Adding depth to a Service/Support career

Traditionally career advancement has meant climbing the management ladder. More recently attention has been given to adding breadth to a career by making lateral moves into other functions. This could mean moving from field service to repair center or contact center. Or it could moving out of service/support into sales, manufacturing, development or other area.

There is a third path for service/support careers: greater depth. Increasing knowledge and skill in the current job can make the manager more valuable to the current and future employers. Adding depth also makes a career more interesting and rewarding. Methods include completing classes, attending professional events, writing articles, giving industry presentations, and more. Think beyond the service-only parts of the position to human performance, financial savvy and other areas.

SAAS and Outsourcing Drive Services to New Heights

How did Services reach 64% of the world economy and 80% of the USA economy? Two contributing factors are Software as a Service (SAAS) and outsourcing. Purchased software is a product but SAAS is a service.

When marketing, legal work, business processing, and other functions are performed in a product company, they are part of the industrial percentage of the economy. When they are purchased from an outside firm (i.e. outsourced), they become part of the service economy.