IT Service Management: A recipe for success

Inefficient customer service can be hard to swallow.
Here’s what you can do to add a pinch of class.

By Mon Dulay, ITSM Business Development Manager, Marval Software

I love cooking. I love the process of mixing different ingredients, colours and flavours, creating something from scratch and then sharing it with the people I care for the most. To me, cooking is a relaxing, inspiring and rewarding hobby.

As all competent cooks know, process is an integral part of cooking. We don’t just mix ingredients and hope for the best! We prepare, mix and cook them in a particular order, zealously following a specific recipe. Sure, we can add a little bit of ourselves in it, our personal taste and aroma – and that is what makes our dishes unique. Still, if we don’t follow the recipe, the result may be good, it may be bad – but it definitely won’t be consistent. Each time we prepare the same dish, we are in for a new result.

The same logic applies to Service Management within an organization. If we want consistency in the ways we cater for our customers, we need to have well-established processes in place. If we want to continuously improve the quality of our service, we also need ways of measuring and evaluating our processes, comparing and sharing best practices and improving key metrics, like response times.

I believe that all organizations want to keep their customers satisfied (or even impressed) by offering immaculate customer service. It is obvious that customers are after the same thing! Actually, 1 in 4 customers in the UK want better levels of service, even if it costs more (*). With the ever increasing complexity of IT environments, though, and competitors becoming more aggressive, this can be a tough audience to impress.

That’s why more organizations turn to IT Service Management (ITSM) to improve their services and better manage their IT infrastructure. There are several reasons why an ITSM solution can transform service management. Some common business objectives are:

-          ITSM can help you reduce OPEX, by reducing response time, standardizing and optimizing the way you deliver services.

-          It can help you increase customer satisfaction, by providing faster and more accurate service and keeping them better informed.

-          It can help you improve IT efficiency, by highlighting recurring issues and facilitating decision making and change management.

-          It can help you create and maintain high quality standards.

-          It can help you develop a culture of improvement amongst your people.

Of course, not all ITSM solutions are that comprehensive; just like not every cook would be a great one. There are different levels of efficiency, as well as different levels of specialisation. Fortunately, the industry offers a wide variety of choices and a few solutions are built according to the strictest standards, certified by recognised organizations and verified with the industry’s PinkVERIFY scheme against up to 16 processes.

The UK market has its own leadership in this particular field, with sophisticated solutions and services designed around the needs and requirements of modern organizations; complemented by an ecosystem of specialised partners and expert local support. It’s called Marval MSM and it goes beyond a product, to a fully integrated solution that helps strategically approach your IT Service Management challenges and evolve your culture around service provision. It helps you meet these critical business objectives smoothly, delivering results from day one and with a very short-term return on investment. Most importantly, it helps you deliver state-of-art, effortless service, with quality and an extra pinch of class. It’s a recipe set for success – being an experienced cook, I should know!

(*) Analysis of the UK’s organizational Landscape by The Institute of Customer Service