Self-service catalog

Is your business losing time waiting for IT help? A self-service IT catalog puts control in users’ hands, allowing them to quickly find and request the services they need. By simplifying access to IT resources, the catalog accelerates problem-solving, reduces support tickets, and helps your team stay focused and productive.

A complete guide to self-service catalog

A self-service IT catalog is akin to a menu that lists all the available IT services a company provides to its employees or customers. It's a convenient, user-friendly portal where you browse, select, and access IT resources without going through the hassle of contacting the IT department.

The catalog includes services such as software applications, hardware resources, and other IT-related tools and information. Just like a restaurant menu, it's organized in a way that makes it easy for users to find what they're looking for.

But it's not just about convenience. A self-service catalog aligned with Information Technology Infrastructure Library (ITIL) principles streamlines IT processes, reduces costs, and improves efficiency within the organization. It's a win-win situation for both IT departments and the end-users they support.

Why your organization needs a self-service catalog

Organizations can’t afford to let their IT teams get overwhelmed with routine requests. A self-service catalog solves this by transforming the way IT services are delivered and accessed across the organization. An IT self-service catalog:

Eases pressure on help desks

Help desks often struggle with an overwhelming volume of basic requests such as password resets, software installations, and access permissions. These routine tasks consume valuable time that could be spent on strategic initiatives. 

A self-service catalog acts as a first line of defense, deflecting a large number of common requests away from your help desk. This significant reduction in ticket volume allows IT professionals to focus on complex issues that truly require their expertise.

Empowers employees to solve routine needs

Modern employees expect instant solutions. They're accustomed to self-service in their personal lives—from banking to shopping—and they want the same experience at work. A self-service catalog meets this expectation by providing 24/7 access to IT services. 

Employees can request new software, reset passwords, or access training materials without waiting for IT support. This empowerment leads to higher job satisfaction and productivity, as employees can resolve issues as per their own schedule.

Eliminates unnecessary delays

Traditional IT request processes often involve multiple approvals, email chains, and waiting periods. A self-service catalog with automated workflows can reduce service delivery time from days to minutes. 

Benefits of using self-service catalogs

A self-service catalog provides a single-source of truth on all the IT services provided by an organization. Most organizations use a service catalog to enable self-service options for end-users requesting services.

When a service catalog is available, IT agents cut down the Average Resolution Time (ART) and save up to 1.3 hours. The result? More productive hours spent working on service requests and greater efficiency and consistency across the organization.

Here's how different parties benefit from a self-service catalog:

IT professionals

A self-service catalog empowers users to resolve their own issues, which means fewer tickets for the IT department to handle. This frees up valuable time for IT professionals to focus on more strategic initiatives that have a bigger impact on the organization. Additionally, it provides a clear view of the available resources, reducing duplication and saving valuable time.

End-users

Cloud-based self-service catalog is akin to having an IT expert at your fingertips 24/7. Solutions to common problems, access to IT resources, and requests for new services can all be handled without waiting for IT support. As a result, you can expect higher employee and customer success as users resolve issues quickly and get back to work.

Decision makers and leadership

For decision makers and leadership, a self-service catalog provides valuable insights into IT usage and needs within the organization. Use this data to make informed decisions about where to allocate resources, identify opportunities for improvement, and even illustrate the value of the IT department to the organization.

Key components of an effective self-service catalog

When exploring self-service portals, there are several key features to watch for. Here’s a helpful overview to guide you through what to look for:

User-friendly interface

An intuitive and straightforward interface ensures your employees find what they need with minimal fuss. Think clear categories, a search function, and filters to help users drill down to the specific service or resource they're looking for. A user-friendly interface also makes it easier for employees to adopt the self-service catalog, which means you'll see results sooner.

Personalization options

Personalization provides a tailored experience for end-users. A self-service portal should allow for customization in terms of what services you display, how they're organized, and the overall look and feel. 

Customization options enable you to align the portal with your brand and needs. Whether it's tweaking the colors or adding specific services to the catalog, personalization creates a fit-for-purpose portal that meets your organization's unique requirements.

