Information technology as a service operation

Research into service management has revealed concepts and ideas which may be usefully applied in other management settings. In order to evaluate their potential relevance to managing information technology (IT), several aspects of service management are explored, including the nature of service products, customer-supplier contact, the design of service delivery systems, and measuring and achieving service quality. Some ideas have already been applied to IT, but others could also be relevant. These include examining contacts between users and IT specialists, using process flow charts to design IT services, and employing service quality measures in IT management. A general model is proposed for managing IT service quality; the application of this model at the strategic level of firms is examined.