Tech Breakthrough Tech Support

Irritation and Anger

Being very bad at using FAQs and reading manuals, I am a big user involving online tech support. Though I meet many lovely people in the business all over the world, the tech systems which support them drive me wild with frustration and anger.

For gobbledegook, press 5; for incomprehensive tech term pres 7; for nothing I am looking for, press 1 .

Hi I'm Steve, head associated with customer services for Big Inc and I'd like to thank you for choosing Big...

Please listen carefully, since all our menu options have changed.

Please enter you sixteen digit code, then press that pound sign.

You know what I'm talking about.

In the first example, so often 'they' know what they are talking about, but you tend not to and even when you do, all you want is 'agent', but there's no number to press for that.

In the second case, you could care less about Steve wanting to feel good and maybe you feel you made the wrong choice nevertheless.

In the third example, you have been hearing that same message over the last year and ten calls + you're not an idiot or you would not be calling a tech support center.

Chances are high this in the fourth example, you will be asked for that same information a couple more times before you get done with the telephone.

Of course, you have your own frustrations and beefs. Since you are often told that "calls may be recorded... " i highly recommend you always share your dissatisfactions-you never know, maybe a report will get back to management.

Tech Breakthrough

But visualize my delight when I discovered management at two companies, at least, have listened to me!

Apple and Cannon.

You might expect a breakthrough from these tech giants. Well, I'd always been pleased with their people along with the way they always seemed to be able to solve my problem, even sometimes when it was not their company.

I had occasion to call both Apple and Canon last week-twice. On the second call to just about every they acknowledged ME, and asked if I was calling about the same or a different problem. No 'if the following, press that', no asking for serial numbers, product or offers to speak in Spanish.

The two phones took a fraction of the time for me to get resolution, wasted less time, blocked airtime less and possessed me calling off delighted. So much more delighted that I already was, that my feelings for both agencies were positively enhanced.

Delight Customers, Don't Piss Them Off

Big corporates and startups alike are generally beseeched to delight their customers, but so often fail to go the extra mile to make that happen. Each time a business does that, the effect is astonishing.

We are so concerned with the inside of our business that we often omit to check each of our actions potential for pissing off our most valuable asset, bar non-e.

When we do manage to an issue great that they have not asked for, but that enhances their experience of using our product, we get a substantial return on the investment.

Sustainability Through Delight

So , great product user experience, and satisfaction of benefits proposition are wonderful to behold, but inherently lack the ability to create a long term relationship with customers.

The following delight is one of the biggest factors that those who seek sustainability often do not acknowledge. Professor Richard Rumelt (author of Good Strategy, Bad Strategy), talks about coherent action being needed to make a successful implementation of powering policies of strategy.

My experience of the tech support breakthrough at Apple and Canon demonstrates such a significant example of coherent action. It's tough but companies have to do everything right to ensure sustainability.

Computer Support Contributes to Strategy

Back office activities, like tech support and many others are the places in the company the location where the rubber meets the road, but are seen as an end in themselves.

Have you ever heard of the Director of Technical Support having a position at the top management table? Probably not. And yet his or her failure to implement customer delighting services can utterly demolish the strategic intentions of the Senior VP of Marketing.

Tech Support may not need to be at the top table, nonetheless they people involved like software engineers, communications specialists, as well as the agents themselves must think like a senior office manager. Their contribution to strategy can go unsung if delightful, but will be castigated if they piss site visitor off too much.

William Keyser, a veteran entrepreneur, is Managing Director of Venture Founders LLC: How to begin a Business. Startup Owl offers a wealth of free information and advice to would-be and early period entrepreneurs.

Will is a veteran entrepreneur with VC experience and he is committed to help business startups to help: clarify their business purpose; sharpen their business model; better their business plan; speed their market connection; offer customer value; finance their business right; grow their business strongly; survive their business challenges-more effectively than they might do on their own.