Automated workflows

Automated self-service portals powered by service request software allow employees to submit requests directly through the catalog. You can configure incident response frameworks that automatically route requests to the appropriate teams for faster resolution.

Automated approvals streamline the process and eliminate the need for manual requests, in effect, dissolving bottlenecks and delays. With a service request option, employees request the services they need, reducing the burden on IT staff and freeing up their time for more critical tasks.

Knowledge base

A knowledge base software provides information that employees can access to solve basic problems or find answers to common questions. It's like the encyclopedia of your self-service catalog—it includes helpful articles, FAQs, and tutorials that users refer to if they need help or have questions.

Smart-suggest technology assists self-service users by recommending relevant articles based on their keywords. Knowledge base features allow privacy options that enable authors to control who can see and use their articles. This feature helps organizations maintain confidentiality by ensuring sensitive information is only accessible to authorized personnel.

Analytics

A top-notch self-service portal provides valuable insights into user behavior and usage patterns. You can track user behavior, see which services are most popular, and even identify potential areas of improvement. 

Is a specific service receiving a high volume of requests? Maybe it's time to consider automating that process. Are certain departments using more services than others? This level of real-time reporting, combined with advanced analytics for greater visibility, enables proper resource reallocation and optimizes the portal for different teams.

Integrations

Your portal shouldn't exist in isolation. It needs to comply with other tools in your tech stack. Look for a portal that integrates with your existing IT infrastructure and interacts with third-party applications such as IT help desk ticketing systems, asset management tools, and chatbots.

This will help you streamline processes across different platforms and provide a seamless experience for employees. Use app marketplaces and APIs to create custom integrations for specific business needs.

Examples of self-service catalogs

IT service catalogs have multiple uses across different industries and business functions. HR departments use them to manage employee onboarding and offboarding, while IT teams automate software requests and password resets.

Service request automation use cases include:

• Automatic provisioning or de-provisioning of common requests

• Creation of change requests based on service request type

Here are some examples of how self-service portals make a difference in various scenarios:

Onboarding an employee: When a new hire joins the company, HR uses the self-service portal to create onboarding tasks for different departments. This includes requesting access to necessary systems and assigning them equipment. By automating this process, you ensure all necessary steps are completed without any manual errors.

Software requests: Instead of filling out forms or sending emails to request new software, employees use the self-service portal to submit a request with just a few clicks. This not only saves time for both employees and IT teams but also ensures that all requests are tracked and processed efficiently.

Contract reviews: Legal departments use self-service portals to streamline the contract review process. Employees submit contracts through the portal, which then triggers automated workflows for review and approval by different stakeholders. This reduces manual effort and speeds up the review and approval process.

Password resets: IT teams reduce the burden of password reset requests by enabling employees to reset their passwords through the self-service portal. This not only saves time for both parties but also improves security by eliminating the need to share passwords over email or phone calls.

Access management: A self-service portal also gives or revokes access to different systems. Employees submit access requests through the portal, which then triggers an automated approval process based on predefined rules. This helps ensure that only authorized personnel have access to sensitive data and systems.

Enabling employees to resolve menial tasks themselves saves time for both employees and IT teams. It also empowers employees to take executive ownership of their own work.

Best practices for managing a service desk service catalog

A close check on the self-service catalog helps IT teams stay in control of their ITIL service strategy while empowering employees. Here are some best practices for managing a self-service catalog:

Regularly update and review: Remove outdated content, add new services, and ensure everything is relevant to your users' needs. Keep the catalog fresh to encourage employees to continue using it.

Monitor usage and feedback: Pay attention to your users. Are they using the catalog? What are they saying about it? Keep an ear to the ground to catch issues before they become bigger problems and make tweaks to improve the user experience.

Clear communication: Ensure that users know how to use the catalog and what's available to them. Regular communication, be it through emails, training sessions, or user guides, ensures everyone's on the same page.

Train your team: Provide resources to get employees up to speed on using the self-service catalog. This increases adoption and improves change management.

Start small, scale later: Start with a limited service catalog and gradually add new services as needed. This ensures you don't overwhelm users or create too much work for yourself in managing the catalog.

