In this 10-page buyer’s guide, Computer Weekly looks at Windows 8 and the complexities of mobile working, the benefits to the business of an enhanced user experience and the shift from the 9-to-5 office desk to IT delivered over a variety of devices, anytime, anywhere

1. computerweekly.com buyer’s guide 1
Home
Mixed feelings
towards
Windows 8 in
enterprise
Microsoft has
missed a trick
or two in the
heartland of
its business
but complex
mobile working
remains an
issue for all
in the tablet
market
How improved
user experience
yields returns
on investment
The
consequences
of poor
customer
experience
are widely
acknowledged
but resolving
such issues still
divides opinion
in businesses
Workplace
IT services in
flux: wherever,
whenever,
whatever
Enterprise
computing is
in upheaval as
the emphasis
shifts towards
automation
and user-device
provision
Computer Weekly buyer’s Guide
Thinkstock
A Computer Weekly buyer’s
guide to client computing
Enterprise IT is undergoing a period of upheaval as the emphasis shifts from a
mature, centralised technology to a business process characterised by mobility,
consumerisation and automation. In this 10-page buyer’s guide, Computer
Weekly looks at Windows 8 and the complexities of mobile working, the
benefits to the business of an enhanced user experience and the shift from the
9-to-5 office desk to IT delivered over a variety of devices, anytime, anywhere
These articles were
originally published
in the Computer
Weekly ezine

2. computerweekly.com buyer’s guide 2
Home
Mixed feelings
towards
Windows 8 in
enterprise
Microsoft has
missed a trick
or two in the
heartland of
its business
but complex
mobile working
remains an
issue for all
in the tablet
market
How improved
user experience
yields returns
on investment
The
consequences
of poor
customer
experience
are widely
acknowledged
but resolving
such issues still
divides opinion
in businesses
Workplace
IT services in
flux: wherever,
whenever,
whatever
Enterprise
computing is
in upheaval as
the emphasis
shifts towards
automation
and user-device
provision
Computer Weekly buyer’s Guide
microsoft
Zero client
vs. thin client
computing:
Why zero
clients are
better
Windows
tablets
explained:
Windows 8
versus RT
Mixed feelings towards
Windows 8 in enterprise
Microsoft has missed
a trick or two in the
heartland of its business
but complex mobile
working remains an
issue for all in the
tablet market. Clive
Longbottom reports
Buyer’sguideclientcomputing
Looking at the different headlines around the latest version of Windows, it is forgivable
for a person to be somewhat confused. Is Windows 8 the best thing since, well, Win-
dows 7, based on it selling faster than anything else Microsoft has ever put out there;
or is it the biggest dead duck since Windows Vista, based on Microsoft being too late
to the market and missing the point?
The answer is probably a mix of the two – and the finer points need looking at to under-
stand where Windows 8 is at the moment and how other systems are affecting it.
First, Windows 8 is late to the game. Apple has managed to wrest a large number of users
over to its side through well-designed devices that are so simple to use that the majority of
users happily bought the fashion statement of the Apple iPad tablet and used it alongside
their company machines – the vast majority of which were and are based on Windows, even
if this is XP. According to StatCounter, XP usage is still running globally at just under 25% of
all desktop systems – and the majority of this use will be in organisations.
The majority of iPad users did not desert Microsoft. The real problem lay in the fact that
although the iPad is a fantastic device for consuming information from the web and emails, it
is pretty poor when it comes to creating usable information on the go.
Yes, emails can be answered; Facebook posts can be posted; tweets can be tweeted. The
soft keyboard is OK for ad hoc use, but it isn’t a patch on a proper keyboard. Try and create a
PowerPoint-style presentation on an iPad – it isn’t easy. Try and deal with a complex spread-
sheet – you’ll want your PC or laptop to be with you pretty quickly.
Even with an external keyboard and a suitable support stand, the iPad does not seem to be
there for serious business content creation – and once everything starts to be added, you are
back to many of the problems of old: multiple wires for connections, even if it is only to keep
everything charged up. Bluetooth connectivity has removed the need for hard connections

3. computerweekly.com buyer’s guide 3
Home
Mixed feelings
towards
Windows 8 in
enterprise
Microsoft has
missed a trick
or two in the
heartland of
its business
but complex
mobile working
remains an
issue for all
in the tablet
market
How improved
user experience
yields returns
on investment
The
consequences
of poor
customer
experience
are widely
acknowledged
but resolving
such issues still
divides opinion
in businesses
Workplace
IT services in
flux: wherever,
whenever,
whatever
Enterprise
computing is
in upheaval as
the emphasis
shifts towards
automation
and user-device
provision
Computer Weekly buyer’s Guide
in places – but power is still the main problem. Apple has made a great job of many parts of
mobility – but where does it go next?
