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Tech/IT professionals represent about 10% of the US labor force. That number has grown over the last 10 years and shows no sign of slowing as people find themselves relying more on computers.
Given the popularity of the IT profession, naturally, people wonder which jobs within the industry are most worth having. A common position that comes up in these conversations is that of the IT service manager.
An IT service manager is a title that varies in meaning from company to company. In this post, we add some clarity to what exactly it is by disclosing a handful of common duties associated with IT service managers in hopes of helping you determine if you want this job or if your company should professionally engage somebody holding this position.
Keep reading to learn more.
Contents
Represents in High Profile Meetings
IT service managers are sometimes sitting at the helm of IT departments in small to medium-sized companies. With that, these managers are expected to represent technology matters in high-profile meetings.
Meetings might be to give general updates, talk about sales, legal barriers, company restructuring, and more.
If you’re not comfortable speaking publicly, chances are, you’re not ready to be an IT service manager.
Hires Technology Contractors
Not all IT teams are comprised of internal staff members given cost implications.
To offset labor needs without breaking the bank, an IT service manager may be asked to put together teams of contractors. These contractors could be hired piece by piece through agencies or altogether by bringing on an external IT firm where assistance is needed.
Hiring contractors means interviewing people, responding to invoices, and managing lines of communications with external partners (which can be more difficult than managing communication internally).
Brings on Internal Headcount
In addition to hiring contractors (or instead of it), IT service management will be liable for increasing their staffed laborers. That can present another dimension of trickiness seeing as how hiring full-time team members come with complicated budgetary considerations.
You’ll need to consider salaries and get those salaries cleared with HR. You’ll also have to look into benefits, manage benefits negotiations, and more.
Finding full-time employees also calls for a longer hiring process than the process that goes into hiring contractors.
Leading Educational Pursuits
Managed IT services generally provide contracted IT work to other businesses. If you’re the service manager at your firm, you’ll have to be fluent in several types of IT problems so you’re ready to accommodate any client your company may bring on.
That’s going to require a lot of exploratory learning.
You’ll need a base education via professional certification or a degree in information technology. Beyond that, you’ll be expected to attend conferences and to get your certification re-upped with regularity so you can share information with your team to provide a united, qualified front when working with clients.
Liaisons With Customers During Pitches and Problems
An IT service manager will be on the front lines when it comes to pitching services. If you’re not interested in being a manager but are interested in hiring one for your company’s IT needs, you’ll be able to interface with them directly when you contact places like this this managed service solution.
As an IT service manager, since you’ll be pitching, a little bit of sales experience goes a long way.
Similarly, when something goes wrong for a client that has brought on a firm’s IT services, managers will be the ones to interface with both the problem and the upset client. That takes soft and hard skills that are not every IT prospect’s forte.
May Be in Charge of Equipment Rentals
Some IT firms specialize in renting equipment to other companies. If that’s a service your firm offers and you’re a service manager, expect to be at the center of the process.
Renting equipment means checking equipment for flaws before releasing it to clients. You’ll then have to manage the maintenance process over that equipment while it’s offsite and check it for damages when it returns.
Some or all of the steps in that process could be delegated to people under you depending on your company’s budgetary constraints.
May Be in Charge of Increasing Sales
Companies engaging managed services providers in the world of IT are becoming increasingly commonplace. That means there’s ample opportunity for IT managers to generate sales for their firm.
Sales generation as a manager usually includes overseeing a team of people that aggregate leads of companies that need IT services. It may mean needing to occasionally hop on the phone to speak with a warm lead. There, you’ll negotiate rates and conduct final explanations of services before contracts go out, among other things.
Again, sales experience can be helpful when it comes to lead generation, closing deals, and finding ways to add value to service packages that generate client interest.
Do You Want to Be/Does Your Business Need to Engage an IT Service Manager?
An IT service manager is a position that’s in demand. That’s true of both job seekers and firms that are looking to onboard managed IT services.
Whatever your connection with service managers is, you now have a good idea of what they do. You should now be able to discern if engaging the position supports your goals.
We’ll reiterate that a service manager in the world of managed IT may have variable responsibilities. Use our breakdown as guidance. Then, request information on a case-by-case basis to understand how exactly you’ll be engaging with this position.
For more on IT service management, working in tech, and more, explore additional content on our blog.
