Key takeaways from Airwalk Reply’s event on Service Management

Airwalk Reply recently held an event with business and technology leaders to discuss how Service Management is evolving and what they can do to maximise the strategic benefits of the function. A round-up of the event’s key takeaways.

The morning started with a look at how Service Management is viewed today. People still treat it as routine support rather than a function that shapes daily productivity. Many participants said they struggle to get enough senior backing to move from current established processes to improvements focused on outcomes, which would generate more value and benefits. That gap can stop teams from adopting better ways of working.

Notable developments highlighted by the participants:

• Some organisations stick to old-school processes and governance gates
• Others have pushed Service Management to third-party suppliers but aren’t seeing real innovation
• Many have invested in an ITSM platform yet overlooked how they manage people, data, and workflows
• Internal governance controls are important and individual to each organisation. 

Where things get stuck

A significant issue is the view that Service Management keeps the lights on. As a result:

• It rarely gets the investment and resources it needs.
• Longstanding processes remain clunky and slow.
• New automation and AI possibilities often go unrealised.

Leaders see incidents as inevitable. Service desks handle them; then, everyone moves on. In reality, modern Service Management can improve incident response through smarter design, quality data, and automation.

A look at the future

Asked what developments are expected to shape Service Management in the next five years, participants repeatedly highlighted automation and artificial intelligence:

Self-Service Portals
Benefits: Faster for users and frees up Service Management teams to tackle deeper issues.

AI Chatbots
Chatbots can handle lower-level tasks like password resets and simple queries, while enabling staff to focus on real problems that need a personal touch.

Experience-Level Agreements
Goes beyond response times and traditional SLAs. Such agreements also track user happiness and actual outcomes.

The discussions also touched on product-focused teams. Instead of handing projects over to a separate ops team, the same group owns the build and ongoing support. That builds accountability and ownership and often speeds up fixes.

Winning ideas and small steps

When it comes to improving the basics of Service Management, the following ideas came up:

Audit current processes
Look at each process and ask if it really adds value. Simplify or cut out what slows you down. Be outcomes-focused and be ruthless.

Build a strong data foundation
AI and automation rely on accurate information about assets, people, and usage patterns.

Try small automations first
Start with tasks like resetting passwords or provisioning new user accounts. See how those wins add up.

Measure the user experience
Consider adoption rates, employee feedback, and onboarding times. Numbers like that can reveal hidden problems.

Show actual outcomes to leaders
Track how updates affect staff productivity or user satisfaction. That proof can unlock the support you need.

Bringing it all together

So what’s next for Service Management? The key conclusion was that Service Management should go beyond just dealing with incidents. Driven by smart technology, Service Management is about building an environment where everyone has what they need to get work done. When organisations shift from firefighting to proactive planning, their Service Management teams and end users can benefit on many levels.