Pretenders to the throne
The first real contender to Apple’s tablet dominance came through from the Android camp.
With a more open platform, Android was attractive to the person technical enough to
understand the difference between an open platform and a walled garden – but the general
public was initially less impressed with the often underwhelming “me too” Apple designs
and the paucity of choice of apps that could be easily downloaded.
By the time the Android app store had enough (and suitable) apps, there was then the
problem of the different versions of Android that were out there. From the Gingerbread
release in 2010, there has since been Honeycomb, Ice Cream Sandwich and Jelly Bean.
Many suppliers had designed tablets that were dependent on a specific Android release, and
this meant that newer functionality and
improvements from later releases could not
be applied to their tablets – something that
Apple had managed to handle reasonably
well, even when its iPads and iPhones could
not support later iOS releases.
However, the latest versions of Android-
based phones and tablets are taking
market away from Apple – and Apple has
responded through its patent storm, accus-
ing many other suppliers of using patents
that it owns in their devices. This seems to
be backfiring, as courts either find against
Apple or are reversing findings for them
on appeal, or massively reducing any fines
applied to other suppliers.
Meanwhile, with the other parties
involved in legal shenanigans and upgrade
wars, Microsoft launched its Surface RT
tablet. Based on a cut-down version of
Windows 8, specifically aimed at long battery life touch tablets, the Surface RT devices came
with the Modern UI (formally known as Metro) and a special set of apps written for the
Windows RT environment. Surface RT could not run existing Windows applications – every-
thing that it does run has to be from directly within the Modern UI.
And this was a problem for Microsoft. Unlike Apple and the Android suppliers which
had no large history of applications to support, Microsoft was issuing a tablet that was not
“Microsoft” enough. It competes well with Apple on the design front; the Modern UI works
well and battery life is good. But it suffers from the same issues as the iPad – even with the
included keyboard built in to the jacket, it is not very good at content creation – and sales
were okay, but not amazing.
Microsoft also did a poor job of pushing its hardware partners to come up with interest-
ing and innovative tablets themselves. It took a long while before full-blown Windows 8
tablets came to market capable of running not only Modern UI apps, but also all the existing
Windows applications that users already had. Finally, the likes of Dell, Lenovo, HP, Asus, Sony
came to market with Windows 8 tablets – and although some of them were innovative, they
also had big problems.
The main trouble with full Windows 8 is that it needs a “proper” CPU. Low-voltage, low-
current Atom or ARM chips that are used for Windows RT cannot run Windows 8, and so
full Intel i3, i5 or i7 chips are required. The Atom Z2760 system on chip (SoC) unit as used in
many Windows RT devices has a maximum power drain of 1.7 watts. In comparison, the Intel
Unlike Apple and the
Android suppliers
which had no large
history of applications
to support, Microsoft
was issuing a
tablet that was not
‘Microsoft’ enough

4. computerweekly.com buyer’s guide 4
Home
Mixed feelings
towards
Windows 8 in
enterprise
Microsoft has
missed a trick
or two in the
heartland of
its business
but complex
mobile working
remains an
issue for all
in the tablet
market
How improved
user experience
yields returns
on investment
The
consequences
of poor
customer
experience
are widely
acknowledged
but resolving
such issues still
divides opinion
in businesses
Workplace
IT services in
flux: wherever,
whenever,
whatever
Enterprise
computing is
in upheaval as
the emphasis
shifts towards
automation
and user-device
provision
Computer Weekly buyer’s Guide
i3 3217U CPU as used in the lowest spec Sony Duo Touch Windows 8 hybrid tablet runs at
17W – 10 times as much.
This means that whereas a Windows RT tablet can run for a whole working day without
the need to make a visit to a power source, the Windows 8 tablets tend to run out of power
halfway through the day. And these are not like an Apple iPad – it is not just a case of a single
small adaptor and a USB-to-proprietary connector cable. Instead, a heavy laptop-style power
unit is required, adding around 0.5kg or more to the considerable weight of the system itself.
