An employee who cannot connect to a printer needs a useful answer, not a tour of the IT department’s terminology. An IT self-service portal should make that answer easy to find while giving employees a way to report problems and request support.
Before choosing an IT service management (ITSM) platform, ask employees to try its self-service features. A polished demonstration can show what a portal offers; a hands-on test shows where people get stuck.
Set Up a Realistic Test
Choose a few everyday tasks: find printer instructions, request access to an application, and check the progress of a submitted request. Use the same tasks for each shortlisted platform, with employees from different roles and locations, including people with different accessibility needs.
Service management software varies in its capabilities and deployment options, so practical testing belongs alongside broader platform research. Matrix42’s vendor-published comparison, for example, considers deployment and data jurisdiction as well as ITSM capabilities for European buyers.
Ask for a trial environment or a demonstration in which employees can take the controls. Let them work without coaching and note where they hesitate, which labels confuse them, and whether they finish the task.
The demonstration may use sample content that differs from what employees will eventually see. Ask what your organization would need to write or configure to reproduce the experience.
Test Findability and Language Options
Start with the words an employee would naturally use. Someone looking for printer help might type “can’t print” rather than the name of an internal IT service. Check whether the results lead to a useful answer, rather than just an article with a similar title.
Then try browsing from the home page. Can the tester find the same guidance without search? If neither route works, look for a clear next step, such as a way to report the problem.
For teams across Europe, repeat essential tasks in the languages employees need. Look beyond menus and check search results, form labels, notifications, and support articles. A translated interface does not necessarily mean that content created by your organization is translated too. Establish who can add or update that guidance and what it will take to keep language versions consistent.
Check Accessibility and Sign-In
Try completing a request using only a keyboard. The tester should be able to see where focus is on the page, move through fields in a logical order, and correct an error without starting again. If employees use screen readers or other assistive technology, involve people familiar with those tools in the test.
Ask each vendor for current accessibility documentation covering the product version and components you plan to use. Review its scope and known limitations. A successful task demonstration is useful evidence, but it is not a full accessibility assessment.
Test sign-in with the intended account setup, then consider an employee who has lost access to that account. How would they find support? Agree on an alternative contact route that remains available when the portal itself is out of reach.
Follow a Request and Find Human Help
Submit a sample request and return after its status changes. Is it easy to find? Does the update explain what is happening? “In progress” tells an employee less than a message showing that approval is pending or that the service desk needs more information.
Check whether the user can find the original submission, add a detail, or respond to a question. Then follow the path from unsuccessful guidance to further help. Can the employee contact a person or submit the issue without repeating everything already entered?
If the portal offers chat, ask the vendor to show how an unanswered question reaches a person. Confirm which support channels and hours your organization would need to provide, rather than assuming they come with the software.
Use the Results in Your Decision
Record each task as demonstrated successfully, possible with configuration, or still needing evidence. Note the problem and who will investigate it. A weak search result might call for better support content from your own team; an inaccessible form might require a vendor fix.
Weigh those findings alongside deployment, data handling, implementation effort, and cost. A platform need not be perfect in its initial state, but the selection team should know which gaps can be addressed, what the work involves, and which issues must be resolved before employees rely on the portal.
IT Self-Service: What to Test Before Choosing an ITSM Platform
