ISS 2020 Vision Future of Service Management | Seite 15

Technology development & acceleration
Technology development and acceleration are impacting how services are managed, how
end-users interact with service providers and how service employees interact with end-users
and managers. The growth of knowledge, scientific advances and technological innovation
are accelerating, leading to the rapid diffusion of new technologies and their application in
the market.
For Service Management, information and communications technologies (ICT) such as
cloud, mobile and wearable technology, as well as artificial intelligence and robotics will
have profound impacts as they will enable service provision to become much more granular.
Service providers will have to carefully consider how and when to apply technology to add
value to the user experience. If done incorrectly, service providers risk commoditizing their
service delivery or worse.
Individualization & democratization
Social trends are some of most important drivers for the future of service. Specifically, the
trend towards greater individualization will empower users to participate in the service
provision. Service providers will have to determine the degree of user involvement that best
suits their end-users’ needs. This will range from self-service and more immersive co-creation
delivery systems. In most cases, the users will be the ones who define the conditions of the
service interactions.
At the same time, users are becoming less loyal towards brands, constantly asking themselves:
“How has the interaction with the service provider benefited me?” If they cannot answer this
question or answer it negatively, they will move on to another provider.
Immaterialization & commercialization
As the 21st century increases in complexity and people grow wealthier, they spend a greater
proportion of their income on things of higher immaterial value. Immaterial goods, services
and experiences are those that possess stories of an emotional nature rather than services and
products of a functional nature. Service providers must be able to creatively use storytelling
and staging that are aligned with the immaterial values of end-users. This will enable service
providers to establish deeper emotional bonds with users, deliver greater value and garner
higher economic awards.
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