Why should businesses bother about business service management (BSM)? The efficient management of business services can lead to better customer service relationships, improved inter-departmental communication and engagement and increased productivity. All of this can contribute to cost reductions as well.
Business services may often seem to be at cross-purposes with what IT has to offer and there is an impression that management initiatives are hard to meet. But BSM not only bridges this gap, it helps businesses bring together the factors needed for efficient growth, such as the health of your IT system, the status of applications, effective monitoring of applications, managing networks, managing virtual networks, and consumption and management of data storage systems, etc.
Business service management directives may be placed above directives of IT service management. BSM application is also seen applied in Information Technology or Information Communications Technology; BSM also helps identify and define business objectives such that they are easier for IT to follow and provide for. Without this definition which is the hallmark of BSM, it is difficult for the IT to align with the larger business vision.
BSM is also vital in times of virtual networking and Cloud-based systems. Whether your IT department is in house or outsourced, business service management measures are necessary to ensure everyone shares in and understands the business goals.
Why implement business service management? Primarily, implementing it helps align your IT services with business goals; your business approach also develops a better customer focus. Additionally, having business service management in place fosters a culture where right from operations to administration to IT all are aligned with business objectives.
For the customer
If your business functions and operations are in sync with the larger vision, then BSM is all about identifying market needs and target customers to provide them with better services. Following outlining of business objectives, BSM also helps understand the impact of these objectives on existing business infrastructure and how to go about meeting newer goals.
Thus, when it outlines business objectives, it also takes into consideration changes and possible modifications that will be needed to fulfill them. Changes that support business objectives may be needed for operations as well as IT within the business.
Once BSM guidelines are implemented, it may bring about a change in the way the business has operated thus far. Technological changes may come about that impact the existing client base. Even if a change is for the better, it will still need adaptability. BSM may also change the way communication is handled; thus if a customer is used to sharing concerns or making complaints in a particular way, this way might get modified and change into a different kind of service altogether.