Service Level Management – Challenges and their Relevance from the Customers’ Point of View

IT services supporting business operations are an increasingly critical factor for business success today. The management of service quality levels, however, remains a major challenge for many companies. Especially in conjunction with IT outsourcing relationships there are many issues which require advanced methods and concepts – but there are no current studies that provide a structured overview on these and discuss their importance. Therefore, in this research in progress paper we present the results of a qualitative study on current challenges in IT outsourcing regarding the management of service quality levels. Based on a number of interviews with experts in Service Level Management we have identified ten issues representing the most pressing demands for improved solutions from the customers‟ point of view. These findings form the basis for a research agenda in the field of Service Level Management