IMPLEMENTING SERVICE MANAGEMENT TO COMPETITIVE ADVANTAGE FOR OPERATORS

To be successful in the face of increasing competition and high custom er expectations, an operator must be able to manage not only its infra structure, but also the whole concept of service. This article conside rs how effective service management can be practical means for service providers to retain control of the supplier/customer relationship. Se rvice management describes the mechanisms for organising all aspects o f the relationship between operator and customer. The article examines the choices open to operators, particularly either network- or servic e-oriented (NetCo and ServCo), the types of knowledge necessary for su ccessful service management and considers five approaches, each applic able to different types of service and business criteria.