the field. She served as a Technical Support Associate for many years at Brodart, and is currently working in education as IT Support Specialist at Penn State University.

Jun 29, 202331:24
56. A Crash Course on Value Stream Mapping For ITSM, with Waseem Ahmed

56. A Crash Course on Value Stream Mapping For ITSM, with Waseem Ahmed

As organizations grow in complexity and there is an increase in the visibility of corporate organization and interconnected processes, Value Streams have taken the center of the stage. Waseem Ahmed shares some key guidelines on how to get started with Value Stream Mapping for IT. He points out the importance of beginning with a strong service design and the need to keep a close eye on the continual improvement of the whole service lifecycle.

Waseem Ahmed has a long history of system and service experiences working in different roles and companies. Amongst them, he operated as Virtualization Service Delivery Manager for American Airlines and Vice President of Production Operations Core Technology Infrastructure for Citi. He currently serves as the director of IT Service Management at BECU, a not-for-profit financial cooperative.

Jun 22, 202324:57
55. An introduction to Unified Service Management, with John Worthington

55. An introduction to Unified Service Management, with John Worthington

The current transition to an ESM approach can’t only rely on IT-based practices, processes, and frameworks. Certified coach John Worthington unlocks the power of Unified Service Management and explains how adopting this method can help achieve the standardization of services across the whole organization. He highlights its simplicity and the fact that it is able to support all coexisting frameworks as its strongest points to create a solid and stable foundation for enterprises to count on. John Worthington is an ITIL V3 expert, an XLA master, and a certified USM coach. He has over 40 years of experience in Information Technology. John began his career managing sales for a custom app dev team at Unisys and doing sales and quality improvement at AT&T. He moved into Service Management and business development for a few companies before starting MyServiceMonitor. He now serves as a major contributor and fan to the expansion Unified Service Management method in the United States.

Jun 15, 202331:40
[LIVE SESSION] Experience is Squishy: How to Turn Sentiment Data Into Action

[LIVE SESSION] Experience is Squishy: How to Turn Sentiment Data Into Action

Employee Experience is a determining factor that can sink an organization or make it stand out, and mastering it is not an option these days. To help you thrive, Jon Leighton (Nexthink) and Emily Schlick (Vizient) share some practical advice on how to improve employee experience. Jon Leighton has been the Head of Customer Engagement and Advocacy at Nextink for four years. Before this, he's been in BMC Software, was the VP of Customer Success at 4me, and the Service Desk Leader at Southhampton City Council. Emily Schlick is the Sr. Director of Technology Strategic Business Operations at Vizient, Inc. Prior to that role, she's been the Director of Digital Employee Experience and Strategic Initiatives at Cigna and the Sr. Manager of Employee Experience at Express Scripts.

Jun 08, 202344:47
54. How Can Systemic Thinking Benefit Digital Leadership, with Patti Blackstaffe

54. How Can Systemic Thinking Benefit Digital Leadership, with Patti Blackstaffe

Patti Blackstaffe breaks down the main challenges and opportunities that digital leadership roles face towards the future. Building upon a Systemic Approach, she focuses on three main points: adapting to the ever changing landscape, making the necessary cognitive shift to successfully do so, and, at the center of it all, striving for collective cohesion by understanding the organization systemically, focusing on building both internal and external relationships, and providing enough power, autonomy, and communication instances with all team members. Patti Blackstaffe is currently CEO and Transformational Specialist at Global Sway and serves as a fellow for the Institute of Digital Transformation. She has spent 20 years leading digital transformations, organizational change, and governance in tech environments, and has also co-founded three companies along the way.

Jun 01, 202325:46
53. From Cross Functional Manager to Security & Governance Leader, with Jeevan Lobo

53. From Cross Functional Manager to Security & Governance Leader, with Jeevan Lobo

Jeevan Lobo has piled up an impressive amount of leadership knowledge throughout his career, and is eager to share what he learned. In this episode, he walks Matt through his role as a Cross-Functional Manager, and how he transitioned to his current position as Security and Governance Leader. In addition, he shares some tips on how to implement new processes in an organization, measure success, and get teams actively involved. Jeevan Lobo is currently the Vice President of Security and Governance in Citibank He is an ITIL Expert, and has over two decades of experience in IT. Jeevan has worked over the years across Consulting, Managed Service providers, and Captive organizations, with multiple stakeholders from all over the world, and in a wide range of industries, such as Financial institutions, Health & Life Sciences, Energy & Utilities, and Retail. His areas of expertise include Cross-Functional Leadership, Digital Transformation and Risk & Control.

