UniPress Software, Inc., a mid-market provider of Web-based service desk automation software, today announced a new add-on module, called FootPrints Change Management, for the companys FootPrints line of Web-based service desk products.

FootPrints Change Management is a tool for help desk and support organizations to automate and control IT change management activities. The new module includes built-in features designed to proactively track and manage change and approval processes for the alignment of personnel/processes with technology. As well, the solution can be used to streamline numerous types of change requests, best practices and other business processes and compliance initiatives.

Extending the product lines capabilities, FootPrints Change Management provides change tracking and automation in a controlled, rules-based manner. It includes built-in approval process capabilities to automate every stage of approval, ensuring that related communication workflow and processes are met. According to UniPress, the new tool provides help desk, support, and IT managers with a centralized repository to track and manage all changes, and ensures that a complete audit trail of every process is created and available for reference.

FootPrints Change Management also includes a comprehensive e-mail notification system so that the necessary people both are aware of the status of relevant changes and can vote in a timely manner. Approvals can be done either through a Web screen or via e-mail.

Using the customizable approval workflow, organizations can better manage the rules that govern change requests (including chain and mass approvals). The tool can customize criteria for automatically setting off an approval process; it can work with customizable rules to determine what constitutes an approval or rejection; and it can create an unlimited number of approval processes. Additionally, each process can have multiple phases with different approvers.

Approvers, using FootPrints Change Management, are instantly notified when a change request is awaiting their approval. The new tool can also send automated e-mail reminders when an approver has not responded, and it can notify all involved parties of the result when voting is complete.

FootPrints Change Management can automatically move a change request to another phase in the process when it meets approval criteria. Users can also customize the system so that, upon approval or disapproval, another set of actions take place. E-mail notifications can be customized for various stages of approval, and users can configure permissions for access to approval information. Further, the system provides managers with the ability to correct errors using process- and phase-override.

Using FootPrints Change Management, according to the Edison, New Jersey-based provider, organizations are able to do the following: automatically create a complete change management audit trail with all issues, votes and comments; schedule changes on a graphical calendar and report on the upcoming schedule of changes; use the built-in listing My Active Approvals to quickly view requests that require their votes; view change management activity with the customizable agent and administrator flashboards; and run automated, metric, historical and change detail reports to track and monitor change activity, approval processes and results.

The FootPrints Change Management add-on module is available today.

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David R. Butcher is Assistant Editor of Customer Interaction Solutions. To see more articles by David Butcher, visit his archive.