We’ve just wrapped up an action-packed few days in sunny Orlando for Service Management World 2018! Leaders from organizations like Target, LogMeIn, HDI, Forrester, and so many more converged at the Omni Orlando Resort at ChampionsGate to share service management insights and expertise.

Here are some highlights of the prominent service management trends at this year’s conference:

Big Data is Crucial for AI and Automations… If It’s Accurate

From Barclay Rae’s “Digital Leadership for Humans” session to Julie Mohr’s “Zero Strategy: Disruption Through Reduction,” big data was a frequent topic. Data is the key driver when it comes to creating automations and using smart technologies like artificial intelligence and machine learning in our service management strategies.

Smarter service delivery relies on streamlining mundane yet time-consuming transactional work so that your service providers can have the time and resources to focus on value-add projects. But for AI, automations, bots, and more to be a success, the data fueling these technologies must be robust and accurate.

Employee Service Management Delivers Tangible Business Value

If you’ve been exploring our Samanage customer case studies, reading our blog, or joined us for Liz Beckner’s Breakfast Briefing here at SMW, chances are you already know that applying service management best practices across your organization can drive Tangible Business value. This fact was reiterated at SMW 2018. Charles Betz, principal analyst at Forrester, shared recent research his team conducted in his session “Enterprise Service Management: The State of the Industry.”

As service providers, our ultimate goal should be to provide the employees within our organizations with all the resources they need to do their jobs without issues disrupting their daily flow. Employees are most satisfied at work when they’re able to get things done — the free snacks are just icing on the cake. When employees are able to have “flow” at work, they achieve 127% higher productivity! At IBM, they’ve directly linked employee experience to customer experience, and when they can increase client satisfaction by just five points, they see an extra 20% in revenue. That’s huge.

The Convergence of DevOps and ITSM

Another term we heard time and time again this week was “DevOps.” How can DevOps apply to IT service management? In the cheekily titled session “Couples Therapy for DevOps and ITIL,” Jayne Groll, CEO of DevOps Institute, talked about the ways that the tech world has changed since the last ITIL update. Of course service delivery requires processes, but are there ways that you can trim them to the minimal viable process (MVP)?

Overall, it’s about finding ways to deliver services across your organization in smarter, more meaningful ways. Enable service providers to focus on bigger picture projects instead of repetitive tasks that can be automated. Empower employees with the resources and support they need to get their jobs done well without constant disruptions to their flow. Streamline processes and deliver better business productivity.

To everyone who stopped by our booth to chat, check out our demo, and snag some socks — thank you! We had a blast meeting so many smart people and hope to see you again soon.