Many consumers of IT services let IT report on the quality of its own performance. That’s not only quite strange, but it also shows that the customer doesn’t fully understand or fulfill their own role — nor do they recognize how and why IT services are actually delivered. As a result, this is one of the main reasons why IT services so often fail to meet expectations.
The circle of customer value shows how IT can once again become both results-driven and people-oriented: a chain of collaboration between the customer, IT leader, professional, and end user.
What is the circle of customer value?
IT often reports to the customer about its own performance — but this is fundamentally wrong.
The customer should ask their end users whether the IT service they ordered for them actually helps them do their work effectively — and then compare those answers with the agreed-upon expectations. Did IT deliver what the customer expected and needed?
That’s the way to assess customer value.
It’s actually strange that we still expect a supplier to report on their own performance. If we truly believe in customer value, then the customer and the end users should be the ones to make that judgment — after all, it’s their outcome.
Does the service meet their expectations?
The four links in the chain
That is the circle of customer value:
- The customer makes agreements with IT (or the IT leader) about the IT service to be delivered — documented in an SxLA (Service Experience Level Agreement).
An SxLA goes beyond a traditional SLA: it focuses not only on measurable performance, but also on the experience of both the user and the client. - The IT leader asks the professionals (both internal and external) to deliver the IT service.
- De professionals leveren de IT-dienst aan de eindgebruikers.
- The end users apply the IT service that the customer agreed upon, thereby creating value for their organization and its customers.
These are four types of relationships between roles — all carried out by people. In other words, it’s human work.
“By people, for people” should be the core of every IT service management philosophy.
When everyone fulfills their role properly, value is created.
When the circle breaks
But…
- when the customer doesn’t listen to the needs of their end users, or
- when the customer sends their IT leaders on an impossible mission, or
- when the IT leader fails to provide professionals with clear goals, practical processes and tools, and feedback, or
- when the professionals don’t know — or ignore — the needs of the users, or
- when the end users don’t provide proper feedback to the customer,
…then the circle of customer value is broken or weakened — and the service will never truly meet expectations.
The right questions to strengthen customer value
To keep the circle strong, everyone in the chain must ask the right questions:
- Which IT services do the users really need?
- Are the mutual expectations clear and realistic?
- Are all service elements included in the agreements?
- Is the task feasible for the professionals?
- Are the services valuable to both the users and the customer?
The circle of customer value is fragile, yet adaptable — thanks to the flexibility and strength of people.
Those who recognize the roles and relationships within this circle have a strong opportunity to enhance sustainable customer value.
ITSM: by people, for people
IT Service Management is not a technical system, but a human collaboration.
The true power of ITSM emerges when customers, IT leaders, professionals, and end users understand one another and work together to create value.
That is the essence of the ISM philosophy: by people, for people.
