21Conclusion

Service level management (SLM) aims to generate positive customer perception through continual communication with the customer, enquiring about services provided and improvement where needed. The five phases recommended in this publication guarantee achievement of this aim. In other words, if you define your strategy, detail your design, plan your transition into the live environment, execute activities within your operation and continually improve your process, you will ensure the success of SLM, and ultimately the service environment and the business it supports.

A common misconception regarding guidance books such as this is to approach it with ‘It’s just a text book; it is theoretical and detached from the real-world practices.’ The shrewd reader will quickly discover that this publication is based on good practice supported by real project experiences. It is not a theoretical book intended to be taught in the classroom; rather, it is based on the practical experiences of consultants and practitioners. Follow its guidance and it will help you avoid the costly pitfalls that often underlie service process improvement projects.

As a seasoned veteran in the service management arena, I am well aware that implementing all the activities suggested here is ‘mission impossible’. The reality is that our working environment is permanently challenged by budget, resources and time constraints. Management will not always support the implementation of processes and tools that do not generate an immediate return on investment. But then again, if it was that easy to implement, you would not be reading this guidance and I would not have needed to write it.

As a project manager or even as a service level manager, it is unlikely that you will be starting with a clean slate, meaning that you will start your job within an established environment where the organizational culture will not always be aligned with the philosophy I have laid out before you. For that reason, I have suggested that you start with basic activities such as process assessment, critical success factors and service structure. I have also structured the publication in a way that allows you to choose a topic and focus on that topic alone. The assumption is that practitioners will find ways to introduce improvements to the process in due course.

SLM is much more than a technical process or a process focused on technology. It differs from other service management processes because it focuses on perception, satisfaction and other concepts related to customer emotions. Those who can combine their technical and management experience with their interpersonal skills will be most likely to succeed in implementing and operating SLM.