5 Key Takeaways From The HTG 2015 Service Summit
By Brad DeSent, Program Manager, HTG Online, HTG Peer Groups
The content day at the HTG Q2 Peer Group meetings in Dallas included the Service Summit. The Service Summit included content directed at the service delivery side of our HTG member companies.
I had the opportunity to listen throughout the day and found the topics and speakers both insightful and compelling. Here are my five key takeaways from the summit:
- Crucial Accountability
- Service Delivery Mistakes
- 4 Helpful Lists (effectively solving problems)
- Building Strong Relationships
- Helping Each Other is always key
Crucial Accountability
Communication is the key to successful relationships. Crucial Conversations and Crucial Accountability provide a number of “Aha” moments that help you work with your team. Create safe zones and work together to reframe conversations to work towards the common objectives. It will help an organization get unstuck and take a path to action that avoided a potential relationship blow-up.
Service Delivery Mistakes
Jacque Rowden, Continuum’s Service Desk director, presented a comprehensive list of key tips for in providing excellent technical services. A few key ones are:
- Hire using behavioral questions
- Employee satisfaction is the number one driver for client satisfaction
- Celebrate often and recognize effort
4 Helpful Lists (Reflective Activity: Effectively Solving Problems)
It helps to have a structure to review a situation and look for the best path forward. Four helpful lists that can provide a framework for reviewing almost any process or problem you may encounter. Ask yourself:
- What is right?
- What is wrong?
- What is confused?
- What is missing?
Building Strong Relationships
The key to building a strong relationship between the owner and company leadership is communication and regularly scheduled structured meetings. Relationships between owners and managers develop over time.
Helping Each Other is Always Key
Member sharing is always a key aspect of the HTG experience. Many great ideas were shared among the members in the “UnConference,” a time for attendees to choose different topics to discuss around the room. Topics covered PSA/RMM (professional services automation/remote monitoring and management) administration, NOC (network operations center) operation, problem escalation, and vCIO services. The virtual chief information officer (vCIO) role is one that will help HTG members serve their clients. There is a significant change going on in the market and we need to help our clients achieve business results.
The HTG Service Summit was a productive day of learning and sharing for the Service Leaders in attendance. Continuum sponsored the day and through their support HTG was able to provide the content for members live and record it for future viewing on our HTG HUB internal communication platform.
HTG offers peer groups to build leaders in different roles within member companies. To learn more about Service Executives Peer Groups, send me an e-mail.
A noted thought leader and synergist, Brad DeSent brings to HTG Peer Groups more than 25 years of senior management, technology consulting and business operations experience with expertise across a broad range of sectors. DeSent has played an integral role in establishing and propelling several highly successful start-up technology firms and communities. As program manager for HTG Online, his responsibilities include developing the HTG Online program framework and curriculum and recruiting members. DeSent works closely with HTG members helping them improve operations and improve results. He can be reached at: bdesent@htgpeergroups.com and on Twitter @bdesent.