May 25, 202335:13
[LIVE SESSION] IT + CX: The Experience Sweet Spot, with Nate Brown

[LIVE SESSION] IT + CX: The Experience Sweet Spot, with Nate Brown

While digital transformation isn't a prerequisite to improving customer experiences, it sure helps! However, it's not that simple. If you're trying to upgrade your digital experiences (or just looking to measure the perception of services and products better), join Matt Beran and Nate Brown (Arise) on this live session to understand and overcome the blockers and friction that tend to get in the way of great experiences.

Nate Brown is the Senior Director of CX at Arise and Co-Founder of CX Accelerator. His primary focus is helping employees understand the customer journey and how they play a role in improving it. Some of his previous experience includes being the Chief Experience Officer at Officium Labs and the Head of Customer Experience at UL.

May 18, 202341:14
52. A Practical Approach to Co-Creating Value Across the Organization, with David Barrow

52. A Practical Approach to Co-Creating Value Across the Organization, with David Barrow

David Barrow, an all-round passionate and expert on the matter, discusses with our host the guiding principles of ITIL 4, where understanding how to co-create value is central. We examine why it's time to enable IT teams to work with suppliers and customers to deliver value, and why value creation must be extensively integrated into organizations and their supply chain. Then we look into a few practical ways to start applying this in your organization. Finally, David gives us a small sneak peek into some concepts described in his new book.

David Barrow is an IT professional, with 30 years of experience working with IT across multiple industries, and the recently published author of ‘Co-creating value in organizations with ITIL 4‘. He is an ITIL 4 Strategic Leader recognised by BCS, The Chartered Institute for Information Technology, as a Chartered IT Professional and Fellow. He is also a Contributor to VeriSM's Service Management for a Digital Age. David worked as a Service Desk Analyst at IBM, where over the eight years he was there, became a process owner. Since then, he has taken on different roles that go from Business Relationship Management to Service Delivery Management at Fidelity Cab Gemini, and Rackspace. His consulting experience is also quite broad with roles in Design and Enterprise Service Management.

May 11, 202334:39
51. IT Service Desk Fundamentals: Work Culture, a Solid Structure, and Certifications, with Sanjay Nair

51. IT Service Desk Fundamentals: Work Culture, a Solid Structure, and Certifications, with Sanjay Nair

Author of The Service Desk Handbook, Sanjay Nair talks to us about his book, where he compiled and organized the main elements of a well functioning Service Management tool. He points out the importance of having a good team, with the right people, and building a strong foundation for your help desk from the start. Then, he refers to his current work and emphasizes on the value of certifications, an accurate CMDB, and the challenges of implementing new work processes.


Sanjay Nair is an ITIL and COBIT certified Service Management professional with over 26 years of experience in the field. He’s also the author of The Service Desk Handbook. Currently, he is the Manager of IT Operations at Knet. Sanjay has also previously served as Help Desk Manager at Automated System Company and he ran the Network Operations Center and Service Desk at the National Bank of Kuwait.

May 04, 202330:03
50. ITIL: New Certification Schemes, Combined Frameworks, and Future Plans, with Markus Bause from PeopleCert

50. ITIL: New Certification Schemes, Combined Frameworks, and Future Plans, with Markus Bause from PeopleCert

ITIL expert Markus Bause goes over some of the changes that have been made to the framework, and explains what the recertification scheme really implies and how it supports and offers relevant improvements. He also discusses the importance of orchestrating a combination of frameworks in order to adapt to different scenarios, and looks into possible future improvements – for which communication and cooperation with the community of users is crucial. Markus Bause is currently the VP of Product at PeopleCert and has more than 25 years of experience working with ITIL training and implementations. He has worked as a consultant and director for SERVIEW and as a consultant for Maxpert GmbH, as well as having served as an ambassador for Germany for the DevOps Agile Skills Association (DASA).

Apr 27, 202325:57
[LIVE SESSION] Service and Support Leadership in 2023

[LIVE SESSION] Service and Support Leadership in 2023

Some people are born to lead, and Tony North is a natural. With over 18 years of managing teams, he knows there are always new ideas, tools, and things to try out. Join the second session of Ticket Volume Live to discuss how to lead people in Service and Support, how to put together the best IT team, and the latest trends to pull this off. Tony North is the Senior Manager of IT Service at King County, WA. He is a service leader, Agile Program Manager, speaker, and veteran, with 20 years of experience in Service and Support. Before his current role, he was Manager of Technical Support at Sinclair Digital and Senior Manager of ITSM at Seattle Genetics.

Apr 20, 202353:27
49. How to transition into more sustainable IT practices, with Mark Bradley

49. How to transition into more sustainable IT practices, with Mark Bradley

Adopting environmentally friendly measures is currently a central concern for all industries, and the tech world is not an exception. Mark Bradley walks us through what sustainability in IT really means, why it is our responsibility, and some possible next steps, challenges and opportunities, as well as the importance of getting educated on the subject and promoting collaboration between vendors. Mark Bradley is the Senior Product Manager at Flexera. He has over 20 years of experience in the IT Industry and has gone through different roles until diving into IT Leadership and Service Management. He has worked for companies such as Zurich Life Bank, JP Morgan, Motorola and HP.

