Enterprise Optimist Archive

In the book, REAL TIME [HBR Press, 1997], by Regis McKenna,

a portion of a chapter is devoted to the self-satisfaction of customer wants and needs. It is entitled, "From the Satisfied to the Self-Satisfied customer." The author goes on to make a very valid point about real time companies developing competencies which allow the customer to self-satisfy themselves using technology or systems supplied by the customer.

The point I wish to extend is that the company needs to make sure that they are creating an environment where the customer can "self-satisfy" without becoming part of the company's labor force! If the company merely engages in an exercise to decouple service, then the customer is "forced to aid and abet" the company in accomplishing its own agenda exclusive to that of the "compressed-time needs" of the customer.

Here is an example. Dial into any phone company's "customer care" 800 line. What you'll find is a triage network of audible decision trees that continue to "force you" to make choices that "effectively" aid the company in addressing your problem supposedly saving you time or "transfers." This "big company" fragmentation is evident as they try to attack each problem or challenge by the customer with a narrow team of specialists. It also supposedly cuts down on your "wait" time, yet what really happens is that the customer has become "employed" by the company and is now performing work for the company by making decisions that the company would be forced to make if it had a live person on the phone.

Obviously this is NOT an example of "real time self-satisfaction of needs." This is an outcropping of the old "divide and conquer" hierarchy present "underneath the covers" in most hierarchical [machine model] companies. They have "decoupled service" thereby passing on to the customer, part of the labor contained in the "conflict resolution stream," allowing them to minimize costs in "customer care." I doubt very much that this is indicative of the paradigm referenced in McKenna's book.

However, here is what you can do. There is no doubt that to compress time, resolve discrepancies to the satisfaction of the customer, and to allow access to those solutions directly without making the customer a part of the labor force is on the path to optimizing your enterprise systems. So take a breather from the "tail chasing" and "fire-fighting in your enterprise and examine the processes that you are using to serve the customer by asking these ten questions of your "customer care" systems.

The TopTen questions you need to ask of your customer care systems.

Do they compress time for the customer?

Do they create ready solutions to customer challenges?

Can the customer access directly a solution without "working for you?"

Can you automate the process so that it performs in your absence?

Does the process capture information?

Is the information used to improve the process, product or service in question?

Does the solution process extend to where the customer needs help?

Are there enough real time points of access available?

Does the process allow for diversity in challenge and solution?

Is there a way for the customer to initiate further dialog with the company?

These are ten questions that every process and system optimist needs to ask in order to truly begin to approach enterprise optimization standards. 

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