How to create a self-service catalog

Creating a self-service catalog is a key step toward streamlining IT service delivery and empowering users with instant access to resources. By organizing and presenting available services clearly, you can reduce support requests and enhance the overall user experience. 

Here are some steps to follow:

Understand user needs

Align service offerings with end-users' requirements and needs. Understand what users want and deliver those services. On-time service request fulfillment depends on the demand-supply match. 

End-users' requirements change as your business grows—add new services and update existing services to stay relevant. Using a service catalog isn't just limited to IT services in an organization. Collaboration with different teams and understanding their specific services is key to designing a holistic service catalog.

• Find out what users think about the service catalog and what their pain points are

• Identify their preferred channel for raising service requests

• Identify their complete needs, from onboarding and daily activities to offboarding

Select the right team

When setting up a service request fulfillment team, it's not just about picking any team. A proficient team recognizes patterns, anticipates potential challenges, and knows how to tackle them.

Clearly assign roles and responsibilities to every team member with relevant permissions for users to access the service catalog. Create different groups based on the request type to handle specific service requests.

All departments, including IT and non-IT, are maintained in a single catalog through enterprise service management. Every department should have a service owner. This can be achieved by:

• Classifying agents into multiple groups based on service offerings

• Assigning permissions so end-users can access only relevant service catalog items

• Identifying approvers for service items and assigning the appropriate scope

Admins are responsible for designing and configuring all service items, giving them full control over the catalog setup.

Design and roll out in phases

Service catalog design has a direct impact on the end-user experience. It makes it easy for users to navigate the portal, locate what they need, and access services quickly and efficiently.

Classify service items into different service categories; make it intuitive and visually appealing. Additionally, invest time in user experience. Minimize the number of clicks and avoid long forms. Additional tips include:

• Configure service item forms with a few fields

• Add visual elements such as a shopping cart

• Add a service description 

• Make items accessible via mobile app as well

• Take a phased approach in implementing service catalog across departments

Automate the workflow

Understand service request workflows, from the time of request placement until fulfillment. At the same time, identify the right teams and assign clear responsibilities. Automate workflows to improve efficiency. Bridge the gap by establishing a strong communication channel with other teams.

Review existing processes

Review the current process using end-user feedback as the benchmark. A thorough review process identifies gaps in what new items you need to add or what existing service items to update. 

Monitor the performance based on ITSM metrics such as number of service requests received vs resolved or Service Level Agreement (SLA) consistency. Share performance insights with management and make improvements based on user expectations.

Challenges in adopting a self-service IT catalog

While self-service catalogs offer tremendous benefits, organizations often face hurdles during implementation and adoption. Understanding these challenges helps you prepare effective strategies to overcome them.

Change resistance

Employees accustomed to calling IT or walking to the help desk may resist using a new system. This resistance stems from comfort with existing processes, fear of technology, or skepticism about the catalog's effectiveness. 

Overcoming this requires a comprehensive change management strategy that includes clear communication about benefits, hands-on training sessions, and visible support from leadership. Consider appointing change champions within each department who can advocate for the new system and provide peer support.

Poor catalog design

A poorly designed catalog can doom your self-service initiative before it starts. Common design failures include confusing navigation, unclear service descriptions, complex request forms, and lack of mobile responsiveness. 

Users who can't quickly find what they need will abandon the catalog and revert to traditional support channels. Invest in user experience research, conduct usability testing with real employees, and iterate based on feedback. Remember, your catalog competes with consumer-grade interfaces that users experience daily.

Inconsistent service definitions

When service offerings lack clear definitions, boundaries, and expectations, users become frustrated and confused. For example, what exactly does "laptop support" include? Hardware issues only? Software installations? Peripherals? 

Without clear service definitions, users may submit requests to the wrong teams or have unrealistic expectations about delivery times. Develop comprehensive service descriptions that include scope, eligibility criteria, delivery timelines, and any associated costs.

Training and communication gaps

Even the best self-service catalog fails without proper training and ongoing communication. Many organizations make the mistake of sending a single announcement email and expecting adoption. 