But systems such as the Sony Duo, the Dell Inspiron Duo, the Lenovo Yoga, Lynx and
Twist all come with that capability that Apple and many of the Android suppliers have
missed – they are suitable for content creation. With good keyboards and the capability
to run full Windows applications, here are
devices which are familiar in many ways to
users and yet also have the capability to do
things in innovative and interesting ways.
This is where Microsoft needs to be mak-
ing its push.
Android suppliers such as Asus have
done similar things with the Transformer –
but this still means running non-Windows
applications and having the risk of a lack
of fidelity of content in round-tripping
between the office-based (or even Office-
based, as in Microsoft’s Office suite of
applications) Windows systems and the
Android-based tablets. Many can deal with
this; some cannot.
Microsoft has got to sort out the heart-
land of its business market. The PC is not
yet ready to die and many business users
are still tethered to Windows XP-based
machines. Windows 8 brings major capabil-
ities to the fore with faster speeds, lower resource footprint and a better security system, yet
Microsoft has done little to try and encourage hardware suppliers to get suitable monitors in
place to give touchscreen support to the desktop. Only now, nearly five months down the line
from the general availability of Windows 8, are monitors that are fully Windows 8 certified
coming through to market.
Hardware suppliers seem to have bet the farm on all users moving to a completely new
device – for an organisation with just 100 desktops in place, this could be an upfront cost in
excess of £70,000. This sort of cost is not possible in the current economic climate. Re-use
of existing machines with only the monitors being upgraded
would make a migration far more likely.
What is certain is that Microsoft no longer has an auto-
matic hold on the main device for the user any longer. Apple
is getting to the point where it must make more than an
incremental step in innovation to remain where it is. The
Android suppliers are showing that they can innovate and the growing raft of apps in the
Google Play Store is making Android tablets more appealing.
Microsoft has to make its play in multiple ways. It has to be able to show the general con-
sumer that it is innovative and interesting; it has to show the business-based road warrior
that it supports them in their social, information consuming activities and also in their busi-
ness-focused information creation roles. And it must also provide an easy and cost-effective
upgrade path to a full Windows 8 experience for the PC-based user – of which there will
remain many hundreds of millions for the foreseeable future. n
Microsoft has got to
sort out the heartland
of its business market.
The PC is not yet
ready to die and many
business users are still
tethered to Windows
XP-based machines
› Five steps to turn Windows 8 into Windows 7
› Navigating the new end-user client landscape
› Windows 8 fails to stem PC decline

5. computerweekly.com buyer’s guide 5
Home
Mixed feelings
towards
Windows 8 in
enterprise
Microsoft has
missed a trick
or two in the
heartland of
its business
but complex
mobile working
remains an
issue for all
in the tablet
market
How improved
user experience
yields returns
on investment
The
consequences
of poor
customer
experience
are widely
acknowledged
but resolving
such issues still
divides opinion
in businesses
Workplace
IT services in
flux: wherever,
whenever,
whatever
Enterprise
computing is
in upheaval as
the emphasis
shifts towards
automation
and user-device
provision
Computer Weekly buyer’s Guide
User experience (UX) is most often seen as relating to e-commerce or at least
public-facing websites and applications. Of course it is much more than that and
not even limited to software. Physical devices of all types produce a UX and many
companies invest a lot in it; such examples are found with Apple’s iPod and Sony’s
PlayStation. One area far less talked about is UX inside the enterprise.
Large organisations the world over depend on software and that software is often devel-
oped internally for specific, internal purposes. The average enterprise employee will probably
use numerous applications during the working day, all built especially for their company’s
needs. In many cases, those employees will tell you how poor those applications are to use
and how that negatively affects their productivity.
So why is this and why do companies with such extensive resources fail to fix it?
Windows 8
app updates
streamline
user experience
across devices
Skills gap
analysis finds
mobile user
experience
skills lacking
How improved user experience
yields returns on investment
The consequences of poor customer experience are widely acknowledged but
resolving such issues still divides opinion in businesses, writes Chris Howard
Buyer’sguideclientcomputing
Thinkstock

6. computerweekly.com buyer’s guide 6
Home
Mixed feelings
towards
Windows 8 in
enterprise
Microsoft has
missed a trick
or two in the
heartland of
its business
but complex
mobile working
remains an
issue for all
in the tablet
market
How improved
user experience
yields returns
on investment
The
consequences
of poor
customer
experience
are widely
acknowledged
but resolving
such issues still
divides opinion
in businesses
Workplace
IT services in
flux: wherever,
whenever,
whatever
Enterprise
computing is
in upheaval as
the emphasis
shifts towards
automation
and user-device
provision
Computer Weekly buyer’s Guide
Exposing the UX issue
The primary reason is that organisations do not understand the user experience. They view
what are fundamentally usability issues as problems of a specific business function. With
the enterprise operating as a collection of almost autonomous cost centres, it is not sur-
prising that this is how such problems are viewed.
