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F. Ability to Implement a Client Service ‘Mindset’
Just because an organization says they have a “client service approach” does not make it so.
Your assessments should have indicated as to whether the IT organization you have
responsibility for is really delivering IT services and support with a client service “mindset”. If you don’t know, better read the chapter on assessment again.
What is a client service “mindset” ?
Glad you asked. In my approach, it has more to do with how IT approaches the support of its clients than in what it does.
First, a key point. The client is always right, , , but the client may not be “correct” or “accurate”.
What I mean by this is that the client is paying for your support. Yes, even if your IT client is another department or employee within your company (an internal client), they are essentially paying for your organization’s existence. With that said, the client has every right to disagree with or to be unhappy with your services, , , to a point.
What I am not saying is that you should do everything the client says and do it with the biggest smile ever seen by mankind. It’s the IT organization’s responsibility to provide leadership to it’s clients as it relates to technology issues. After all, they really are buying that along with the specific products and services that you provide.
If the client is unhappy, it’s up to the manager to help establish an appropriate satisfaction level.
Remember the emphasis on assessment ? You never get away from the necessity to develop clear assessments of situations. Client problems are no different. Understanding the issues surrounding a dissatisfied client has opportunity written all over it.
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Let’s list items that constitute a client service “mindset”:
- Priorities are driven by the client’s needs - The client participates in establishing priorities
- The client is not surprised by changes implemented by IT
- The client’s system availability is always taken into consideration when implementing new technology
- IT has escalation processes in place to minimize system downtime
- IT communicates to the client frequently and proactively in troubleshooting problems - IT managers proactively manage client expectations in a manner that allows the IT
organization to meet or exceed expectations
- IT managers step up to inappropriate client issues or behavior that affects the support of their systems
- The client is involved in the quality assurance of new technology releases and partners with IT rather than simply receiving technology services from IT
- Follow-up is automatic. When an IT employee tells the client they will do something, you can “take it to the bank” that it gets done or someone communicates to the client the reasons it can’t be done before the client has to call and ask.
Let’s talk about follow-up. This is such a
BIG
issue !!! It is also a very basic issue that is vital to positive client service. You can have the best technology resources and the best implementation project plans in the world and have a totally unsuccessful IT organization if it does not follow-up well. On the other hand, you can have less capable people and beconsidered an excellent IT organization when you communicate and follow up exceptionally well. I’ll take the second type of organization any day.
There really is no excuse for not following up !
That’s not to say that you don’t have to deliver; you do. The client wants more from IT, but they want it predictably and in an informed, no surprises, way. Your ability to develop within your organization excellent follow-up skills positions the organization to be able to make mistakes without getting slammed by your client. Poor follow-up skills and making mistakes gets you a lot of scars so emphasize to your group the necessity of following up and communicating well.
Reward those attributes and watch how motivated your organization becomes.
Obviously, there is a lot of balancing required. If you have 100 clients, every client cannot drive every priority that IT has. You can, however, assemble a small, representative user group steering committee that’s empowered to speak for all users in developing priorities with the IT organization.
It’s important to know that the client has a strong need to feel that the IT organization is an advocate in doing all that it can to understand his issues and needs, to be able to relate those issues to technical solutions where possible, and to work on the issues that are important to his business.
If your organization operates in such a manner and has a great smile at the same time, watch out!
You’re headed for success.
Most of managing a client so that you maintain an excellent client relationship is based upon your organization’s client service skills. The client looks to the IT manager for a path to the
“promised land”. He does not expect you to have the solution off the top of your head. I’ve never seen a client refuse to give the manager time to develop an appropriate plan to solve the
problems he was experiencing.
In fact, as mentioned in an earlier example, the client will often pay more to arrive at a workable solution. When they balk, it’s usually because there is no confidence you will deliver. You can’t fix “past sins”, but you can establish rapport with the client and usually work out a solution that resolves the issue. When you do, you must put steps in place that guarantees that you will accomplish what you say you will do.
Never build a plan that has a lot of risk or that “you hope works” in a problem client situation.
You’re just setting yourself up. Be practical, logical, and build some room for mistakes. Also, put the resources on critical parts of the plan that you can trust will get their part done very well.
You’ll be glad you did.
To learn more about building a first-rate IT organization, check out the IT Manager Development
Series. Click Here.
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