Collège Boréal

Finding a tool fit for a college

Collège Boréal needed a change. With overwhelming IT demands and multiple solutions used to manage these requests, it wasn’t uncommon for end users to become frustrated. Knowing they needed an improvement to their process, Collège Boréal began to explore new opportunities.

Choosing a new ITSM tool

“We implemented multiple solutions prior to changing over to TOPdesk,” says Pierre Trudeau, Manager, Networks and Technical Operations of Collège Boréal. “These solutions were either too difficult to implement, not customizable, or too complex for operators to use. Operators would spend more time creating the ticket, than solving the ticket.”

Learning from past experiences, Boréal looked for a solution that would not only meet its requirements, but would also be easy to use. This was a key factor in successfully onboarding a new solution. After months of evaluating and testing over fourteen solutions, the committee decided that TOPdesk was the clear winner. “TOPdesk is a user-friendly and customer-focused solution, and different from the other tools we tested.

We knew it would be a better transition between solutions for operators and end users, and they would enjoy finding their own answers through the self-service portal, rather than waiting for their ticket to be processed. The customizability and automation of the solution help improve our ticketing process,” says Trudeau, “It was a fit.”

“Once we chose TOPdesk, the implementation was extensive and the transition seamless,” says Trudeau. “The operators immediately realized how much time it would save them. The customizable dashboard in the operator’s section helps us filter and prioritize our daily tasks.”

Since implementation, Collège Boréal has been tailoring TOPdesk to fit its needs.

“Even though it’s a ticketing solution, we’re always able to customize the solution and tweak it to meet our different and specific needs . This is one of the added benefits of this solution!”

Back to school implementation push

With a tight deadline, Collège Boréal was determined to implement before the beginning of the school year in September. How did they achieve this goal?

“I recall TOPdesk saying that in order for the implementation to work smoothly, we would be required to work hand in hand in order to achieve our goals,” says Trudeau. “We did our homework and focused on our assigned module. Then we’d roll it out to our test environment. The TOPdesk consultants and support staff were great throughout the project – no issues.”

“TOPdesk helps our daily workflow, and we’re now able to track ticket history. This gives us more insight when dealing with issues.”

To test the change management module, the IT department assembled a group of operators to onboard cellphones. The test involved acting as an end user and logging into the Self-Service Portal through the test environment. From there, the operator would seek approval from their manager for a phone. Once approved, the request would go to the finance department to purchase, and then back to the IT department for configuration.

“We were able to make the process work. It’s extremely effective because now everybody is requesting a phone – work phones are too easy to get,” Trudeau says jokingly.

Visitor registration in the gymnasium

To ensure security and safety within the gymnasium, the Student Services Department started implementing a TOPdesk portal for visitor registration.

“It’s coming along great. Visitor registration will transition the front desk registration to an electronic format. This saves the people at the front desk a lot of time, because they no longer have to use a pen and paper for sign in and sign out times and then convert this information electronically,” says Trudeau.

Once implemented, the gym will be able to use the reporting tool to track the number of clients per day.

Expanding to different departments

“Collège Boréal has been setting up meetings with four different departments: HR, Physical Resources, Finance, Student Services and Teacher Collaboration Center. These departments are looking forward to implementing their own TOPdesk portal. The departments enjoy the simplicity of the solution and see how it will improve their day-to-day challenges,” according to Trudeau.

In the past year, “TOPdesk has helped us improve our customer support and services. Students and staff are realizing they don’t need to rely on email or telephone to get support,” Trudeau says. “People have access to the self-service portal from anywhere and with any device, meaning they can create or get updates whenever they want. The feedback has been great – everyone’s excited.”

Would you recommend TOPdesk to another college?

“I would definitely recommend TOPdesk to other colleges. We are very satisfied with the TOPdesk solution, and their ongoing dedication to improvements.”