Here is an example: Company X has a call centre which comprises the first point of contact
for customers. The call centre uses a number of applications developed by the company’s
own development team, which produce a poor user experience. This results in slow call
times; backlogs that leave customers waiting; custom-
ers being given incorrect information; and increased
customer complaints.
Company X recognises these problems but views
them as a failing in customer service. Of course cus-
tomer service staff cannot solve the problem because
only the internal development team can do that, by
changing the applications. Customer service managers
do what they can, which is usually to employ more
people in the call centre to handle calls, support staff to
help the people handling calls and more training. All of
which costs money. You will often find in such organisa-
tions a small industry built up around dealing with what
is basically a usability problem.
Not only has customer service spent more money but
it has not really addressed the issue. Calls are still taking
too long, customer satisfaction is still low and their
complaints too many. Company X has spent money to
deal with the symptoms but not the root cause.
Let’s look at this example further and the implications
of poor usability. Consider the negative impact on sales,
from both new and existing customers, caused by the
poor customer experience and the impact on the com-
pany’s reputation or brand. Company X may put more
pressure on call centre staff and that can lead to extra
head count churn with the attendant knock-on effect on
human resources costs. Poor standards of data collec-
tion by those taking calls can lead to incorrect strategic
business decisions taken, with long-term implications
for costs and profitability. The picture now is of a prob-
lem that is not specific to a function of the organisation
but a problem of the organisation.
IT owning UX
These problems will most likely feed back to the IT department, which is in a position to
address them. Of course IT decision-makers need to recognise the root cause as being
poor UX and decide to do something about it. Critical to this is the department’s under-
standing of the importance of UX and the value it brings to the business.
IT departments are under threat with the growth of cloud-based services and the prolifera-
tion of groups in large organisations buying in such services without involving them. One of
the key drivers for this behaviour is the UX provided by such applications. Employees are far
less accepting of bad experiences now they use so much software in their personal lives
– from social networks to internet banking – that provides great usability.
The IT leaders must recognise this and take ownership of UX. In so doing, they can realise
the value of UX to the business and fend off the bring your own device culture. Let’s say this
“IT departments
are under
threat with
the growth of
cloud-based
services and the
proliferation
of groups
in large
organisations
buying in
such services
without
involving them”

7. computerweekly.com buyer’s guide 7
Home
Mixed feelings
towards
Windows 8 in
enterprise
Microsoft has
missed a trick
or two in the
heartland of
its business
but complex
mobile working
remains an
issue for all
in the tablet
market
How improved
user experience
yields returns
on investment
The
consequences
of poor
customer
experience
are widely
acknowledged
but resolving
such issues still
divides opinion
in businesses
Workplace
IT services in
flux: wherever,
whenever,
whatever
Enterprise
computing is
in upheaval as
the emphasis
shifts towards
automation
and user-device
provision
Computer Weekly buyer’s Guide
happens, what is next? With each function operating as its own cost centre and with its own
budget, who is going to pay for a UX programme? IT will claim it has built an application that
meets the requirements set and does not want to pay for a UX programme that will raise its
costs, even if it makes customer service more profitable. This is especially the case where IT
acts as a service provider to the business and must keep its provisioning costs down.
The solution lies in a cross-departmental approach where cost is shared or allocated
separately to the departmental budgets of those who will benefit from the solution. At
Company X, customer service, sales, human resources and IT can all expect to see a positive
impact from UX.
The real value of UX: improving processes
So how does such a programme get up and running in
this environment?
The first issue is typically to address how UX is viewed
in the organisation. Too many people still see it as a
creative service and related solely to functions such as
marketing communications. For public-facing websites
that can be fine, as marketing communication functions
are familiar with design and creative processes and how
they benefit the business, mainly in sales and brand
promotion. UX is not design and, for the purposes of
internal business applications, the definition is vital. UX
is about making a change to software-led processes to
improve their efficiency and effectiveness (as outlined
in the usability International Standard ISO 9241-11).
In the IT world, UX should be seen as providing a
business process improvement service. The definition of
such a service is an approach aimed at improvements by means of elevating efficiency and
effectiveness of the processes in and across organisations, terms that should be familiar to
UX professionals.
