In our last blog, we discussed our role in leading a global working group initiative aimed at tackling a key challenge: how to effectively measure the service integrator. If you missed it, you can catch up here – How Do We Measure the Unseen Service Integrator?
The Scopism global SIAM community started discussing this topic earlier this year. We found the difficulty is that the integrator is neither delivering services (this is an activity of the service providers), nor are they responsible for achieving business outcomes (this is a customer -retained- organization).
The service integrator’s value in a SIAM environment lies in its ability to not only assure the performance of individual providers. It extends to end-to-end service through consumer satisfaction, service scalability, cost efficiency, operational governance, collaboration, improvement, agility, ‘one team’ culture. These are amongst many aspects that contribute to a well-functioning SIAM environment. However, these aspects are not always easily measurable and are often not measured.
The SIAM Community & Whitepaper
A working group within the SIAM Community was formed to further explore this challenge further. The working group first collected lived experiences, stories and challenges, which formed the basis for developing a whitepaper on service integrator measurements.
The whitepaper will be launched at Service North ’24 (18 November), and in this article we’ll provide a sneak-peak of its findings and recommendations.
The Findings
The working group, drawing on real-world practices and metrics shared by the community, identified several key challenges that organizations commonly face. While the value of having a service integrator is well recognized, the difficulty lies in effectively measuring its contribution, value, benefits. This includes not only adopting the right metrics but also realizing the full potential of the service integrator’s impact.
The challenges encountered include:
- Lack of SIAM knowledge
- Lack of a (communicated) SIAM strategy
- Unsuitable (or legacy) agreements/contracts
- Too financially focused
- Too operationally focused
- Combative/overly competitive measurements
- Difficulty in generating meaningful metrics
You can find a more elaborate explanation of these challenges in the whitepaper, or in our previous blog.
The Recommendations
What was clear through our collaboration sessions is that successfully measuring a service integrator’s contribution in a SIAM environment requires moving beyond traditional operational metrics to a more holistic framework. The complexity of managing multiple service providers cannot be captured solely through financial or operational measurements. Organizations must broaden their approach to include metrics that reflect the service integrator’s role in fostering collaboration, driving service improvements, and aligning service delivery with strategic business objectives.
In response to the challenges identified, the upcoming whitepaper will offer several recommendations to improve how organizations measure the performance of their service integrator. Addressing these challenges requires a shift from merely focusing purely on individual service provider efficiency to adopting a broader perspective on service integration -one that emphasizes collaboration and alignment with overall business outcomes.
A clear SIAM strategy is essential, as is revising contracts to include shared, end-to-end service metrics. This approach ensures that all service providers are working towards cohesive goals. Importantly, the customer organization must take the lead in initiating or, at the very least, endorsing these changes, particularly during the ‘Plan & Build’ stage of the SIAM roadmap. It’s during this phase that the SIAM model is defined, and many of these recommendations need to be implemented.
Effectively measuring the service integrator’s performance in a SIAM environment calls for a multifaceted approach and a robust, balanced measurement framework. By incorporating both quantitative and qualitative metrics, organizations can more accurately assess the service integrator’s contributions and fully realize the benefits of a SIAM environment. This approach not only enhances service but also fosters collaboration and ensure alignment with business outcomes for sustained success.
Whitepaper Publication
The whitepaper will be unveiled at Service North ’24 on November 18th. If you haven’t secured your ticket yet, be sure to book soon; virtual access to the presentations is also available. During the presentation, we will dive into the specific recommendations outlined in the whitepaper. Joining us will be members of the SIAM Community working group, who will share practical examples and real-world applications to bring these recommendations to life.
After the event, the whitepaper will be accessible on the Scopism website. Within the SIAM Community, we’ll continue exploring this topic in greater depth, potentially developing additional resources, such as a case study or a service integrator measurement assessment. If you’re interested in getting involved, join us here.
Introducing our authors
Michelle Major-Goldsmith and Simon Dorst have been leading the community working group that has a white paper on service integrator measurements. This collaborative effort is a testament to the power of community-driven knowledge and learning. You can dive deeper into what they have discovered and its impact on measuring the service integrator at the upcoming Service North event, where Simon and Michelle, along with members of the working group, will present the finding.
Following the presentation, a panel session will discuss the challenges and solutions that emerged from the community discussions. This is more than just a presentation—it’s an invitation to share the power of collective insight and how our discoveries can help you tackle the complexities of service integration measurement. Don’t miss this opportunity to be part of the conversation and see how we’ve turned challenges into solutions that will benefit us all. Book your in person or live stream ticket for Service North 2024 here.
A word from our community manager
Steph Ward, the Scopism SIAM community manager shared her thoughts about the progress of the working group:
“I’m thrilled by the incredible dedication and collaboration within our community, which has brought us to the verge of releasing our much-anticipated whitepaper. This document reflects the hard work and valuable insights from our members, whose expertise has been instrumental in shaping its content. I’m especially grateful to our community champions, Michelle and Simon, for their outstanding efforts in kicking off this initiative, seeing it through, and collating such powerful content.
The way our community has come together to address key SIAM challenges is truly inspiring, and the whitepaper stands as a testament to that collective effort. I couldn’t be prouder of what we’ve accomplished, and I’m excited to share this with the wider SIAM community.
With more working groups already forming, we continue to offer opportunities for everyone to get involved, share ideas, and contribute to shaping the future of SIAM.
Join us and be part of the journey!”
