The Customer Experience

We are all customers of someone right? What was your last customer experience like? Was it so good that it completely changed how you thought about the product or the organization you were receiving services from? On the other hand was the service you received so poor that you vowed never to use their products or services ever again. We have all been in those situations. You may not have realized it, but how that interaction was designed can have a huge impact on the perception you, the customer, walk away with. I recently read a series of articles in the September issue of Harvard Business Review magazine. The entire series was titled “The Evolution of Design Thinking” - It’s no longer just for products. It speaks to how executives are using this approach to devise strategy and manage change. I can’t tell you what an absolute must read this is for all. It will make you take a second look at how you design, deliver and support the services to your customers. For me personally the article “Design Thinking Comes of Age” by Jon KolKo was incredibly inspiring.

“It speaks to the reasons for this new approach of applying design principles to the way people work, which is because our technology and modern business process have become so complex”. (1) In general Jon states “people need their interactions with technologies and other complex systems to be simple, intuitive and pleasurable”. (2) Pleasurable? I have been in the ITSM industry for over 20 years, ok I’m lying it’s more like over 30 and I have never once heard anyone talk about making the customer experience pleasurable. “A set of principles collectively known as design thinking, it’s main characteristics being empathy with users and understanding their dynamic requirements where design teams discuss the emotional resonance of a value proposition as much as they discuss utility and product requirements”. (3)

However Mr. Kolko does go on to state that “design does not conform easily to estimates” and “it can be difficult if not impossible to understand how much value will be delivered through a better experience or to calculate the return on an investment in creativity”. (4) He also adds that “many view design thinking as a solution to all their woes, and does help people and organizations cut through complexity, but may not be the right set of tools for optimizing, streamlining or otherwise operating a stable business”.(5)

1 Jon Kolko, Design Thinking Comes of Age, Harvard Business Review, September 2015, Page 66

2 Jon Kolko, Design Thinking Comes of Age, Harvard Business Review, September 2015, Page 67

3 Jon Kolko, Design Thinking Comes of Age, Harvard Business Review, September 2015, Page 68

4 Jon Kolko, Design Thinking Comes of Age, Harvard Business Review, September 2015, Page 70

5 Jon Kolko, Design Thinking Comes of Age, Harvard Business Review, September 2015, Page 71

Four Service Characteristics

Recently I came across several articles by researchers and experts that laid out definitions and characteristics of services. ITIL provides us with a definition that can help drive the creation of value-laden services: A means of delivering value to customers by facilitating outcomes customers want to achieve without the ownership of specific costs and risks. An area that ITIL is not so clear is in terms of service characteristics. Several researchers and experts put forth that services have four basic characteristics (IHIP): Intangibility—Services are the results of actions not things. They have no physical presence and represent a logical set of elements. One way to think of service is “work done for others.” Heterogeneity—Also known as “variability”; services are unique items because of the mechanisms used to deliver services, which is people. Because the people element adds variability, the service is variable. This holds true, especially for the value proposition—not eve...

What Is A Service Offering?

The ITIL 4 Best Practice Guidance defines a “Service Offering” as a description of one or more services designed to address the needs of a target customer or group. As a service provider, we can’t stop there! We must know what the contracts of our service offering are and be able to put them into context as required by the customer. Let’s explore the three elements that comprise a Service Offering. A “Service Offering” may include: Goods, Access to Resources, and Service Actions 1. Goods – When we think of “Goods” within a service offering these are the items where ownership is transferred to the consumer and the consumer takes responsibility for the future use of these goods. Example of goods that are being provided in the offering – If this is a hotel service then toiletries or chocolates are yours to take with you. You the consumer own these and they are yours to take with you. ...

What is the difference between Process Owner, Process Manager and Process Practitioner?

This article was originally published in 2015. With the Introduction of ITIL 4, some of this best practice has changed. See ITIL 4 and the Evolving Role of Roles . Updated Definitions in ITIL 4: Process Owner: In ITIL 4, the concept of 'processes' has expanded into broader 'practices.' Consequently, the Process Owner is now often referred to as the 'Practice Owner.' This individual is accountable for the overall design, performance, integration, and improvement of a specific practice within the organization. They ensure that the practice achieves its intended outcomes and aligns with the organization's objectives. Process Manager: Now commonly known as the 'Practice Manager' in ITIL 4, this role is responsible for the day-to-day management of the practice. The Practice Manager ensures that activities are carried out as intended, manages resources assigned to the practice, and oversees the practitioners performing the work. Process Practit...

Search