However, it is important to see how UX changes the way business applications and pro-
cesses work, such that it brings cross-departmental benefits. UX enables change in a busi-
ness transformation programme – some could even say it represents the change itself.
UX-driven change
With the current market conditions it is not unusual to find that applying the labels
“change” or “business transformation” is the only way to get any new programme up and
running. Businesses are keen to change the way they operate to push down costs and
increase profitability, given the low levels of market growth
being experienced in most industries. UX does exactly that,
through improving efficiency and effectiveness, as well as
enhancing employee and customer satisfaction.
From the example of Company X, it becomes clear how an
investment in UX can realise returns across multiple busi-
ness functions. With a return on investment of 6:1 or greater, it can be extremely appealing
to any organisation.
So as someone in enterprise IT who sees the value of UX, presenting UX as an enabler of
change in a transformation programme will help the IT leader achieve the necessary cross-
departmental buy-in from senior stakeholders. This will be vital to get a UX programme
running and especially when, as UX matures in the organisation, you start looking to imple-
ment a more holistic UX strategy. n
“Presenting
UX as an
enabler of
change will
help the
IT leader
achieve buy-in
from senior
stakeholders”
Chris Howard is co-founder of web consultancy Howard Baines
› User experience management for life sciences
› User experience for mobile lifecycle teams
› Deliver UX and manage BYOD successfully

8. computerweekly.com buyer’s guide 8
Home
Mixed feelings
towards
Windows 8 in
enterprise
Microsoft has
missed a trick
or two in the
heartland of
its business
but complex
mobile working
remains an
issue for all
in the tablet
market
How improved
user experience
yields returns
on investment
The
consequences
of poor
customer
experience
are widely
acknowledged
but resolving
such issues still
divides opinion
in businesses
Workplace
IT services in
flux: wherever,
whenever,
whatever
Enterprise
computing is
in upheaval as
the emphasis
shifts towards
automation
and user-device
provision
Computer Weekly buyer’s Guide
The market for workplace services is evolving rapidly as a conventional and highly
mature approach to desktop and desk-side management yields to a transformed
workplace services environment in which assumptions about customer preference,
behaviours and even devices are up for grabs.
Workplace services are increasingly associated with a mobile user and no longer linked to a
fixed physical location. This desire to access services wherever and whenever with whatever
device is reshaping the evolution of workplace services.
Thinkstock
VMware CIO:
Bringing the
consumer
experience to the
enterprise
CW buyer’s
guide:
Consumerisation
Workplace IT services in flux:
wherever, whenever, whatever
Enterprise computing is in upheaval as the emphasis shifts towards automation
and user-device provision, write Bill Martorelli and Wolfgang Benkel
Buyer’sguideclientcomputing

9. computerweekly.com buyer’s guide 9
Home
Mixed feelings
towards
Windows 8 in
enterprise
Microsoft has
missed a trick
or two in the
heartland of
its business
but complex
mobile working
remains an
issue for all
in the tablet
market
How improved
user experience
yields returns
on investment
The
consequences
of poor
customer
experience
are widely
acknowledged
but resolving
such issues still
divides opinion
in businesses
Workplace
IT services in
flux: wherever,
whenever,
whatever
Enterprise
computing is
in upheaval as
the emphasis
shifts towards
automation
and user-device
provision
Computer Weekly buyer’s Guide
User requirements and expectations are changing in the post-desktop era. New require-
ments, such as social, mobile, analytics and cloud – along with new engagement models,
such as “workplace as a service” and more business value-based pricing types – are driv-
ing the change from desktop to workplace services.
Increasingly, users expect a consumer-grade experience
in the workplace and, as a result, IT organisations are
obliged to support additional types of devices, such as
tablets, smartphones and other devices in the enter-
prise context, while increasing the user’s autonomy
through self-service and social technologies.
The focus of workplace service management is shift-
ing from physical to virtual. The focus is shifting from
traditional, physical delivery and management to virtual,
remote delivery, where support functions are highly
automated and the focus is on user self-service.
A corresponding shift is reducing the emphasis on
desktop image management and application packaging,
with greater prominence for delineating the personal
from the corporate in bring your own device (BYOD)
scenarios and harnessing GPS-enabled support for
mobile devices.