Effective rollout requires multiple training formats—videos, documentation, hands-on workshops—to accommodate different learning styles. Regular communication about new services, success stories, and tips for using the catalog keeps it top-of-mind. Consider gamification strategies or incentives to encourage initial adoption and sustained usage.

Success measurement and ongoing evolution of self-service catalogs

You've set up your self-service catalog, but the work doesn't stop there. It's imperative to monitor the performance of your catalog. Why? Because a keen understanding of impact will drive opportunities for further improvement and efficiency.

Keeping an eye on your catalog's performance ensures that it meets user needs. The real magic lies in the details; however, it's about which metrics to track:

User engagement: Track how often and how long users interact with the catalog. Are they finding what they need?

Request fulfillment time: This shows how long it takes to complete a service request. The faster, the better.

User feedback and satisfaction: Gather feedback directly. If users are happy, you're on the right track.

Number of incidents: A high number of incidents suggests problems in service delivery or the catalog itself.

Service usage: Which services are popular? Which ones aren't? This information fine-tunes offerings by giving you direction on what to improve.

But don't just collect data. Act on it. See a service that's barely used? Maybe it's time to rethink its placement or even whether it should be there. Are users facing delays? Dive into the workflows to uncover why.

Issues will pop up (they always do). But the goal is to be proactive. If you notice consistent slowdowns during certain times, maybe you're facing a system bottleneck. Perhaps you need to allocate more resources during peak times. Maybe a process in the backend is more complex than it needs to be.

Remember, proactive ITSM benefits the entire organization and saves you from bigger headaches down the line. The success of your catalog isn't just about its launch. It's about continuous improvement. Keep your eyes on the data, listen to your users, and don't be afraid to make changes.

Future trends in self-service catalogs for IT

The self-service catalog landscape is rapidly evolving, driven by technological advances and changing user expectations. Organizations that stay ahead of these trends will deliver superior service experiences while maximizing operational efficiency. Key future trends include:

AI and machine learning integration

Artificial intelligence is transforming self-service catalogs from static menus into intelligent assistants. Machine learning algorithms analyze user behavior patterns to predict needs before they're expressed. 

For instance, when a new employee joins the marketing team, AI can automatically suggest relevant software packages, training resources, and access permissions based on similar employees' historical requests. Natural language processing enables users to describe their needs conversationally, with the system intelligently routing them to the right service—even if they don't know the technical terminology.

Chatbot support and automation

Modern chatbots are moving beyond simple keyword matching to become sophisticated virtual agents. These AI-powered assistants can handle complex, multi-step processes such as software provisioning or troubleshooting common issues. 

They provide 24/7 support in multiple languages, learning from each interaction to improve future responses. Integration with backend systems allows chatbots to check system status, verify user permissions, and even execute certain requests automatically, significantly reducing resolution times.

Predictive service delivery

Predictive analytics takes self-service to the next level by anticipating user needs based on various signals. For instance, the system can proactively suggest services to other team members when multiple employees from the same department request similar services.

 Predictive maintenance can identify potential issues before they impact users—like notifying employees to update software before compatibility issues arise. This shift from reactive to proactive service delivery significantly improves user satisfaction while reducing support tickets.

Personalized service experiences

The future of self-service is hyper-personalization. Catalogs will adapt to individual users based on their role, department, past behavior, and current projects. Machine learning continuously refines personalizations, creating unique experiences that feel tailored to each user. This extends to communication preferences, approval workflows, and even the visual presentation of the catalog itself.

Choosing the right self-service catalog solution for your needs

Choosing the right self-service catalog isn't just about ticking boxes. It's about matching solutions to your unique needs. Consider your business size. Enterprises may require more robust features, while SMBs may prioritize ease-of-use. But remember, size doesn't dictate complexity. Sometimes, a small team has big tech needs.

Industry matters. Are you in healthcare, finance, or education? Different sectors have varied compliance and operational demands. Always choose a solution that speaks your industry's language.

Freshservice’s self-service catalog streamlines IT requests by providing a unified IT management platform for employees. It offers automated workflows that speed up approvals and service delivery, reducing wait times significantly. With customizable options and real-time tracking, Freshservice empowers users while giving IT teams full control and visibility.