Introduction
When discussing customer satisfaction, we eventually discuss how experiences compare to expectations. The more the two are aligned, the more satisfied and trusting your customers feel.
On the other hand, we like to work with companies that “empower” their employees to take care of the customer. Sometimes this works, and sometimes it turns out badly for the customer or the business.
Dealing with the real world
The question is how to guide our employees on when they can use their creativity and when they have the rule to follow.
Any situation with a policy means the rule is the rule. I believe the best way to resolve the issue is to create a set of policies and procedures, share them with employees, and publish them to customers and prospects. Anything else can be handled using common sense and individual judgment. For example, if you sell 1,3, or 5-year service contracts and a customer wants to buy a 2-year plan, there should be a document telling the seller to take the average of the one and 3-year plans and charge that for the 2-year coverage. That way, the rules are the same for everyone.
But what about more complex situations? Let’s look at VMware for some guidance.
About VMware
I chose VMware because they are a growing enterprise software company (2018 revenue was $8.97 billion) with close working relationships with Dell and Cisco and because it is very active in the M&A market. I recently learned that they list their support policies with links so customers can download the policy on their website. In mid-October 2019, the policy page included On-Premise Products (7 policies), Cloud Service Offerings (7 policies), and Other Policies (26 policies). Here are the first eight Other Policies (with links) out of the 26 so you can get a better idea about their transparency:
- Acceleration Kits
- Account Change Form
- After Hours Support
- Acquired Products Support
- Business Hours
- Closing a Support Request
- Defect Reporting
- Escalation
Each title shows that these items must be specified because they are used globally for making business decisions.
Additionally, each policy also has relevant FAQs. Therefore, there should be no reason for a VMware employee and a customer to have different expectations.
Also, VMware management is very sensitive to the possible confusion resulting from frequent changes in product availability. To ensure everyone knows the products’ status, their support policy page includes a section titled Lifecycle Policies and another that shows the Lifecycle Support Summary. The summary is a high-level overview of what to expect regarding support for each phase of the product lifecycle. And then, they list and link to all Lifecycle Support Policies.
Another real-world example
On October 13, 2019, Michael Blumberg posted an article on the Mize blog titled Maximize Service Profitability Through Service Lifecycle Management. Michael wrote:
Cost savings can be achieved by streamlining and automating service delivery processes. For example, a company can achieve a 25% or more improvement in operating efficiency and service productivity by implementing a SLM solution that automates, standardizes and streamlines key interactions associated with service, support, knowledge, spare parts, and inspections.
About Mize
Now, think how advanced an OEM would look to its customers if they had the benefits of the Mize Connected Customer Experience (CCX) platform and Smart Blox in conjunction with the policy-sharing transparency demonstrated by VMware. Channel partners, service technicians, and other stakeholders could access the platform to obtain data, information, and business intelligence related to warranties, contracts, service plans, knowledge assets, and spare parts.
Everybody would know everything about their support partner and what to expect or what they are entitled to. The likelihood of disappointing the customer is significantly reduced because you and the customer know what the customer expects. The software helps you run your business well enough to meet customer expectations.
This article originally appeared on the MIZE blog on November 15, 2019. To read the whole post, click here >>>
About Middlesex Consulting
Middlesex Consulting is an experienced team of professionals with the primary goal of helping capital equipment companies create more value for their clients and stakeholders. Middlesex Consulting continues to provide superior solutions to meet the needs of its clients by focusing on our strengths in Services, Manufacturing, Customer Experience, and Engineering. If you want to learn more about how we can help your organization create more transparency for your customers, please contact us or check out some of our free articles and white papers here.
Image by Michal Jarmoluk from Pixabay