Our Services team spotlight this month is on Vinod Mepani. With over 15 years hands-on experience and an in-depth knowledge of ITIL service management, Vinod is a highly experienced Service Delivery Manager (SDM) at Transputec. He has been working with us for over five years and here, he shares his valuable insights on what it takes to be successful Service Delivery Manager and how he and his team strive to deliver exceptional IT services
What does a Service Delivery Manager do and how do you measure good service?
In my role as a Service Delivery Manager, I must ensure the IT Services Transputec are contracted to provide to its customers are delivered to the highest standards and exceed customer expectations in terms of quality and SLA compliance.
Customer satisfaction KPI’s are a key part of our IT Services strategy and through the Net Promoter Score system (NPS), which is an independent global measurement system, we can get a clear picture of what our customers think about our services.
So, what is Transputec’s NPS?
I am proud to say we have a Net Promoter Score of 80 which is considered “world-class”. To gather this data, we send out a survey which rates our service to all customers once their service ticket is resolved. We then use this feedback to see how our end user service is performing and how we can improve, and this information contributes to our Net Promoter Score.
Measuring customer satisfaction and more
As well as monitoring customer satisfaction levels, I’m also responsible for responding to queries and any complaints, escalating where necessary and ensuring that the correct action is put in place.
I also ensure we are delivering to our client’s specified KPIs and SLAs. We measure the response and resolution times for all our service tickets. This allows us to see how reactive we are, if we are resolving user issues within the agreed timescales and how we can make improvements the service delivery function. Our monthly service review meetings also enable our clients to evaluate our service based on the monthly service reports, detailing whether we achieved or missed SLAs or KPIs
We also must guarantee that our Services operate to ITIL Best Practice recommendations and provide advice and guidance to our clients relating to industry best practices in Service Delivery and Service Support disciplines.
So, as you can see, my day-to-day tasks vary from one day to another. One day I could be in meetings with clients discussing how to improve their IT Services or resolving an IT issue and another I could be analysing data about our client’s support KPIs. I also get involved in rolling out digital transformation and infrastructure upgrade projects that impact my clients, and I am responsible for successfully transitioning any new IT services into my client base.
Has your role as a SDM changed since the shift to remote working, if so, how?
One of the main advantages of the being a SDM is that we can work from any location and still do the job efficiently, so working remotely did not impact my ability to carry out my role and this applied to my team as well.
The only thing I would say that the pandemic prevented was our usual face to face meetings with clients, but with the help of Microsoft Teams we overcame that challenge, and everyone quickly adapted to the new way of working. The pandemic also enabled us to further support to our clients and their IT departments as their employees moved to working remotely. In fact, the acceleration of digital transformation and evolution of the hybrid working model means and increased requirements for IT services and support, meaning we are busier than ever.
How did you get into IT Services and what advice would you give to those looking to become a SDM?
My first steps into Service Management were as a Junior Service Delivery Manager, working for IBM, my role was to support a senior SDM and together we managed a client in the finance sector.
If anyone was looking to get into Service Management, I would advise them to take the same path as I did, become a Junior SDM and learn on the ground with someone with experience, as I believe this is best type of on the job training you can get to help develop the skills required to become a SDM.
Over the last 5 years, I have also developed my skills further through the Transputec Academy which advocates self-improvement through training and learning. The Academy scheme through which I and all employees train, develop, mentor and be mentored aims to transfer knowledge between people in the business and provides valuable training, learning and development.
What skills make a great Service Delivery Manager?
As a SDM, I manage and deal with a wide range of clients day to day, all with their own ways of working and individual demands. Overall, I believe the two key skills you need are: good people management and advanced communication skills.
Communication is crucial as a Service Delivery Managers must communicate effectively across all organisational and technical boundaries. It sounds simple but good listening skills are a must as well as the ability to impart technical information clearly and concisely. Therefore, a calm and logical mindset is also a valuable skill as sometimes we are working in high pressure situations, and we need to provide innovative and effective solutions to problems – fast!
Another major contribution to an effective outcome, is understanding the context of a situation and to successfully react and respond to different challenges and scenarios as they arise. Therefore dedication, flexibility and analytical IT skills are also imperative.
Generally, you must also be able to build firm, trusted relationships not only with your clients, but with your colleagues to ensure everyone is striving to deliver above and beyond the service and support we are contracted to provide.
How do you deliver exceptional service delivery to your clients?
I always have the best interests of my clients at the centre of everything I do. I approach my work in a way that I am working for my clients first and then Transputec and this reflects our company values – a customer first approach. I’m passionate about maintaining high standards of work while delivering projects on time and within the agreed budget and crucially, understand what my client’s business goals are and their organisation’s processes. In short, I know my clients inside out!
A customer first approach
Many companies and organisations we partner with can have changing and challenging environments. However, by demonstrating good managerial skills, working as a cohesive team, and implementing effective end-to-end service management strategies, we can ensure exceptional service delivery outcomes. To sum up – If my clients are happy, then I am happy!
When you’re not at work, how do you like to spend your free time?
When I’m not at work, I spend my free time being a Uber driver for my daughter, taking her to various clubs, so when I do get a moment, I enjoy watching movies and cooking. I’m a big Liverpool fan and go to matches whenever I can get hold of a ticket. I’m also a Black Belt in Taekwondo, though I have stopped practicing when everything stopped during Covid, but hoping to get back into it soon!
Vinod Mepani
Service Delivery Manager
Interested in joining our IT Services Team?
Transputec is a growing and fast-moving organisation, and we are always looking for skilled people to join our talented team. You can take a look at our current vacancies here: https://transputec.com/careers/current-opportunities/
