The Next Big Thing in IT: Quality of Service

In just 25 years, technology has entered our lives so seamlessly that it's difficult to imagine how we ever lived without it. So much so that tech has become like basic plumbing today, something that's a given in most cases, but not really a key differentiator. So what if your company has implemented ERP, or CRM, or a sophisticated portal? So what if your company has the widest telecom network in the country? Or has centralized its banking operations using a core banking system? So what if the technology you've implemented is aligned with your business needs? And you have a complex IVR based customer support system that doesn't leave any calls unattended? None of this matters if despite having all this, your customers remain dissatisfied by the quality of your products, services, or support. So the real differentiator is not technology but how you leverage it.

Take fast food chains like McDonald's for instance. Go to any of their outlets across the country, and the food will taste exactly the same everywhere, and quality of service will also be similar. The same goes for a Haldiram's, KFC or a bunch of others. However, the same can't be said about many other fast food chains, which might also have fancy outlets, well-dressed staff, and similar technology usage for managing their supply chains, PoS terminals, etc, and yet they don't offer the same level of service. So much so that you may not even want to give them repeat business.

Another classic case is with the booming real estate sector, which is implementing technology like anything, be it CRM, ERP, iPads for their sales teams, and the works. But despite all this, there are many whose service levels are nothing to write home about. Simply visit the plethora of real estate portals and online forums, etc on the Internet, and you'll see lots of feedback their customers have given about them. The kinds of scams you'll find in some of them will give you more goose bumps than watching a horror movie!

Similarly, take banks, which are at the forefront of technology deployment. Most banks today have deployed core banking systems, mobile banking, and the works, and yet the level of service offered by each varies considerably. Some banks, especially the private ones will provide single window servicing, longer customer servicing hours, and staff that's interested in closing your service request to your satisfaction. However, there are others, especially in the public sector domain, who will make you hop around from one counter to another even for simple requests, and make you do multiple visits to the bank for simple tasks like opening a savings bank account. This is despite the fact that both have deployed a core banking system, and a host of other technologies to automate their processes.

You'll find examples like this in just about every industry. Technology usage is there, but customer satisfaction is not. That to my mind should be the key focus area for companies in the coming years-to use technology for providing top-notch quality of service. Such companies will have the real edge, and become the real winners.

Happy New Year, and I sincerely hope you'll work on using technology for improving quality of service to your customers this year. Don't forget to pick up a copy of the Jan 2012 issue of PCQuest, which is a collector's edition to celebrate completion of 25 years of PCQuest. It's about the products, technologies, companies, and people that have impacted our lives and those that will impact our lives moving forward.