Without the right tools and processes in place, Customer Success Managers (CSMs) can sometimes find themselves falling into the trap of playing a very reactive role…sort of like glorified tech support. CS leaders are always looking for better ways to ensure Customer Success plays a more dynamic role in meeting customers’ needs. Part of ensuring your CSMs’ ability to be more proactive and productive involves giving them the space and resources to meet customer needs, while simultaneously working with customers to take the relationship a step further, to drive stakeholder value. Originally posted by  ESG  - delivering Customer Sucess as a Service Turns out, there’s actually a really handy parallel between this concept in CS and the “Drive Stakeholder Value” Managing Professional Module that is part of the latest version of ITIL, ITIL 4. What is ITIL you ask? ITIL is a leading service management framework that IT service organizations use to ensure the businesses and customers th...

By Donna Knapp For years, people , process , and technology (PPT) was a widely recognized framework for balancing and integrating the components needed to achieve optimal performance and outcomes. In the ITIL v3 Service Design publication, this framework was expanded to the four Ps: people , processes , products , and partners . ITIL 4 has further expanded and evolved this framework to the four dimensions of service management. These four dimensions are collectively critical to the effective and efficient facilitation of value for customers and other stakeholders in the form of products and services. The four dimensions of service management are: Organizations and people Information and technology Partners and suppliers Value streams and processes. These four dimensions represent perspectives which are relevant to the whole service value system (SVS), including the entirety of the service value chain and all ITIL practices. Each ITIL practice is a set of organizational resources base...

The ITIL 4 Best Practice Guidance defines a “Service Offering” as a description of one or more services designed to address the needs of a target customer or group.   As a service provider, we can’t stop there!   We must know what the contracts of our service offering are and be able to put them into context as required by the customer.     Let’s explore the three elements that comprise a Service Offering. A “Service Offering” may include:     Goods, Access to Resources, and Service Actions 1. Goods – When we think of “Goods” within a service offering these are the items where ownership is transferred to the consumer and the consumer takes responsibility for the future use of these goods.   Example of goods that are being provided in the offering – If this is a hotel service then toiletries or chocolates are yours to take with you.   You the consumer own these and they are yours to take with you.      ...

In the rapidly evolving landscape of IT service management (ITSM), the principles of service design have expanded beyond just focusing on technology. As we embrace new methodologies and innovations in 2024, the Four Ps of Service Design remains a critical framework to ensure comprehensive and effective service delivery. See also: The New Four P's of Service Management These Four Ps are People, Processes, Products, and Partners. 1. People: At the core of any service design are the people who deliver and consume the services. In today's world, this includes a diverse range of stakeholders from employees and customers to vendors and partners. Effective service design considers user experience (UX) and employee experience (EX) to ensure services are intuitive and meet the needs of all users. The rise of AI and automation has transformed roles, making it essential to invest in continuous learning and development to keep skills relevant. 2. Processes: Streamlined and efficient proc...