I.T. | Customer Service Solutions, Inc.

Fix One Problem without Creating Another - 10/29/24


If you’ve ever had an issue with your dishwasher, this will sound familiar.  I’ve dealt with so many dishwashers over the years, and they always seem to have some kind of an issue.  Maybe it’s because of the mix of water and technology, but for whatever reason, these never Read more

Delight Your Customers - 10/22/24


Buddy the Bug Man was different.  His company was new, and the only reason why Janet tried him out was that the service she had used for years just wasn’t working.  Whether it was mosquitoes in the yard, ants in the kitchen, or cockroaches flying through on their way Read more

A More Complete Definition of Responsiveness - 10/15/24


I was purchasing something recently that was being custom-developed.  At one point, the company’s employee and I had a good 20 e-mails going back and forth - 10 from each of us.  Unfortunately, I broke my own rule, and I did not pick up the phone after 2 or Read more

Have a Game Plan to Address Their Anxiety - 10/8/24


It seems like we all get deliveries - whether it is UPS, USPS, FedEx, Amazon, the local courier, or all the above.  We order.  They deliver.  Or do they? It’s times like these, when we’re expecting that package, that item that we’re looking forward to or need urgently or are Read more

How Persistence Saved the Day - 10/1/24


Sherrie saw the customer walk into her store holding his cell phone, and Sherrie immediately knew that was William.  She had spoken to William on the phone about an hour ago, he said he would be at Sherrie’s cell phone store in less than an hour, and there he Read more

Notice the Little Changes - 9/24/24


“My, how times have changed.” Yes, times have changed.  As a matter of fact, one of the biggest reasons why an organization’s customer service deteriorates is that times have changed…customers have changed…and the company has not… If we think about customer service delivery today v. decades ago, changes in technology alone Read more

Don’t Hurry…Be Quick - 9/17/24


No, this is not a take off on the Bobby McFerrin song:  Don’t Worry Be Happy. It’s actually a take off on the John Wooden quote:  Be quick, but don’t hurry. When I read Wooden’s book with this title, I liked the concept, and not just because John Wooden was a Read more

4 Actions for the Customer - 9/10/24


One way to look at the difference between proactive and reactive is that proactive is something that’s often done before it absolutely has to be done.  Maybe it’s something done that really doesn’t have to occur, but your professionalism takes over, and some action or communication that you know Read more

Don’t Kick the Problem Down the Road - 9/3/24


The error was obvious.  Shania is a clerk at a local government office, and she could tell that something was wrong with the permit request.  She was about to reject the request because the address was invalid. If this would have been handled like the normal process, Shania would have Read more

Reflect the Best of Your Customers - 8/27/24


When Alice walks into a business, whether it’s a restaurant or government building, whether it’s a Goodwill or a grocery store, she has a certain way about her.  She’s the customer, and it’s not unusual to hear her say to the employee:  Thanks for being here today! It’s not unusual Read more

Why Customer Service is “IT” in Technology

Posted on in Business Advice, World of Customer Service Please leave a comment

In the ZDNet article IT managers: Customer service trumps managing costs, the author references a study of 220+ US-based Information Technology managers about their priorities, and customer service was listed as a high priority to the point that 70% felt that customer service was more important to them than managing costs. Now this is important to note, particularly since technology is often seen as a driver of productivity in organizations and, therefore, a cost reducer.

Of those responding to the survey, 65% said they felt “personal pressure” to provide good customer service. So what is driving this “personal pressure?” In most organizations, pressure to provide great customer service comes primarily from the customer. Now it may go through executive management to the middle managers, but it starts with the customers.

In the world of Information Technology, those customers are typically other departments in the organization. They’re complaining about the lack of responsiveness. They’re complaining about technology people too focused on the technology and not focused enough on the people to whom they’re supplying the technology. They’re complaining about attitudes of arrogance. They’re complaining about cumbersome processes to get a request submitted, an issue resolved, or a need met.

So when I.T. managers say they feel “personal pressure,” it’s typically coming directly from company executives who understand how overall company performance in serving the external customer is impacted by service to internal customers.

Now look at your business. Think about all the people internally that need to share information, ideas, technology, supplies, and materials with each other to meet that end customer’s need. To figure out how to make great improvement in customer service to external customers, figure out how to serve internal customers more efficiently, simply, and respectfully.

Read our New Book – “Ask Yourself…Am I GREAT at Customer Service?” http://www.amigreatat.com/

Listen to our latest podcast episode of “Stepping Up Service” on The MESH Network at http://themesh.tv/stepping-up-service/

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