ITIL-FOUNDATION · Question #495
What BEST describes the customers and users of an IT service provider?
The correct answer is A. Customers buy IT services; users use IT services. In ITIL, customers and users play distinct roles - customers fund or commission IT services, while users are those who directly interact with and consume those services.
Question
What BEST describes the customers and users of an IT service provider?
Options
- ACustomers buy IT services; users use IT services
- BCustomers design IT services; users test IT services
- CCustomers sell IT services; users improve IT services
- DCustomers agree the service levels; users buy IT services
How the community answered
(27 responses)- A89% (24)
- C7% (2)
- D4% (1)
Why each option
In ITIL, customers and users play distinct roles - customers fund or commission IT services, while users are those who directly interact with and consume those services.
This is the standard ITIL definition: customers are the individuals or groups who buy or fund IT services, while users are those who use the services on a day-to-day basis. These are distinct roles - for example, a manager may be the customer who signs the contract, while their team members are the users of the service.
Customers do not design services - that is the role of IT service designers - and users do not test services, which is a quality assurance function.
Customers do not sell IT services - selling is the role of the IT service provider itself, not the customer.
While agreeing service levels is indeed a customer responsibility, this option reverses the buying role by incorrectly stating that users buy services instead of customers.
Concept tested: ITIL customer vs. user role definitions
Topics
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