Certified Service Management Professional (CSMP)

Session 01: Principles of Service Management

This session familiarizes the candidate with the key principles of service and the management of services.  The lesson uses occasional workshops and common service industry scenarios to help explore core concepts, skill perspectives, organizational models, and management criteria.

This session is comprised of seven lessons:


Lesson 00: Welcome and Introductions

This lesson introduces the facilitator to the class attendees, the attendees to each other, and to the objectives and scope of content of the class.

  • Welcome and introduction
  • Introduction to the Service Management Qualification Scheme (SMQS)
  • Class objectives
  • What is a Body of Knowledge?
  • Introduction to the Universal Service Management Body of Knowledge
  • Deciphering the 'best practice' concept

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Lesson 01: Areas of Service Management Expertise

 This lesson explores a number of generaly recognized 'areas of expertise' required to ensure a successful service management strategy and operation.  The topics discussed include:

  • The USMBOK's role
  • Standards & Regulations
  • Related Bodies of Knowledge
  • Service Environment Knowledge Area
  • General Management Knowldge Area
  • Interpersonal Skills Knowledge Area
  • Program and Project Management Context

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Lesson 02: Introduction to Service

This lesson introduces the concept of 'service' and the fundamental elements of service within the service industry.  The topics discussed will include:

  • What is a service?
  • The Goods-Service Continuum
  • The Characteristics of a Service
  • Transaction-based Services
  • The Service 'Experience', 'Encounter', and 'Moments of Truth'
  • Best Practice Statements

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Lesson 03: What is Service Management?

The development and ongoing management of products and services has long been the realm of product management.  This lesson reviews the proven and established concepts and methods of product management and their specific application to the management of services.  The topics discussed include:

  • Product Management 101
  • The Product Lifecycle
  • Two Discrete Professions - Marketing & Planning

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Lesson 04: The Service Alignment Models

Critical to the cost effective achievement of customer satisfaction and overall success is the need to respect and synchronize (align) three key operational models.  This lesson discusses the concept of service alignment and the models and topics include:

  • What is Service Alignment?
  • The Enterprise Model
  • The Customer Model
  • The Service Model

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Lesson 05: Vital Service Equations

Three simple equations are at the core of service management sucess and work together to represent how the customermeasures value, how service guarantees should be architected, and the basis for understanding the quality of service.  The topics discussed include:

  • The Value Equation
  • The Expectation Equation
  • The (Service) Quality Equation

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Lesson 06: Additional Considerations, Influences and Concepts

Service management is a complex environment and this lesson discusses a number of important additional topics with significant effect on the development and ongoing operation of a strategy, including:  

  • The Hiddent Cost of Quality - Support Services
  • The Three Key Constituencies
  • The Influence of 'Asymmetric Information'
  • The Influence of Formal Contracts
  • The Special Case of 'IT Misalignment'
  • The IT Organization's Response - IT Service Management
  • Golden Rules for ServiceManagement
  • Holistic Service Management

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