Transforming IT Service Management at CD Cargo

In today’s fast-paced, technology-driven landscape, effective IT service management is crucial for maintaining competitiveness and ensuring high customer satisfaction. Without a robust system to manage requests, incidents, and changes, organizations face increasing challenges in keeping up with rapid innovation and growing demands. Recognizing these challenges, ČD Cargo chose to implement OpenText™ Service Management (SMAX) to optimize its IT processes and enhance overall ICT operations.

ČD Cargo selected INTEDO as Strategic OpenText services partner with deep expertise in IT Service Management, strong experience and track record with OpenText™ SMAX. INTEDO guaranteed an effective and successful implementation.

Implementation Goal: Automation and Process Simplification

“Our primary goal was to select a tool that aligned with the size and complexity of our organization. We sought a system that was not only robust and flexible but also easily integrated with our existing internal systems and processes, including those involving external contractors,” explained Petr Drozd, Director of ICT Methodology and Support at ČD Cargo. “We aimed to enhance ICT security and ensure compliance with the ZOKB regulation (Cybersecurity Act of the Czech Republic), while simplifying processes, automating routine tasks, minimizing manual interventions, and improving the speed and effectiveness of incident, request, and change management. A key decision factor was also the ability to scale and develop new functionalities without the need of complex programming or external service providers dependencies.”

After evaluating several alternatives, ČD Cargo chose OpenText™ SMAX, which fully met their specific needs due to its flexibility, adaptability, and extensive functionality.

Key Functionalities Deployed

As part of the SMAX implementation, ČD Cargo deployed several key functionalities that significantly streamlined and optimized IT service management:

Service Portal: An intuitive, user-friendly interface that allows users to easily resolve issues and requests, dynamically adjusting based on the user’s specific service catalog.
SMAX Studio: Enabled ČD Cargo to tailor the service desk to their specific processes, integrating with M365 and SAP, adjusting the data model, and rapidly developing new features without extensive programming (low-code approach).
Request Management: Simplified the handling of ICT component failures and new end-user requests, including office equipment needs.
Incident Management: Facilitated the efficient resolution of critical infrastructure events, including security incidents and investigations.
Service Catalogue: Organized and dynamically displayed available services, ensuring users only see the services they are authorized to access.
Service Level Management: Ensured all incidents and requests were handled according to agreed-upon service levels, with robust escalation mechanisms to maximize user satisfaction.
Change Management: Managed changes effectively, ensuring correct implementation procedures and minimizing downtime risks.
Knowledge Management: Streamlined knowledge sharing, including self-service query catalogues and content publishing to the service portal.

Tailored Approach and Successful Delivery

“Although OpenText™ SMAX offers a full suite of IT process management capabilities, it was critical to select the right components for the first phase of implementation to meet ČD Cargo's immediate needs,” said Jiří Zahradníček, Chief Solution Architect. “Initial user and process analysis pointed us towards request and service catalogue management modules. With SMAX’s predefined workflows and fast customization, we also integrated change management and the service catalogue, delivering greater value to both end-users and resolver teams within the anticipated four-month timeline.”

Mobile Access for Flexibility

As part of the implementation, a native mobile application was also deployed to provide users with easy access to the service desk from mobile devices. The app allows users to submit requests using their mobile camera, chat with agents, and track and update cases, significantly improving flexibility for both end-users and resolvers.

Results and Future Development

The OpenText™ SMAX implementation at ČD Cargo has delivered remarkable results. It has simplified IT service management, accelerated incident and request resolution, enhanced ICT process transparency, and introduced performance tracking. Thanks to the system’s flexibility, ČD Cargo plans to further develop the service desk in both ITSM and ESM, adding new features to meet evolving needs. The next phase will include deploying artificial intelligence to enhance request resolution efficiency and user satisfaction.

"Thanks to our collaboration with INTEDO and the implementation of OpenText SMAX, we now have a tool that is not only highly efficient but also future-ready. This strategic step allows us to enhance our internal processes while effectively measuring the quality of services we deliver to our users," says Petr Drozd upon project completion.

Looking Ahead: The Future of Service Desk Innovation

“Modern service desk solutions are increasingly leveraging advanced technologies to drive efficiency and enhance user experience. AI and machine learning are playing pivotal roles in automating routine tasks, analysing large data volumes, and enabling predictive maintenance. Chatbots and virtual assistants powered by Natural Language Processing (NLP) offer real-time, accurate responses to user queries without operator intervention. Advanced analytics help identify common issues in real-time and proactively resolve them. Moreover, data mining and predictive analytics allow for continuous optimization of processes and resource allocation. As the service desk transforms into a more intelligent system, it will not only respond to requests but also anticipate and prevent them,” explains Jan Farfan, Senior Account Executive at OpenText.

March, 2025