How do you feel about your computer service person at the office? In the last several years, there have been many initiatives by industry to promote the construction of a global information infrastructure. (It is vital that today’s corporate leadership recognize the importance of understanding the perspective of the knowledge workers known as Information Technology Professionals (IT or IS Pros) and how they affect customer satisfaction. In a article entitled, Survival Skills for the IS Professional, Longenecker & Simonetti said, "IS [Information Systems] groups, which have always been under the gun to get things done more quickly and more cost effectively, now face distrust, disrespect, and disdain when projects are not completed in accordance with customer expectations".
The poor customer service skills of the IT professional have even been portrayed as the villain in comedy sketches (remember "Nick the Company Computer Guy" on Saturday Night Live?). Are these comedic portrayals good examples of a typical IT professional in a typical corporate setting, or just a Dilbertesque exaggeration of what frustrated writers may have once experienced? IT customer service may be the brunt of jokes and comedic writers, but many of us are familiar with the following scenario.
We’ve all come across the IT person from hell. But just in case you’ve drawn a veil over the memory, here’s a typical scenario: A confused user calls for help and tries to explain their problem. When they stuttered to a halt, they then get a look or, if it’s over the phone, a deep sigh that indicates the user’s intelligence level is considered to be not much higher than a primordial protozoan. At last, showing deep reluctance, the IT person stoops down from their pinnacle and delivers a stream of techno babbles in response. We’ve all experienced it, but such behavior is fast becoming unacceptable.
My statement may not be based on researched fact, but a community cannot practice its trade without some set of received beliefs. Do IT professionals experience more customer service problems than those in other professions? Probably not, yet, the very nature of the unique communications challenges faced by the IT professional can be more complex than those impacting other professions; and communications, as I have stated before, is the key to customer service.
How do you feel about your IT professional?
DJC
3 comments:
As a civilian primordial protozoan, I have not had much inter-office IT experiences. My IT was in-house and now I go to Apple to work with my Creative. (At Apple, there are no disparaging sighs at any of my negligences or ignorances.
And I do agree, that even ITers need to practice customer service skills, too. Particularly since we all are so attached to our computers.
Now let's get this information out to the schools that train IT geeks.
Of course, BEING an IT professional isn't easy, either. We rarely hear when things work due to our efforts. We usually only hear when things are broken, and the person on the other end of the phone line is often personally offended that their computer broke. Most of the time, that's OK with me. Sometimes it's not.
We don't try to speak technobabble. We are trying to communicate, and we don't always know what words or concepts our customers do or don't understand. I don't want to talk down to my users any more than I want to confuse them. It can take me awhile to find the right level to converse at.
Technology is by nature confusing.
Technology is by nature frustrating.
Technology is by nature not customer friendly.
I know one or two IT professionals who fit the mold that you write about. Most do not. Most care about their users.
Ellie,
Good to hear from someone with personal insight of the IT professional's point of view. I believe that, like other professions, customers tend to dwell on what went wrong and rarely speak up or applaud when problems are overcome. It is an expectancy of perfection by computer users that may lead to poor perceptions of the service provided by IT pros. Good customer service must be acknowledged, not just the bad.
However, your statement that "most" IT professionals do not fit the mold of the example I presented in the post, may be a matter for discussion. I have worked with hundreds of computer people. IT professionals like you seem to be the exception not the norm. Your statements:
"Technology is by nature confusing.
Technology is by nature frustrating.
Technology is by nature not customer friendly.", that may be at the core of my (and others') perception(s).
It has been about four years since I worked in a corporate setting that enabled me to experience customer service by computer support people on a daily basis. I am encouraged by the comments of both you and Rev. Duchess that things may be changing.
Thank you for your elegant imput.
DJC
Post a Comment