SIMPLE, SECURE IT PROCUREMENT – PUTTING THE POWER INTO THE HANDS OF THE EMPLOYEE

Emerging technologies have been developed and brought to the market during the pandemic to support businesses on their digital transformation journeys. One such technology is the emergence of IT self-service portals. Self-service technology in itself is not a new concept. After all, vending machines, pay at pump, and ATMs are all ‘self-service’ in some way shape or form. An IT self-service portal however, is a piece of online software that allows your employees to order their own pre-defined, security approved devices, report incidents, order replacement hardware, and much more.

A self-service portal is there to boost your employee’s user experience regarding ordering their IT equipment. By providing a similar e-commerce experience to what you might expect from online retailers, a self-service portal can automate the ordering process, allowing your employees to have their choice of equipment delivered to either their home or office address.

• Every employee can order their own IT equipment, choosing from a pre-defined list of security approved devices. 
• Devices can be delivered to an office address or home address.
• The portal can be customised to your company’s branding. 
• Employees can upgrade their IT devices via a salary sacrifice that is automatically paid for through the payroll. 
• Email flows can be automated to notify employees when they need to order a new device and provide delivery updates once the subsequent devices have been ordered. 
• The ordering, approval, and replacement processes can be fully automated and run without manual intervention.
• Integration into your active directory.
• Employees can report incidents and raise service requests directly to your IT team or straight to CHG-MERIDIAN to reduce user downtime.
• Real-time access to all device data – number and location of devices, device specifications, term of lease agreements and overall costs, order status and service requests can be viewed by IT teams within the software. 

As the working environment continues to evolve, having the ability to choose the tools they work with is becoming increasingly important for employees. In the past, it might have been enough to provide your staff with a laptop and smartphone, but as the war for talent heats up and the home office takes off, employers may seek to offer additional accessories such as keyboards, monitors, docking stations and headphones. By putting the power into the hands of your employees, you can improve their user experience alongside significantly relieving the burden on the IT department and colleagues in procurement and HR with seamless automation. This is the future of digital transformation today.

An employee can order the most suitable device for their digital workplace from a predefined catalogue. The order process is as simple and user-friendly as online shopping and includes fast processing and delivery to their chosen address.

Upgrades to higher-spec devices can be ordered via a salary sacrifice, meaning there’s no additional expense for the company. The device can also be made available for personal use, which increases employee motivation and satisfaction.

The approval process is automated, and no manual intervention is needed to replace a device. A replacement is quickly provided in the event of a defect or loss, and a named contact is on hand to answer any questions or respond to service requests.

The TESMA® portal gives employees a full overview of their IT devices, while IT and other departments can also see all technical and commercial data at the click of a button.

The TESMA® Portal is unique in the sense that it has benefits for both the end-user (employees) and the company and various internal departments. Let's start with the benefits for the employee.

• Straightforward and user-friendly device selection.
• Individual upgrades are available via a salary sacrifice.
• Personal use of the devices is also possible.
• Easy to raise service requests.
• Delivery to direct to the employee (office or home address).
• Fast replacement if a device is lost or broken.
• Provides easy access to remote working whether at home, or while travelling.

• Standardised process for procurement, rollout and maintenance regardless of how many locations/countries your business operates in.
• No resources tied up by the management of devices.
• Instant reporting available on the number and location of devices, device specifications, term of lease agreements and overall costs, and finally, order status and service requests.
• Automated approval processes meaning fewer cases of human error.
• Reinforce your brand with personalised branding to look like your own portal.
• CHG-MERIDIAN take care of the management of the catalogue of products.
• Active Directory integration

If you’re interested to see what a self-service portal could look like, what IT assets and services are available and how the ordering process works, please click here. 

CHG-MERIDIAN is a global IT procurement and lifecycle management company that works with over 12,000 customers in 28 countries for digital workplace solutions. TESMA® Portal is our own in-house IT-self-service portal that we have developed and released in 2020. We ourselves use our self-service portal for our 1,100 employees, allowing them to order their IT equipment and raise their own ticket requests.