Apr 13, 202328:50
48. A Look Into Servant Leadership and Putting People First, with Rocky McGuire

48. A Look Into Servant Leadership and Putting People First, with Rocky McGuire

The ultimate goal for tech should be to improve people's everyday life, both employees and customers. Rocky McGuire (Unisys) shares with us what leaders should be putting their eye on, and some of the crucial parts of running a world class service desk team. He points out the value of investing in people, serving the community, and finding purpose in the workplace. He also takes a look into the future, where proactive and predictive solutions should be central and the customers' holistic experience should be priority. Rocky McGuire is the Experience Manager at Unisys, an award winning HDI Certified Service Desk. He has worked for many years in service and support experience for the IT Industry. Starting out as a service desk agent, he then took on a leadership role as a Team Lead Training Coordinator. He finally transitioned first into an Operations Manager and then into an Experience Manager.

Apr 06, 202326:33
47. Training is a Service — And Here's How You Can Get The Most Value, with Sean McClean

47. Training is a Service — And Here's How You Can Get The Most Value, with Sean McClean

Training can be seen from the trainer's or the trainee's perspective, and Sean McClean (ServiceNow) does both! He shares some thoughts on how acknowledging that training is a service improves the teaching and learning experience, and at the same time, he talks about certifications and why they're not enough by themselves. Sean McClean has been a Master Technical Trainer and Training Evangelist at ServiceNow for 12 years and the Principal at Katalyst Now for almost 18 years. He's a speaker, as well as a self-defined professional listener and certification hound.

Mar 30, 202329:30
[LIVE SESSION] The CAB is dead: now what? Change Management in the modern business

[LIVE SESSION] The CAB is dead: now what? Change Management in the modern business

As enterprise technology rapidly evolves, the Change Advisory Board (CAB) has become less relevant. But is it CAB, or is it Change Management that’s dead? Greg Sanker delves into these concepts and explains how organizations can successfully manage change. Greg Sanker is the Director of IT Support at Taylor Morrison. He's a consultant, speaker, and author with more than ten years in the ITSM industry. His areas of expertise include ITIL, Organizational Management of Change, Global IT Operations, IT Operations Management, and Business Processes Alignment.

Mar 23, 202353:39
46. It’s all about Sustainability: Tech and Progress involving People, with Barclay Rae

46. It’s all about Sustainability: Tech and Progress involving People, with Barclay Rae

Barclay Rae, consultant, author, and IT Service Management expert, analyses the changes in technology brought about by AI and goes through the environmental perspective. In this wide-ranging talk with Matt, he also highlights the importance of people in experience management.


Barclay Rae is a consultant, author, ITIL4 architect, and SDI standards co-author. His experience spans hundreds of service improvement projects, mainly in IT Service Management, but also in CRM, Contact Centre, and other service delivery areas.

Mar 16, 202337:38
45. Defend Against Cyberattacks: An Overview of the NIST Framework, with David Moskowitz

45. Defend Against Cyberattacks: An Overview of the NIST Framework, with David Moskowitz

What is the NIST Cybersecurity Framework? David Moskowitz, co-founder and Executive Director of the DVMS Institute, explains how organizations can leverage this framework's guidance to become adaptive, cyber-resilient digital businesses. Delve into this in-depth talk with Matt to check out fundamental concepts of cybersecurity.

David Moskowitz is the co-founder and Executive Director of the DVMS Institute LLC. He's the lead author of the Create, Protect, and Deliver Digital Business Value Series, including “Fundamentals of Adopting the NIST Cybersecurity Framework” and “A Practitioner’s Guide to Adapting the NIST Cybersecurity Framework."

Mar 09, 202340:28
44. Moving Towards a DEX Focus: Feeding into the Best of ITSM, with Ian Aitchison from Nexthink

44. Moving Towards a DEX Focus: Feeding into the Best of ITSM, with Ian Aitchison from Nexthink

By 2025, 50% of IT organizations will have established a DEX strategy, team, and management tool, up from 15% in 2022, according to a recent report. Ian Aitchison, VP of Product Management at Nexthink, dives into the benefits of implementing a Digital Employee Experience (DEX) strategy in ITSM. Listen to his insights about this hot topic and stay ahead of the curve.

Ian Aitchison is a senior software product portfolio leader and VP of Product Management at Nexthink. He is a public speaker on topics related to Digital Experience, ITSM, ESM, Automation, AI, and business technology futures. He is also co-host of the Enterprise Digital podcast.

