Using Web 2.0 to Enhance the Customer Experience

Web-based support rests solidly on Web Services, the backbone architecture of Web 2.0.

Now a more in-the-face aspect of Web 2.0 has emerged as an exciting way to provide Customer and Technical Support. An excellent summary of best practices and well-worth the $6.50 price is "How to Profit from a Better Virtual Customer Environment" by Satish Nambisan and Priya Nambisan in the MIT Sloan Management Review.

Quoting from the Abstract: "The authors describe five customer roles in innovation and value cocreation: product conceptualizer, product designer, product tester, product support specialist and. product marketer." Descriptions are included of projects at BMW, Microsoft, Volvo, and other firms.

See http://sloanreview.mit.edu/smr/issue/2008/spring/13/#buy

East vs. West in Contact Centers

Attrition is a major problem in North American Contact Centers. Retention is a top priority. A group of employees from a New York call center visited centers in Japan and found a very different scenario. Although there are no bonuses and few parties and other perks, Japanese contact center workers often stay in the job for 25 years! The secret: a deep understanding of the purpose of the position. Helping customers is a venerated role and those who are selected are honored.

Instead of handing the next recruit a headset and a script, consider a month or more of training and rotational assignments that include learning about the entire organization and how customer support fits into the grand purpose and direction.

For the complete story, see Customer Relationship Management magazine August 2008 page 26.

Services are 80% of US Economy

Services are 80% of the US Economy and 64% of the world economy. That's twice the contribution to world wealth as products. The profound impact on individuals, families, companies and society may be comparable to the industrial revolution. Services are consumed and delivered simultaneously giving incomparable power to the front line workers who produce and deliver services directly to customers. The need for education and empowerment of these workers has never been greater.

Employee Power in Services Delivery

Unlike products that can be inspected and repaired, services are consumed as soon as they are produced. This places tremendous responsibility on the employees that provide the services. Organizations must select these employees very carefully and train them very thoroughly. More importantly, these employees must be trusted to treat customers with respect and TLC (tender loving care) rather than with TDC (thinly-disguised contempt).

Logistics: An Essential Skill in Many Fields

Field Service personnel know the critical importance of logistics knowledge and skill. This talent also serves in many other careers including disaster management, military operations, natural resources, transportation, and more.

This online master's degree in logistics management is a convenient route into the logistics field. See this site for other undergraduate and graduate opportunities.

Adding depth to a Service/Support career

Traditionally career advancement has meant climbing the management ladder. More recently attention has been given to adding breadth to a career by making lateral moves into other functions. This could mean moving from field service to repair center or contact center. Or it could moving out of service/support into sales, manufacturing, development or other area.

There is a third path for service/support careers: greater depth. Increasing knowledge and skill in the current job can make the manager more valuable to the current and future employers. Adding depth also makes a career more interesting and rewarding. Methods include completing classes, attending professional events, writing articles, giving industry presentations, and more. Think beyond the service-only parts of the position to human performance, financial savvy and other areas.

SAAS and Outsourcing Drive Services to New Heights

How did Services reach 64% of the world economy and 80% of the USA economy? Two contributing factors are Software as a Service (SAAS) and outsourcing. Purchased software is a product but SAAS is a service.

When marketing, legal work, business processing, and other functions are performed in a product company, they are part of the industrial percentage of the economy. When they are purchased from an outside firm (i.e. outsourced), they become part of the service economy.