This shifts the focus of workplace services delivery,
allowing it greater independence from the end-device
hardware (whatever device); supports all variations of
mobility (wherever, whenever); and increases the pro-
ductivity of users (whatever device), by shifting on-site
responsibilities and efforts to the user community.
Evolution of workplace services
The rapid inclusion of new device types, new delivery
methods – such as the app store – and BYOD models
may still be young in the context of workplace ser-
vices, but are maturing rapidly and are increasingly
prominent in today’s workplace.
Beyond that, more firms are providing a wider array of
workplace devices such as tablets to their employees
and increased access to mobile applications. Growth in
numbers, through the proliferation of devices, may serve
Workplace services
n Mandatory elements: Service desk, field support (on-site support, managed desktop services);
service provisioning (order management, asset management); and workplace software manage-
ment (application packaging, image creation, patch management, antivirus, security, software
distribution).
n Optional elements: Desktop infrastructure services including Active Directory, file and print
services, email and collaboration services, LAN services, voice services, mobile device manage-
ment (MDM), user administration services, terminal server and virtual desktop services and
desktop as a service.
n Additional elements: Consulting services around workplace management such as assess-
ments, improvements and activities for innovation.
“Supplier
capabilities
in geographic
presence,
ecosystem
participation
and propensity
to participate
in multisourced
scenarios are
varied, so a
consistent
user experience
across
geographic
regions cannot
be taken for
granted”

10. computerweekly.com buyer’s guide 10
Home
Mixed feelings
towards
Windows 8 in
enterprise
Microsoft has
missed a trick
or two in the
heartland of
its business
but complex
mobile working
remains an
issue for all
in the tablet
market
How improved
user experience
yields returns
on investment
The
consequences
of poor
customer
experience
are widely
acknowledged
but resolving
such issues still
divides opinion
in businesses
Workplace
IT services in
flux: wherever,
whenever,
whatever
Enterprise
computing is
in upheaval as
the emphasis
shifts towards
automation
and user-device
provision
Computer Weekly buyer’s Guide
to compensate suppliers who are seeing their revenue
per device decrease. But most suppliers recognise that
new delivery models eliminate cost-intensive, low-mar-
gin, on-site activities and provide the basis for managing
future changes effectively and efficiently, with shared
(cost-efficient) delivery models.
The importance of local flavour
The global workplace delivery model remains a work in
progress. Many IT professionals understand that work-
place services must be delivered consistently across
geographic regions but with local flavour, such as local
language support.
In response, most workplace services providers are
optimising their global delivery models through process
standardisation, tool standardisation and integration,
and expanded geographic presence and alliances with
local suppliers.
While consumerisation, automation and self-service
all tend to reduce the amount of on-site work required,
some local support capability is still needed. Supplier
capabilities in geographic presence, ecosystem partici-
pation and propensity to participate in multisourced
scenarios are varied, so a consistent user experience
across geographic regions cannot be taken for granted.
Customer satisfaction hinges on the user experi-
ence, not service level agreements (SLAs). Outsourcing
user computing activities — especially the help desk
— has disillusioned users. But today’s users expect a
consumer-grade experience. “Green SLAs are no longer
enough,” one supplier observed.
To address this, suppliers are pursuing customer satis-
faction improvements as never before. They are employing a number of alternative research
methodologies to measure customer satisfaction, as well as harnessing customer experience
models – such as personas and analytics – to improve the performance of service desks and
all user activities.
Suppliers and customers have recognised that customer satisfaction is one key element
indicating how well service provisioning from the IT organisation and external providers is
aligned with users’ demands and expectations. More importantly, the high visibility of work-
place services contributes a lot to the success or failure of outsourcing. This means that cus-
tomers who consider outsourcing workplace services activities
will now need to keep customer satisfaction first and foremost
in their plans.
Customers must actively manage their suppliers for inno-
vation. Because of the rapid change in technology and user
expectations, suppliers must be prepared to innovate to remain
competitive. Yet, paradoxically, customers do not believe workplace services suppliers are
highly innovative in the customer environment. “Innovation is clearly an area they have not
mastered,” one client said of their services provider, a common refrain among the client refer-
ence interviews conducted. n
“Suppliers and
customers have
recognised
that customer
satisfaction is
one key element
indicating how
well service
provisioning
from the IT
organisation
and external
providers
is aligned
with users’
demands and
expectations”
This is an extract from The Forrester Wave™: Global Workplace Services, Q1 2013, (March 2013)
by Forrester principal analysts, sourcing and vendor management, Bill Martorelli and Wolfgang Benkel
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