ISS 2020 Vision Future of Service Management | Seite 101

7. Applying Service Management
Due to the continued evolution of the service landscape and emergence of new user
archetypes towards the future, Service Management will become of greater strategic
importance with innovation playing a critical role. Making the right strategic decisions
requires that organizations harness the tools available to them in order to better understand
the needs of users and regularly revisit the service objectives that allow them to exceed
expectations and deliver excellent service. This involves greater social listening, creative
planning, new networking and innovative interfacing, as outlined below.
7.1 Excellence in service
Excellence in service requires agility, relevance, and dynamism – service providers must
be prepared and equipped to encounter all emerging service archetypes within any given
setting. Service excellence will be about quality, timeliness and consistency while interacting
with even more diverse groups, each with their own disparate needs. 120 Research indicates
that for many, excellence represented a seamless, hassle-free experience as well as effectively
handling a problem. 120
Service providers must empower front-line employees with the capability to effectively
operate within these criteria through the proper management, support mechanisms, and
a strong culture. At the same time, research has highlighted the importance of a human,
people-oriented approach, 121 demonstrating genuine interest and in-depth understanding of
the user’s needs. Exceeding customer’s expectations and delivering beyond the imaginable is
a key component of service excellence. 122 Excellence is often associated with expense, luxury
and the product or brand’s “wow factor” (see figure 38). 120
Achieving the “wow factor” necessitates the element of surprise, the unexpected experience
above and beyond what is typical at that moment and exceeds what is anticipated. 120
The difficulty in creating excellent service experiences in the FM environment lies within
challenging market conditions.
120 Price, I., McCarroll, P., and Thompson, P., Defining Service Excellence in Facility Management, ISS White Paper, ISS World
Services, 2014.
121 Coenen, C. Bechmann, S. Groen, B:, ISS 2020 Vision: Future of Service Management, 2016.
122 Coenen, C., ISS 2020 Vision: Future of Service Management, 2016.
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