ISS 2020 Vision Future of Service Management | Page 106

With service excellence being defined in-part by unexpected extras, “it follows that the more
diverse and flexible the offering, the better equipped the business is to respond to issues
with an effective solution.” 129 As such, excellence in service futures will likely be found in
those organizations that operate in an integrated services environment 129 – they embody
an innovative, creative culture that applies a holistic approach. There are simply more
opportunities to deliver service excellence in such conditions where collaboration, innovation
principles and design thinking are high on the agenda at the strategic level, but also resonate
throughout the entire organizational culture.
Empowerment is an important part of the equation that will allow for more creative planning
and ultimately lead to more robust and responsive service strategies. That is, providing service
professionals with a certain degree of autonomy to tackle problem situations and provide
input to research, development, and innovation processes.
Front-line service professionals with enough autonomy are exposed to a range of simple
and complex service challenges, whose insights can prove to be invaluable when it comes to
innovating in these areas. Empowerment motivates employees to greater service performance
and creates a greater sense of accomplishment by reducing dependency and encouraging
teamwork.
“Research shows a strong positive relationship between employee empowerment, service
quality and customer satisfaction. These findings also support the overall service profit chain
model.” 130 In fact, empowerment is linked with more innovative employees in the workplace
– an often overlooked source of service performance. 130
Creativity and innovation are not random occurrences. Organizations that have demonstrated
true innovation generally fulfil these four criteria: 131
1. Solid innovation processes. The processes necessary for innovation are highly
complex and rarely linear, despite many parts of facilities service seeming simple
and sometimes being delivered by less-qualified individuals. 

2. Innovation culture. In order to effectively execute an innovation strategy, it
must hard-wire innovation and innovativeness (understanding the difference
between intellectually grasping the concept of an innovation and knowing how
to implement it) into its culture. 

129 Price, I., McCarroll, P., and Thompson, P., Defining Service Excellence in Facility Management, ISS White Paper, ISS World
Services, 2014.
130 Andersen, M., and Ankerstjerne, P., Service Management 3.0 – The Next Generation of Service, ISS White Paper, ISS World
Services, 2014.
131 Andersen, M., and Queck, P., Service Innovation in the Facility Management Industry, ISS White Paper, ISS World Services,
2011.
104