Service Level Agreements: Winning A Competitive Edge for Support & Supply Services [Paperback]

Andrew Hiles (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 13, 2000

This book holds the key to creating enduring, satisfying and profitable relationships between customer and supplier. It shows how both internal and external services and supply can be aligned to meet business vision, mission, goals, critical success factors and key performance indicators.

The techniques described will help you balance service cost against quality, leading to competitive advantage and business success. They can be applied to any industry, to any supply or support service. They have been used by leading companies internationally - and they work!

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Andrew Hiles' approach is easy to understand and of practical use to both users and providers." -- Graham F. Roulstone, Services Manager, Blue Circle Industries, PLC, UK

"This book demonstrates how this ... need to quantify and measure service functions ... can be achieved." -- W. Adrian Smyth, Director and General Manager, COTEC Computer Services, UK

"This book is a complete blueprint on the subject ... [of] service level agreements" -- Paul F. Kirvan, Management Consultant, Paul F. Kirvan Associates, USA.

About the Author

Andrew Hiles is a Fellow of the Business Continuity Institute and a Member of the British Computer Society. Andrew was founder Chairman of the influential European Information Market (EURIM) group which supports the UK Parliament's All-Party EURIM Group in handling European legislation. His first book on Service Level Management was published in 1991; his second book in 1993. He contributed to Croner's Guide to IT Purchasing. His software package, SLA FRAMEWORK , has been purchased by leading international companies.

Starting his I.T. career with the Royal Air Force in programming and systems, Andrew moved to London Transport in an operational role. Later, in their Central Productivity Unit and subsequently as I.T. Projects Manager and as Manager of the Business Process Re-engineering function, he led several major technical and organisational reviews involving the reorganisation of key functions of London Transport. From there he moved to the Post Office as their first Business Systems Consultant with responsibilities for major projects. Subsequently as Computer Services Manager at Harwell Laboratory he provided supercomputing, mainframe, midrange and client / server bureau services and operational support of mainframe and midrange installations that Harwell facility managed. He also had Customer Support and Quality Assurance responsibilities for the Datacenter.

Andrew is a Director of the Kingswell Partnership of I.T. Consultants - an international consultancy specialising in delivering service and managing business risk. He has helped hi-tech, financial, transport and government bodies to develop and enhance Customer Support and Service Desk functions and has supported both customers and suppliers in Service Level Agreements, Market Testing, Outsourcing and Facilities Management.

Andrew is a published writer and international speaker on service management. He has presented at Cranfield, Henley, Ashridge and GEC Management Colleges and at numerous conferences in Europe, USA, Southern Africa, the Middle East, Hong Kong, the Philippines and New Zealand and Australia. He has broadcast on IT topics on radio and television.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 300 pages
• Publisher: Rothstein Associates Inc. (March 13, 2000)
• ISBN-10: 0964164841
• ISBN-13: 978-0964164840
• Product Dimensions: 10.7 x 8.3 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,571,072 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Comprehensive Guide, November 20, 2004

By 

Book Bug "Yvonne" (UK) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Service Level Agreements: Winning A Competitive Edge for Support & Supply Services (Paperback)

The latest version of this book has been updated and provides not only examples of a range of different types of SLA, but also shows how SLAs can be used to achieve strategic objectives and justify infrastructure and disaster recovery investments. I found it a valuable help.

2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Not even close..., September 25, 2003

By 

MTM (Cambridge, MA United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Service Level Agreements: Winning A Competitive Edge for Support & Supply Services (Paperback)

This is one of the worst books I have ever read - it is ridiculously bad. The content is at best common sense and at worst completely inane. The layout follows no discernable logic. The graphics make no sense, or at least no point (other than filling space). And the format appears to be the work of someone unfamiliar with the most basic word processing program - bullets out of order, indentation that muddies the content. Hiles needs to establish a service level agreement with his editor.

For the price, I expect a book that is not only informative, but professionally designed and edited. Instead I get the ramblings of a self-styled expert in service level agreements. In the end, the book is a joke...and Hiles is laughing all the way to the bank at $125 each.

1 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars SLA's, January 26, 2001

By 

mrugendra (Raleigh, NC USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Service Level Agreements: Winning A Competitive Edge for Support & Supply Services (Paperback)

A good material if you are looking for understanding what SLA's are.