Enterprise-Class Professional Services Defined
Enterprise-class Professional Services (ECPS) provides a framework to meet the demands of a growing professional services practice by implementing industry best-practices to align employees, strategy, processes and technology across the organization with customer expectations. In comparison to less mature practices, enterprise-class practices have greater requirements for:
• Scalability
• Flexibility
• Predictability
• Consistency
• Reliability,
• Financial performance
• Customer loyalty
7 Strategic Imperatives
So, how does a software consulting organization reinvent professional services to be enterprise-class? The transformation to ECPS is a journey requiring steadfast commitment to 12 strategic …show more content…
Through visible, active planning and leadership, senior management sets the direction, assign resources and – most importantly – motivates emotional committed employees to apply high levels of discretionary effort towards the transition and ongoing success of enterprise-class services.
Strategy #2: Align customer expectations with service delivery expectations and capabilities.
No offense to sales reps, but the majority of project risks are borne during the sales cycle. Seemingly benign expectations during the sales process too often turn malignant during the implementation process. Common challenges include the inability to see eye-to-eye on discounting, pricing, contract terms and authority levels, as well as synchronizing resource demand and capacity.
The winning formula for common ground is aligned business processes and measurements, supported by integrated technology platforms (strategy #7). By seamlessly integrating service delivery functions into business development, customer expectations become aligned with delivery expectations, setting the stage for exceptional customer experiences and more profitable engagements.
Consulting Practice Framework
Strategy #3: Reduce risk and provide a higher degree of predictability through the consistent application of a standard, scalable, and flexible service delivery …show more content…
Prospective buyers are looking for solutions that will provide them with a competitive advantage at minimal risk. During the sales process, they expect to hear specifically how an organization’s products or services will contribute to their success—and why that organization is uniquely qualified to deliver that value (i.e., Value Proposition).
Professional services’ clients seek solutions to their problems, but the very nature of intangible services makes them difficult to explain and comprehend
Service productization associates more tangible features and benefits to service offerings. By productizing services, PSOs can alleviate many client concerns. For instance: holding a brochure makes a service seem more “real”; establishing a fixed price for well-established service reduces the potential of runaway costs; identifying client references adds credibility that the supplier will actually meet its obligations. Productized services support consistent and repeatable service delivery, which in turn, increases customer satisfaction and loyalty
Key reasons to productize service offerings include:
1. Build credibility with a new prospect or existing
Enterprise-class Professional Services (ECPS) provides a framework to meet the demands of a growing professional services practice by implementing industry best-practices to align employees, strategy, processes and technology across the organization with customer expectations. In comparison to less mature practices, enterprise-class practices have greater requirements for:
• Scalability
• Flexibility
• Predictability
• Consistency
• Reliability,
• Financial performance
• Customer loyalty
7 Strategic Imperatives
So, how does a software consulting organization reinvent professional services to be enterprise-class? The transformation to ECPS is a journey requiring steadfast commitment to 12 strategic …show more content…
Through visible, active planning and leadership, senior management sets the direction, assign resources and – most importantly – motivates emotional committed employees to apply high levels of discretionary effort towards the transition and ongoing success of enterprise-class services.
Strategy #2: Align customer expectations with service delivery expectations and capabilities.
No offense to sales reps, but the majority of project risks are borne during the sales cycle. Seemingly benign expectations during the sales process too often turn malignant during the implementation process. Common challenges include the inability to see eye-to-eye on discounting, pricing, contract terms and authority levels, as well as synchronizing resource demand and capacity.
The winning formula for common ground is aligned business processes and measurements, supported by integrated technology platforms (strategy #7). By seamlessly integrating service delivery functions into business development, customer expectations become aligned with delivery expectations, setting the stage for exceptional customer experiences and more profitable engagements.
Consulting Practice Framework
Strategy #3: Reduce risk and provide a higher degree of predictability through the consistent application of a standard, scalable, and flexible service delivery …show more content…
Prospective buyers are looking for solutions that will provide them with a competitive advantage at minimal risk. During the sales process, they expect to hear specifically how an organization’s products or services will contribute to their success—and why that organization is uniquely qualified to deliver that value (i.e., Value Proposition).
Professional services’ clients seek solutions to their problems, but the very nature of intangible services makes them difficult to explain and comprehend
Service productization associates more tangible features and benefits to service offerings. By productizing services, PSOs can alleviate many client concerns. For instance: holding a brochure makes a service seem more “real”; establishing a fixed price for well-established service reduces the potential of runaway costs; identifying client references adds credibility that the supplier will actually meet its obligations. Productized services support consistent and repeatable service delivery, which in turn, increases customer satisfaction and loyalty
Key reasons to productize service offerings include:
1. Build credibility with a new prospect or existing