Service Management vs. Service Automation

Last week witnessed the launch of the Service Automation Framework alongside its corresponding training and certification scheme. Amidst the inquiries leading up to the launch, one recurring question stood out: What sets Service Management apart from Service Automation? In this article, I aim to address this query comprehensively.

Service Management

Service Management encompasses a vital domain within organizations, particularly within ITSM (IT Service Management). It is defined as a collection of organizational resources and capabilities aimed at delivering valuable services to customers. The core objective of Service Management is to optimize value, ensuring that business requirements are met, often on a corporate level. This domain is largely influenced by ITIL (IT Service Management Library), established by the British Government in the late 1970s, which has evolved into the global standard for many organizations.

In Service Management, organizations adopt a lifecycle approach to service delivery, starting from service strategy and extending through design, testing, deployment, and operational phases. This approach remains neutral in terms of service delivery methods and technology, prioritizing business requirements above all else.

Service Automation

Service Automation is a relatively new, but rapidly growing domain in the delivery of services. As Microsoft recently stated into their 2016 State of Global Customer Service Report, 90% of their customers in Brazil, Germany, Japan, the UK and the USA expect brands to have an online customer self-service portal. According to the official definition, Service Automation is the practice of an industry that enables their autonomous users to procure, manage and adjust services through self-service technology and concepts in order to systematically exceed user expectations. As such, it is primarily aimed at optimizing the User Experience of (digital) services in enterprises.

Service Automation is the practice of an industry that enables their autonomous users to procure, manage and adjust services through self-service technology and concepts in order to systematically exceed user expectations

Competing or Complimentary Frameworks?

While Service Management and Service Automation may seem distinct, they are complementary frameworks. Service Management equips organizations with fundamental strategies for effective service planning and execution, applicable to both digital and traditional services. In contrast, Service Automation offers detailed guidance for service providers aiming for fully automated services.

Organizations can integrate Service Automation within their existing Service Management structures. Most operational ITIL processes can be incorporated into the "Service Delivery Automation" process cluster within the Service Automation Framework. However, these support processes would require automation to align fully with the nature of Service Automation.