Service Transformation in 2020

The pace of change in technology is having a profound impact in all areas of life and business. According to Gartner, two-thirds of directors see digital and technology disruption as their number one business challenge*. In the enterprise domain, IT departments are increasingly becoming an integral part of the business strategy as organisations try to find the right mix of traditional and digital capabilities in order to meet their business goals. IT departments must adapt their approach or be obsolete and they need the services that they offer to do the same.

Service Assurance – Quality of Experience vs Service Targets

In order to meet the changing expectations of organisations, Managed IT service providers, must undergo a shift in focus. The traditional “MO” of responding to requirements from their customers delivering, even exceeding, those requirements and revisiting at contract renewal will only serve to pigeonhole and eventually diminish the value they offer their customer in the future.

This in no way suggests that the traditional Managed Service delivery is dead.  Far from it. However, the capability to deliver services in line with stated requirements and in adherence to industry standards such as ITIL / ISO standards are now the expected norm. Managed Service providers need to do this well with a well-crafted value proposition to earn the privilege to partner with progressive organisations.

From Completed tasks to Managed Outcomes

With rapid changes in technology, comes rapid changes in business and user expectations. Sometimes the requirements are changing before the ink is dry on a service contract and what was a realistic target at the start of the process is no longer relevant.

A progressive Managed Services provider will understand that a completed task or project is likely only one of many steps to reaching the business goals of their customer. Providers of IT managed services need to shift the focus from successful completion of projects and instead aim to create real value for customers by measuring their success against the customers progress on their larger roadmap journey.