Business services are a recognizable subset of economic services. Business owners are concerned with building service systems and delivering value to customers. They both provide and consume these services. This article will discuss business services and their role in an organisation. It will also discuss the importance of continuous service improvement. Here are a few examples of business services. This article will briefly discuss some of the key components of service management. To understand what they are, consider the following terms: Service portfolio management, Incident and request management, Knowledge management, and Continuous service improvement.
Service portfolio management
The concept of Business services portfolio management (BSPM) is gaining ground in the world of IT. This integrated approach involves the development and maintenance of a portfolio of services, both existing and new. The primary objective of SPM is to identify the services required to implement a specific strategy, determine if the existing service portfolio meets the organization’s requirements, and optimize the balance between supply and demand. Business services portfolio management must be aligned with the process of Change Management.
Incident and request management
It is important to distinguish between incidents and service requests when managing your business services. Instances involve minor problems that affect the day-to-day operations of your systems while service requests involve critical problems that disrupt your services. Managing these two types of requests requires a well-designed system that can distinguish between the two, and identify patterns that indicate more serious problems. For example, multiple service requests for a user to reset their password could be a sign that an issue has occurred with the email server’s authorization service.
Knowledge management
Knowledge is the basis for business, whether it is in the medical field, management consulting, or the manufacturing industry. According to a recent study by KMS Lighthouse, a knowledge management research firm, few executives are satisfied with the availability of information, and that it can take up to two hours to access this information. In addition, many companies admit to long call wait times; 24 percent of companies say that customers have to wait for 30 seconds or more before getting through to a human. Knowledge-intensive products and services can become commodities.
Continuous service improvement
The first step in continuously improving your business services is to understand your current operations. Then, review your performance against your Service Level Agreements (SLAs). You can also look at your compliance with business governance rules. And you can poll your customers to determine where improvements can be made. The goal of CSI is to improve your service quality and efficiency so you can meet the needs of your customers. Continue reading to learn more about the benefits of continuous service improvement.
Outsourcing
Outsourcing business services is a popular strategy used by businesses to save money and improve efficiency. Many large corporations have outsourced their operations to other countries. However, there are many risks to consider. A lack of a solid business case is one of the most common causes of outsourcing failure. Outsourcing is a risky proposition if the relationship is pursued purely as a cost-cutting measure without considering the benefits of the partnership.
