Israel Lang

IT Solutions Providers: Which Lake Are You In?

When I was in college, I spent my summers working at a YMCA camp. I was responsible to keep all the trails, playing fields, and general areas mowed. I also did some general maintenance stuff around the camp as well. Occasionally, I would get to do some work down by the lake. It was here that I would witness hundreds of kids get in a canoe, many of them for the first time.

How To Apply The Principles Of Effective Metrics

A few weeks ago, I wrote about the “Quest for the Holy Grail of Metrics”. In that post, I talked about some principles that I recommend using to build a set of metrics to help in three critical areas. Those areas are customer satisfaction, profitability, and employee engagement.

Israel’s Bookshelf: New Year’s Edition

If I am completely honest with all of you, I buy way more books than I read. On average, I probably buy three or four books a month. In addition to those books, I normally get three or four a quarter sent to me from publisher and marketing friends in hopes that I will be part of the social media team that will help promote the book. I say all of that to make the point that the books that I suggest in this column are the ones that I don’t simply read, but that I engage with … books that significantly impact my thinking.

Books Services Providers Can Reference Again And Again

As we wrap up 2014, I wanted to give my Service Manager Brethren a few of the books that have helped me in an operational or managerial capacity over the last 15 years. Some of the books are pricey and are more like text books than typical business book fare.

Are You Drifting? The Danger Of Settling For “Good Enough”

One of the mantras at HTG is the persistent pursuit of excellence rather than attempting to attain the ever elusive state of perfection. We prefer action and movement rather than the paralysis that naturally results from constant analysis.

The Quest For The Holy Grail: The 5 Best Metrics For Your Team (Part 2)

I was asked this month to provide you with the 5 Best Metrics for Service Delivery Management. In my last post I wrote about the fact that my own search for the holy grail of metrics has served fruitless. I proposed that many of you, like me, have at times suffered from “Metric Envy” (measuring the same metrics as someone you deem successful) or “Metric Overload” (measuring too many things and managing none).

The Quest For The Holy Grail: The 5 Best Metrics For Your Team (1 Of A 2-Part Series)

I was asked this month to provide you with the 5 Best Metrics for Service Delivery Management. That task is pretty easy. I would guess that given an hour or so, I could probably give you 40 important metrics.

Leading Your Service Team Through A Merger Or Acquisition

I can remember the day I had to go into my team’s normal meeting room and deliver the news that we had been acquired.  I had a prepared statement that we division leaders had prepared with the acquiring company which made the first seven minutes easy to get through.