Service manager

Service Manager (or Service Management Team)

General description

The service manager (or Service Management Team) role is about monitoring and controlling the service as delivered by the Provider throughout the duration of the contract, to ensure that:

• performance targets (and any other targets e.g. cost and quality) continue to be met;
• the end customer remains satisfied with the services;
• the expected service delivery benefits continue to be achieved;
• the services continue to be performed and delivered in the expected manner
• services continue, in any changed circumstances that may occur in the client organisation, or the Provider over time, to be the right services, delivered to the right people, at the right time.

In some cases the role of service manager will be combined with that of contract manager. The essential difference between the two, is that the service manager is concerned with the detailed aspects of service delivery to the end customer, but is not concerned with contracts; whereas the contract manager is concerned with the parties performing their obligations under the contract, of which services is just a part, and is not concerned with the services being delivered.

Specific responsibilities

• Service audit.
• Appropriately scaled and timed data collection and analysis to support performance measurement (and perhaps charging mechanisms / calculations) bearing in mind the cost overhead of such operations.
• Regular review of performance measures - are they still the right ones?
• Service performance improvement.
• Conduct of customer satisfaction surveys, in accordance with the contract.
• Regular liaison with the contract manager (or the contract management team) as to how and when required changes and/or improvements to the service can be brought about.
• Exercising jointly with the provider change control, acceptance testing etc over any changing or new service elements, over the duration of the contract.
• Periodic review of the services, including future plans and risk assessment as required.
• In support of the senior manager who owns the service, through whom strategic management of the service should be exercised:
  -consider the services at a strategic level in the light of emerging external events, the client organisation's latest business and development strategy, and the provider's business condition and aspirations;
  -identify any possible additional activity which may be taken forward within the contract to become part of the services (including the incorporation of services which are different in nature from those currently delivered);
  -consider as necessary, any changes to improve the structure or management of the services.
• Review the provider's performance of the services, including revenue generated for the period, service trends; service achievements; and any service exceptions.
• Develop and jointly review plans for the service for the future (at periodic intervals).
• Identification of any service related issues or problems that may have arisen, including discussion on the formulation of possible solutions to such issues and/or problems (in accordance with the problem management procedures and/or the escalation procedures in the contract.
• Oversee the performance of the services on a day-to-day basis.
• Act as a single point of contact for all queries and issues in connection with the services.
• Take day to day responsibility for the ownership and resolution (including any referral or escalation as may be necessary) of all issues which arise in connection with the Services.
• Leading the discussions on any proposed changes or improvements to the Services with the contract manager(or the contract management team) and any other relevant parties.
• Ensure continuous alignment of the services with the customers needs, i.e. changing work patterns, workloads, revised aims and objectives.

Skills and attributes

• Have sufficient standing and empowerment within the Client organisation in terms of ability to allocate resources, as may be necessary, in support of the services.
• Detailed knowledge of the service requirements of the business.
• Ideally, experience of and involvement in the development of the requirements document which founded the procurement.
• Knowledge of how the services perform of against both agreed and "best of breed" criteria.
• Knowledge of industry best practice in service delivery (benchmarking) and in the use of appropriate measurement metrics and techniques.
• Ability to co-ordinate multiple services and needs from providers, client organisations customers and end-users;
• Ability to prioritise, and make appropriate trade-offs.
• A track record in ensuring availability, capacity etc over time (minimal service outage and no surprises) with ongoing VFM.
• Ability to adapt services to changing requirements within agreed parameters.
• Interface with customers, end-users and provider.
• Maintaining effective relationships.
• Good knowledge transfer from the procurement team, as to the negotiation of the services to be delivered, i.e. was the scope or scale changed? was anything left out? was there anything extra offered?
• Ability to identify and realise an opportunity for improvement.
  

Further information

See the briefings on co-ordinating service management, managing contracts and service performance, managing relationships.

For detailed advice, see the commercially published guidance from OGC: ITIL Service Delivery.