ISS 2020 Vision Future of Service Management | Page 109

will be required to understand the total user journey, within and outside designated offices,
and develop end-to-end solutions that make for a seamless and uninterrupted experience.
The amenities and support services typically found within conventional workplaces and
offices must now be extended to infrastructure elsewhere.
The devices we use for access will become unimportant; the important thing is what we
have access to. Paper, screens and keyboards may become things of the past when new
interfaces are developed that use voice, gestures, and images projected directly into our
eyes. This includes the use of holograms, smart tables and smart walls that allows work to be
done more intuitively without peripheral devices. Workspaces themselves may also become
entirely virtual, providing the opportunity for immersive work experiences everywhere, with
virtual tools and remote partners. Again, FM service providers, in coordination with their
network partners, will be required to invest in new technological innovations, develop robust
workplace ecosystems and apply them to the design challenges of the future.
Interviewed subject-matter experts note, “a total overhaul of management philosophy would
be needed and we do not even see the beginnings of this in management literature … a new
type of emerging business model [in Service Management] that is quite different from the
generic business models that are used from firms today would be needed.” 134 Accordingly,
there is a special logic in delivering services, in which service providers must stay away from
dominant product-centric philosophies of business – Service Management differs from
conventional management approaches, both of which are constantly changing. 134 Among
other things, this involves the development of new management structures that takes into
consideration the principles of co-creation and human-centric design. The burgeoning,
“everything-as-a-service’” notion supports the emerging service-based business philosophy,
which is about guiding the transformation process of users and enabling them to pursue
their ambitions.
Adopting the new service logic to address the service challenge of the future, means
organizations will need to change the way they approach customers and end-users. From
an end-users perspective, the only thing that is ever really purchased is service. What this
means is that we as users are creating services out of whatever we buy. Organizations that are
supplying customers or clients with services will be required to understand the consumption
process and evaluate how service value is created. In the future, the new service logic is
about simply and effectively providing the resources that make it easier for users to achieve
the goals and aspirations of their consumption in both personal and professional spheres of
their lives. 134
134 Grönroos, C., ISS 2020 Vision: Future of Service Management, 2016.
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