Seneca Gaming Corporation

Smarter, Faster, Cheaper: Seneca Gaming Corporation’s Journey with TOPdesk

At Seneca Gaming Corporation, technology plays a pivotal role in the day-to-day operations of their five locations; with three casinos located in Niagara Falls (Casino and Corporate Office), Buffalo, and Salamanca, NY and a golf course in Lewiston, NY, a workforce of about 3500 team members and a large customer base, seamless IT operations are crucial. Patrick Delaney, Director of IT Operations, oversees the service desk, data center operations, and ITIL and ITSM processes, including TOPdesk.

Patrick joined Seneca Gaming Corporation seven years ago. Their previous ITSM tool didn’t allow them to integrate or automate, and everything was manual. The inefficiency and limitations were obvious, and a year later, the search for a new ITSM tool began.

Choosing the Right Tool

They attended numerous presentations, many of which left them feeling like just another number. “We attended presentations from other vendors where they assumed they had our business,” Patrick shares. The assumption was that they would go with the big, well-known ITSM company.

However, TOPdesk’s presentation was a game-changer. “They were prepared. They answered every single RFP question. And the great thing is they’re much cheaper than the other companies.” The decision was made, and TOPdesk was selected.

Transforming IT Operations

ITSM Developer, Patty Phillips, played a key role in the development of their TOPdesk environment over five years ago. Her work setting up their instance around ITIL best practices was instrumental to their success. The team now utilizes the incident, change, asset, operations, knowledge, and contact and SLA management modules, with plans to integrate reservation management by 2025.

“IT doesn’t make revenue for Seneca Gaming Corporation. We’re an expense to the bottom line. So, we must be efficient,” Patrick emphasizes.

One significant improvement has been in handling new hires and transfers. Previously, creating tickets manually for each new employee was a time-consuming process. “One minute per ticket meant we spent 10.5 hours a month just manually creating tickets with absolutely no value,” Patrick explains. Now, integrating Workday into their TOPdesk environment allows them to automate; a single click starts the entire process, saving hours for the team.

Customer service scores have soared as a result. “With TOPdesk, there’s accountability and there’s tracking,” Patrick notes. The ability to measure and reduce work and “talk time” frees up valuable time for the team to focus on other critical tasks.

Integrating and Automating for Efficiency

Integration and automation have been key themes in Seneca Gaming Corporation’s journey with TOPdesk. One notable integration is with Webex Contact Center, their ACD software. When customers call and enter their badge number, the system automatically opens a ticket in TOPdesk, enhancing the customer experience and reducing time on the phone. VIP callers are prioritized, further improving service quality.

This integration has significantly reduced the time technicians spend on routine tasks. “We field 3000 calls a month. Saving 10-15 seconds per call by not needing to open a ticket manually is a big benefit,” Patrick notes. Additionally, 19% of their tickets are password-related, which can be resolved in under a minute, thanks to these integrations.

Streamlining Compliance and Integration

Compliance, particularly in the casino industry, is non-negotiable. TOPdesk has streamlined the change management process, ensuring pre- and post-testing results are documented and attached to tickets. This accountability has been crucial in meeting regulatory requirements. TOPdesk validates changes, ensuring compliance and avoiding potential fines. For emergencies, a virtual CAB approval process is in place, allowing changes to be implemented swiftly while ensuring subsequent review and approval.

Achieving Cost Savings and Efficiency

Patrick is particularly proud of the cost savings and efficiency gains achieved with TOPdesk. He estimates a call to their service desk costs $22.00. Meanwhile, if somebody uses the self-service portal, it’s approximately $10.00 per call. The SSP has become a strategic focus, with goals set annually to increase its usage.

Automation plays a critical role here as well. Approximately 600 incidents are created and routed every month without any human intervention. Auto-categorization and escalation allows the organization to respond appropriately to incidents, even in the middle of the night.

Enhancing Asset Management

Prior to TOPdesk, the team managed assets on spreadsheets. This lack of control led to frequent and difficult audits.

The implementation of TOPdesk allowed them to take control of the process. Audits now occur every four years instead of every other year, significantly reducing the administrative burden and allowing the team to focus on more value-added activities.

One key challenge was managing stock rooms across multiple locations. Overstock and understock impacted the customer experience. With TOPdesk, the team can now track inventory levels across all locations. “My technicians love it because they own their own stock rooms at each of the places. We’re not running out of stock and we’re not wasting effort with more stock than we need,” Patrick notes.

The automation of asset tracking also addressed issues with equipment returns from terminated employees. “We wasted about $400 to $500 a month replacing those consumables,” Patrick shares. With TOPdesk, they implemented a process that sends an automated email to the department manager of a terminated employee, listing all the items in their possession. This improved accountability and reduced the amount spent on replacing unreturned items.

Building a Strong Partnership

Throughout their journey, Seneca Gaming Corporation has built a strong partnership with TOPdesk. “I may personally drive improvements from data, but I truly believe our relationship with TOPdesk is a partnership,” Patrick emphasizes.

Seneca Gaming Corporation’s journey with TOPdesk is far from over. They continue to set strategic goals and objectives. And his advice for achieving smarter, faster, and cheaper operations? “I would say to create a strategic roadmap. Take one thing, figure it out. Make sure you can measure it. If you can’t measure it, you can’t improve,” Patrick says.