The Value of Investing in Customer Service in IT
It all begins with an idea. Maybe you want to launch a business. Many IT organizations are founded on the principle that their services are critical the other overall operation of their organization, but don’t generally think through their customer experience. I’ve learned that over-valuing the service without considering the role customer service plays in the mix is a major oversight. And here’s why it’s so sorely needed:
1) Without the customer, there is no service to deliver. So, in essence, the service has to meet the customer’s expectations to be valuable. Simple, right? And yet so often overlooked. The customer is what matters most when delivering services, after all, ultimately, they are the ones paying for the service and they can often go elsewhere for it (shadow IT, cloud services, etc.)
2) Our IT Services are often complex, requiring a layer of “massaging” with the consumer. By no means are all technologies easy to understand and or deliver. Anything from rolling out a new desktop image, to updating your wireless infrastructure, there are nuances associated with the technologies requiring a translation of “if- then” for the customer.
3) We think we know the technology, but we often don’t. Many IT folks think they know the technology they are delivering but yet we often find out that they’re just scratching the surface on this vast technology platform or layer.
4) Different customer generations interact differently with technology. So your older consumer generation (Baby Boomers, Gen X) will require specific instructions, possibly demonstrations of the technology, and some will try it out anyway, while your Millennials may just want a Youtube version of the product and they’ll follow along or tinker with it until they figure it out. There is no one-size-fits-all way to deliver support in this day and age.
5) Without proper customer service, you either get operational inefficiencies or abandoned product adoption. Seriously, who will continue to use your product or service if they feel it doesn’t work or doesn’t work well? Especially if they don’t feel there’s good customer service?
So putting the product (IT technology) out there without a plan for excellent customer service is like putting the cart before the horse, not advisable.
When we think about companies that have great market share like Amazon for example, they also have outstanding customer service. With Amazon it’s basically a no questions asked policy. It doesn’t mean they don’t sometimes have an issue with a product or a delivery, but you know that once you make a purchase with them, if there is a problem, it will be resolved. You’re given an option to quickly get to a representative via a call back, and they listen intently, make sure your problem is understood by the, and then get a solution underway immediately. And that can range from crediting you a refund, sending a return slip, fixing your account membership, etc. When you call Amazon, you know you’re going to get quality customer service. Imagine if that wasn’t the case, and it’s a hit or miss, do you think they’d continue to grow at the rate that they have? Doubtful. So why is it that IT departments don’t think the same way? They shouldn’t.
Customer Service is everyone’s job, and not just the Service Desk. It is part of the service that we have to provision for the customer, and should always be thought of from the customer’s point of view. It should be easy to deliver, and should not be limited to certain tiers of support. I often-tines run into situations where the tier III support team members see themselves as “non-customer facing”, and push out all customer service activities to other groups. All that does is elongates the service interaction and creates a disconnect between the customer and the service organization, as too many hands are forced to interact with the problem. When it comes to customer service, the “Law of Subtraction” is best to follow; the best solution is the simplest and the one that has all the right things missing from it, leaving you with what works.
When looking at Customer Service interactions, it’s helpful to have support teams be able to “connect the dots” between what they do and the ultimate customer interaction with the service. IF that means having them go out into the field and interact with the customer, then that’s a beneficial thing to do. And sometimes it means having them answer customer calls and complaints about the product, so they know what is and isn’t working so well. And it may be just a simple design change or details in instruction or packaging that’s needed, but without hearing the voice of the customer, that goes unattended and ultimately leads to declining customer retention and satisfaction.
