Guide to the Universal Service Management Body of Knowledge (USMBOK) (USMBOK Publication Series)

The foremost responsibility of a service management professional is to understand the working elements of a service management system and service organization, and how they inter-operate to manage the customer experience and produce successful customer outcomes.Presented as a body of knowledge, the Guide to the USMBOK provides a comprehensive blueprint and vital reference to help the service management professional in successfully achieving this responsibility.The USMBOK defines service management as a systematic method for managing the provision of services to customers at a known quality and cost, focusing on the customer's desired results and satisfaction, and in doing so details the elements of a service management system, including:• The business planning & performance management frameworks• The enterprise, customer and service models• The 15 stages of a service lifecycle• The policy management framework• The governance framework• The service transaction engine• Supporting lifecycles that include: request, requirement, quality, asset, revision, change, release, event, and supportFor the provider organization the Guide uses outside-in thinking to explain how service encounters, moments of truth, and the customer and service request pathways combine to manage the customer experience and interaction with services, and positions service management as a transformation method for any organization wishing to operate as a customer centric service organization. The Guide also provides a common lexicon of terms, concepts, methods and best practices, and a role continuum spanning the customer-infrastructure perspectives that includes descriptions of 7 knowledge domains (key roles), and 40 knowledge areas (knowledge, skills and abilities or competencies). In summary, the Guide to the USMBOK is an ideal reference for service management professionals of all service industry sectors.