Using IT Approach of Service Management to Simplify Businesses

Service management, also known as information technology service management, is a discipline for supervising information technology systems centered on the architecture of operations and not with the development of the technology. IT service management focuses upon providing a framework to organize IT-related actions and the interactions of information technology personnel with customers and users. Although used widely in the information technology industry, particularly the information and communications technology sector, many other industries integrated the discipline of service management into their businesses.

The strategy of using service management in non-IT related businesses have been popular these days. Many business leaders and owners believe that by using information technology, business processes will be simplified, thus, boosting production, minimizing operational costs and delivering on time requirements. Actually, a strategic service management does not always need an access to information technology. It was done even before IT was born. Before the emergence of IT, businesses can only rely on the concept of customer experience. Take this scenario for example: A customer, with his item purchased from a shop, needs attention and looks for assistance. Many businesses in the past think this transaction to be a necessary and unavoidable evil – and a cost center too. But if businesses see delivery of service as a means of enhancing the customer experience as an opportunity rather than cost, they can foster customer loyalty and satisfaction.

So if in the past service delivery is crucial to enterprises, what more if businesses incorporate in their service management the currently in demand information technology? Everybody knows that information technology is easily accessible and widespread, therefore using in conjunction with it will definitely make businesses expand and grow rapidly. Take again the scenario given earlier but now with a twist of information technology. If the customer, again, with his item purchased from a shop, needs attention and looks for assistance, with the aid of information technology, he does not need to go directly to the shop. He might well contact first the business’ customer service center to address his concern – via a phone call or email.

There are several factors of service management. IT-based service management integrates computerized systems with manual labor. Service management results into service improvement. For example, it is necessary to make simpler the services first and then rationalize the services that are managed (i.e. support, delivery) to a more minimal workflow. However, managing the workflow is not enough, another component is the aptitude to administer automated controls from a principal location and ensure that data security is effective every time.

Today, in light of the shrinking product margins, increasing global competition and commoditization of finished goods, one can find many resources and service providers that help small and medium enterprises incorporate the principles of service management into their organization. It is because these vendors that provide service management focus more on small and medium businesses, as well as emerging and starting businesses, to become more stable and pliant in there chosen industry. Service management vendors also cater to big and well established institutions as well.