Internal service quality in IT service management: insights from the perspective of IT service employees

In this Digital Transformation era, businesses are continually finding and implementing technology to run their business productively and efficiently. A service framework must be in place to support the end-users in optimizing the usage of ICT systems, and in managing the service delivery of the ICT services, technical professionals are a crucial factor in service delivery performance. Substantial research in internal service quality within their domain has been established in other service industries. However, there is limited research in internal service quality in the domain of IT Service Management. This study inquired on how the internal service quality of IT Services Management is affected by the internal service gaps. A qualitative research method was employed in this study. The seven participants who participated in the study were selected based on a purposive sampling method drawn from the population of IT Professionals who worked in the IT Services organization. Data collection using a semi-structured interview was conducted for one month, and the data were analyzed using thematic data analysis. This study revealed that in an IT Services organization, situations such as failing SLA, resource crunch, employee frustration, and job burnout are the subtle symptoms of deeper functional and organizational issues in IT Service Management. It was also revealed that the fundamental conditions that shape the overall internal service quality experience of the IT Services professional are the elements of leadership support, sense of autonomy, and service delivery mindset. Positive internal service quality experiences, on the other hand, are attributed to strategic leadership demonstrated by the management, dedicated roles and dynamic teamwork, and comprehensive knowledge management strategy. The insights gained from this study would contribute to improving the internal service quality in IT Services Organization.