Customer and end user satisfaction is increasingly important for all organisations, but often elusive and difficult to achieve. The secret of achieving happier customers and end-users is basically to build a closer relationship with them and let them help solve their own problems, says Andries Pretorius, Senior IT Manager at Altron Managed Solutions.
Pretorius says perception has a lot to do with customer and end-user satisfaction, even if these perceptions are wrong. “The end-users tend to be the voice that sounds the loudest when service reviews are performed. Service level agreement (SLA) statistics are presented by the service provider, but even exceptional SLA statistics do very little to change the view of an unsatisfied end-user. Service providers' performance should logically be judged by objective criteria; however, facts are not always used to convey the whole story, and the perception of end-users, no matter how erroneous, plays a critical role in how service delivery is judged and, ultimately, how satisfied the customer is with the services provided,” he says.
These perceptions can cost future business, he points out. “The quality of services provided is an antecedent for how satisfied customers will be and how likely they are to increase spending with the service delivery organisation. Managing and delivering on end-user expectations does not only impact on current services and revenue, but it directly impacts on the ability of the organisation to build a pipeline for future revenue generation,” Pretorius says.
He says that historically, IT service delivery was seen as a service that was provided by the service provider to the customer, as the custodian of the service, with the end-user only consuming the services, with little to no input in how the services are scoped and delivered, but asked to evaluate the service. “The implementation of this view directly contributes to the disconnect that exists between the delivery of services against an agreed SLA and the dissatisfaction of the end-user with the services delivered, although all objective criteria have been met.”
What can service organisations do differently to manage and improve this perception and drive the all-important Net Promoter Score (NPS) from detractors and passives into promoters?
Pretorius offers an easy solution: “One of the most effective methods to improve end-user satisfaction is to ensure close alignment and integration between the business knowledge that exists within the end-user space and the technical knowledge required to address specific end-user and business challenges.
The technology service provider must intently collaborate with the end-user on an ongoing basis to ensure continuous alignment between the services delivered and the ever-changing business needs. The utilisation of these social connections to co-create value will have a positive impact on the end-user satisfaction. The continuous collaboration between the service provider and the end-users enhances the shared understanding of the services delivered and the services expected that ultimately increases the end-user satisfaction.”
He says that by taking a relational process view, when defining and delivering services to customers, the service provider is viewing the end-user as part of the value creation process and not only a recipient of the services. This enables the end-user to define their specific requirements, identify specific service customisations, provide post-delivery feedback and thereby enable the end-user as a co-producer of the service offering.
“End-user satisfaction can be improved through strong interpersonal relationships that exhibit trust, respect and mutual benefit. Service providers that can create an environment where the end-user explicitly trusts them would have gone a long way in improving end-user satisfaction, and increased trust creates a perception of diminishing risks. Strong interpersonal relationships lead to increased satisfaction through the creation of mutual benefits. A customer whose service provider is engaged, who trusts their service provider and who perceives mutual benefit and reduced risks is much more willing to increase the services provided,” he says.
“A service provider that is engaged with the end-users will have an in-depth appreciation of the end-user’s business needs and is therefore in a better position to deliver services that satisfy those needs. The mutual benefits received through strong interpersonal relationships creates a motivation to increase information and opportunity sharing, increasing returns for both the customer and the service provider.
Pretorius says it has been proven that strong interpersonal relationships have a positive effect on service delivery and user satisfaction and Hardin and Conley (2001) suggest that work presented by people who have strong interpersonal relationships with the group will be perceived more favourably and satisfactorily, even if it is of the same quality than the work presented by people who do not have a relationship with the group.
“Although service providers must actively and continuously improve service delivery through innovation, increased skills and capabilities and reduced costs, there should be a high focus placed on developing strong interpersonal relationships as the perception that the end-user has of the services is more often than not treated as the reality, and with the growing competition in technology service delivery, that perception could be the difference between the winners and the losers,” he says.
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