IBM Support
Service mission/target market
IBM's service mission is to provide "total solutions to customers,
emphasizing the role of traditional remedial support and non-traditional
offerings."  IBM believes that customers have three critical
requirements: reduce operating costs; reduce the complexity of managing
and utilizing information technology; and develop critical skills to
maximize technology.  Via its technology and services IBM hopes to meet
and exceed customers' expectations in these three areas.
  As IBM experiences the impact of lower margins on hardware, they have
committed to a strategy of increasing revenues from software and
services.  By 1995, IBM is planning on receiving 45 percent of its total
revenues from software and services.  Also, IBM is practicing "market-
driven quality" and support and service is part of this quality mission.

Service offerings
IBM offers a full range of services including several customized
offerings.  These services cover all the areas that need to be performed
to ensure a successful "enterprise-wide system."  This paper discusses
two of IBM's support services; Multivendor and Network Support Services.

Additional services include:
o Networking:  Provides a single source for all networking solutions and
  is covered later in this paper.
o Systems integration:  Provides specialized talent to plan, implement,
  and manage the risk of complex projects.  IBM can provides assistance
  from problem definition through solution.
o Customized operation services:  Provides assistance for data center
  physical requirements.  Includes cabling projects, UPS installation,
  coordinating movement of hardware, and design and construction of
  complex data centers.
o Software services:  Provides technical specialists for design,
  program, maintain, and implement solutions.
o Systems operations:  Performed by Integrated Systems Solutions
  Corporation, ISSC, and provides outsourcing of both systems and
  applications.
o Maintenance services:  Provides hardware and systems software support
  for all IBM systems and some non-IBM systems.
o Business recovery services:  Provided by ISSC to help design, test,
  and implement a recovery plan and provides systems for backup
  facilities.
o Education: Provides a range of courses include technical training on
  hardware and software to managing people and technology.  Self-taught
  courses using computer-based training are available and courses can be
  taught at the customers location.  Customized courses are available.

Multivendor services
IBM will service non-IBM equipment with IBM direct repair or through
subcontracts with business partners.
  Technical Services Management (TSM) is IBM's primary multivendor
service offering.  This provides coordination and management of non-IBM
information processing equipment maintenance in a mixed-vendor
environment, including vendor dispatching, IBM coordination of vendor
maintenance activities, and problem tracking/status reporting.
  IBM also provides multivendor desktop support for end users.  End User
Support (EUS) targets personal computer and PC-compatible workstation
products and software.  The following services are provided under EUS:
o Problem analysis
o Problem management
o Usage assistance
o Hardware service coordination
o Software service coordination
o Trend analysis

Network support services
IBM uses a combination of general support/services programs and special
bid solutions.  Some of the offerings included in this area are access
to the IBM Network Support Center service, available 24 hours a day,
seven days a week with in-depth skills and resources.  Service for
voice, data, and integrated voice/data networks is available.  Another
option provides for probes to be installed on the critical components of
the network to identify and eliminate network problems before they
happen.  They proactively monitor and test the network and are
vendor/protocol independent.

Customized operation services are made up of four specific offering:
o Site planning:  Provides site readiness, contractor management, and
  installation management.
o Connectivity:  Includes consulting, design, and installation support.
o Data center:  Includes land evaluation and analysis, building
  evaluation, planning, design, and construction.
o Relocation:  Provides project planning and management, site fit-up,
  mover services, hardware services, and equipment modification.

Service delivery
For hardware maintenance, IBM operates 24 hours per day, seven days per
week, with no holiday exceptions.  IBM does not guarantee response
times, but operates under a "best effort" guideline.  Internal targets
for response time are four hours for PCs and two hours for all other
equipment.

From Selling Against the Competition Competitive Binder, 5091-6465E,
  9301
Associated files:  ibmspt.doc
IBM Support