Service Management for Dummies®

Chapter 1. Understanding Service Management

In This Chapter

• Defining service management

• Understanding that everything is a service

• Measuring, managing, and optimizing

• Delivering service in a complex world

A service can be something as simple as preparing and delivering a meal to a table in a restaurant or as complex as managing the components of a data center or the operations of a factory. We're entering an era in which everything is a service.

A service is a way of delivering value to a customer by facilitating the expected outcome. That definition sounds simple enough, but it can be rather complicated when you look deeper. Suppose that you're hungry, and you want to get something to eat at a restaurant. You have some decisions to make. How quickly do you want or need a meal? How much time do you have? How much money do you want to spend? Are there types of food that you prefer? We make these types of decisions every minute of the day. So if you're hungry, have 20 minutes and a limited amount of money, and want something familiar to eat, you might go to a fast-food restaurant, and your expectations probably will be met. In fact, you probably didn't notice or even pay attention to any of the inner workings of the fast-food service provider. If the customer can find, order, receive, and be satisfied with the service− without incident − good service management is in place.

But what if something weird happened? You walked into that fast-food restaurant, expecting to get the sandwich you ...