Mar 02, 202338:28
43. Taking Experience One Step Further: Building Feelings, with Doug Rabold

43. Taking Experience One Step Further: Building Feelings, with Doug Rabold

Even though measuring is a considerable part of Experience Management, it's not the only aspect that matters. Doug Rabold (Amwell) is an advocate — and expert — of creating sentiments and building feelings. In this episode, he shares some insights into what experience should be, what Disney taught him, how he connects with others, and what he foresees as the future in Service Management.

Doug Rabold is the Senior Manager of Customer Support at Amwell and Chairman of the Board at HDI. He's a thought leader, author, international speaker, and certified trainer with a vast experience in Customer Experience, Service Delivery, and Sales.

Feb 23, 202324:46
42. Everyone hates surveys: how to turn things over, with Pasi Nikkanen from HappySignals

42. Everyone hates surveys: how to turn things over, with Pasi Nikkanen from HappySignals

Experience can be difficult to seize. Surveys are the default go-to option, but that doesn't mean they're always the right move. Pasi Nikkanen (HappySignals) shares some insights to use them wisely and explains what to do after obtaining the data. 

Passi Nikkanen is the Co-Founder, Chief Growth Officer, and Podcast Host at HappySignals. He has more than 20 years of experience in SaaS companies, where he went from working in Sales to Project, Portfolio, Strategy, and Leadership positions.

Feb 16, 202323:49
41. Where does ITSM come from? The history of Quality Management, with Michael Cardinal

41. Where does ITSM come from? The history of Quality Management, with Michael Cardinal

What do the industrial revolutions have to do with Service Management? Michael Cardinal walks Matt through the history of Quality Management - from Taylorism to the Ishikawas - to understand how the notion of quality was shaped. 

Michael Cardinal is a consultant and the Director of Business Process Management at Thirdera. Previously, he was a Practice Manager at TEKsystems and a Senior Instructor at ITSM Academy. But he's a history teacher at heart (a role he developed for over 20 years). As so, he's eager to track down the roots of new ideas and to reflect on how history can impact the present and future.

Feb 09, 202332:26
40. Creating human leaders to improve experience, with Sally Mildren

40. Creating human leaders to improve experience, with Sally Mildren

Though the concept (and concern) of experience is typically related to customers, employee experience shouldn't be overlooked. Sally Mildren talks about its relevance and the relationship between experience and revenue. Plus, she shares some tips to start implementing small but meaningful changes in your Standard Operating Procedures.

Sally Mildren is the Chief Executive Officer and Managing Partner of Boss Lady Consulting and ClarityPX. She has an extended background in healthcare, including a tenure in Kaiser Permanente as a Marketing Director and Centene Corporation/Coordinated Care as the Vice President of Customer Experience and Marketing. 

Feb 02, 202331:46
39. Measuring agent performance to improve service desk quality, with Jason Turner

39. Measuring agent performance to improve service desk quality, with Jason Turner

Managing a service desk is not only about ensuring that everything works, but also to look for opportunities to improve. Jason Turner (Princeton University) has A LOT of experience in that department and shares his methods to measure agent performance and boost service desk quality. Find insights on cold monitoring, scorecards, personalized feedback, and more!

Jason Turner is the Associate Director of Customer Support at Princeton University. He has over 20 years of experience in IT support, and his past tenure includes being the Service Desk Manager at the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, the IT Support Center Manager at Pinnacle Foods Corporation, and a Solutions Director at Technisource.

Jan 26, 202329:06
38. Value Management and the difference between ITIL v3 and ITIL 4, with David Billouz

38. Value Management and the difference between ITIL v3 and ITIL 4, with David Billouz

The change from ITIL v3 to ITIL 4 was not merely a number. David Billouz (ITIL Master) discusses the core differences of scope, talks about Value Streams, and introduces us to the world of Value Management. Plus, the importance of building an ITSM community and giving something back to others.

David Billouz is an ITIL Master, ITIL 4 Co-author and Assessor, and ITIL v3 Expert. He's currently a Partner at NH Prague Knowledge Centers and the President at OCIRIS. He also has experience as an ITIL Product Ambassador for AXELOS and an Auditor at PeopleCert.

Jan 19, 202325:60
37. Dipping your toes into IT support for schools, with Casey Rutherford

37. Dipping your toes into IT support for schools, with Casey Rutherford

Doing IT support for schools is not easy, but neither too complex. Casey Rutherford shares his experience building a service desk, helping teachers with new technologies, integrating platforms, and automating processes.

Casey Rutherford is the Director of Educational Technology and Innovation at Faribault Public Schools, but he's a teacher at heart. Prior to that, he was a Physics and Math teacher for 16 years.

Jan 12, 202330:39