Advanced professional services automation
Abstract : The paper deals with the newest ìkiller applicationî ñ professional service automation (PSA). The solution concept is explained, and the existing and potential users are identified as well as the benefits realized by users. Next the situation on the market is analyzed, main existing solutions are categorized and strength and weaknesses of the major categories are identified. Finally Autotask solution is used as an example to demonstrate the PSA solution functionality
? To support the development, production, and use of an IT innovation, existing arrangements must be invoked and new arrangements often need to be made.
? This new focus suggests that the diffusion of an IT innovation hinges not just on existing institutional arrangements, but also on how institutional entrepreneurs can invoke or create more favorable arrangements.
? The market for a new technology itself constitutes a needed institutional arrangement, as early on, its existence and nature may not even be recognized.
? New IT often involves new actors and activities for which existing institutional arrangements cannot easily be invoked or needed arrangements do not yet exist.
? The problem is that, because actors’ involvements change over time, certain so-called institutional entrepreneurs may not always be such, while those not so identified may on occasion be key players.
? PSA is argued to be a solution to problems unique to service-oriented organizations that previous, product-centric software did not address.
? However, even if a focused leading vendor had emerged in the PSA community, as SAP and Siebel did in the ERP and CRM communities respectively, we argue that PSA would still founder due to its problematic legitimation, to which we turn next.
? When a label is absent or in question, dissemination of the vision is made problematic and cognitive legitimation is undermined.
• In the PSA community, we became observers for the most part, except that a vendor approached us hoping to demonstrate its products in our school’s executive education program, we were invited to post our research on a conference web site, and, further, an analyst proposed a joint research program with us on the business benefits of PSA.
• Besides changing the proposed benefits, some strategies include selling through the VAR channels, so customers are buying from someone they trust, or alliances with the already accepted vendors.
• The purpose of the CRM solution is to support all of the customer-centric processes within enterprise, mid-enterprise, and mid-market organizations including marketing, sales, and customer support.
? A new breed of software that can track the complex and evolving information related to an IT staff, including schedules, skills, career goals, and knowledge base.
? They can also capture performance metrics and let workers map their own career development
? Recent scandals have created the need for organizations to more accurately track and report financials. With PSA, executives can now assess the performance of their enterprises in real time.
? In order to create the market for PSA among service-oriented firms, institutional entrepreneurs invoked the institutional logic that existed in manufacturing-oriented firms, that operational efficiency can be improved through automation.
|