https://www.xperience-group.com/news-item/looking-after-every-room-in-the-house-service-management-industry-ai-amendments/
As a Microsoft Partner we feel it is vital to keep up to date with current concepts around business and digitalisation.
A recent concept Microsoft has discussed, is the philosophy of your business being like your ‘house’ and that you must look after every room in the house ensuring that your business applications and processes are channelling across a number of key ‘rooms’. We find this to ring true in every business but here, take a further look into how this may impact the Service Management industry.
When we say ‘house’ we’re not talking about your home, we’re referring to your business and when we say ‘rooms’ we don’t mean your director’s office, meeting room 1, server room or any other physical rooms you might have in your office either. We are talking about the areas of your business that keep the cogs turning efficiently. So, what exactly are they and how can you adopt systems and processes to maximise each room and ensure those cogs keep seamlessly turning?
Well, Microsoft have narrowed it down to 4 essential rooms that a house needs to be successful:
Microsoft suggests that business success starts with empowered employees. They are the centre and heart of your house and are integral to your success. Addressing this room is all about empowering your employees by removing silos and giving them access to systems and information or data they need to make an informed decision.
Giving your Field Engineers mobile functionality, your Schedulers drag and drop scheduling capability and your Finance team a clear view of contract billing from the click of a button are all examples of bringing your business together and providing the tools to empower employees.
It is also all about flexibility and collaborating, allowing people to work across your organisation and the ability to share information with ease. All of the above may seem small but are impactful changes on the day to day tasks for employees across the business. The smart employer is well aware that it is the empowerment of your people which plays a pivotal part in delivering exceptional customer service.
No customer, no house! So, how do you ensure customers are fully engaged with you, your brand and your service? Every customer really does matter, whether they have a long-term service contract or request a one off service call out. Ensuring both types of customer are fully engaged may be a challenge if key information is not easily accessible.
So, how do customers on the whole feel today? According to Microsoft 54% of respondents say they have higher expectations for customer service today than they had one year ago. And, 68% of customers have a more favourable view of brands that offer or contact them with proactive customer service notifications.
Analysing data you already have can be used intelligently to decide on how to interact with them. Looking at buying trends and understanding what they want to hear about and most importantly, arming your employees with the right information and tools to spend the time engaging them. Exceptional fully integrated ERP systems, such as Unite365, offer agents the latest customer and client information in real time. Remember, if you aren’t effectively talking to your customers, then someone else will.
We’re sure you have heard (and possibly know) that technology is the backbone of any business and when it comes to your business operations it really is. It’s your house’s foundations, if unstable your chances of optimising your operations effectively will be shaky. If your house is underpinned by outdated or obsolete IT, it can significantly limit your business’ ability to address key challenges and more importantly move forward with new opportunities. Therefore, if legacy technology is ruining the foundations of your house you need to consider options to get the ‘remodelling’ you need! You need to be considering flexible IT that allows you to streamline processes, automatically connect and exchange information and a solution that allows your employees to become empowered.
It’s important to understand that for any Service Management business where multiple tasks take place countless times in a day, getting this part of the ‘house’ in order is vital in providing a strong base for business success. Transforming the business digitally is likely to be an area your leading competitor are champions of and to remain competitive within the industry it is important to stagnate in this area.
An extremely important part of your house, your services are your revenue stream. The reason you are empowering your employees, trying to engage your customers and are optimising your operations, are your services. Some questions to think of when it comes to your Service Management business:
When it comes to answering all these questions it is the three rooms above that will allow you to truly address these. By having intelligent and agile technology it will enable you to redesign processes and stay ahead of the marketplace.
Data insights and tools to anticipate the needs of your customers and create new marketing opportunities will allow you to reinvent your products and services and by addressing all of this you are empowering your employees and giving them the ability push your products and services far and wide.
Does your business currently have the systems and processes to keep the cogs in the house turning? Perhaps you have one or two rooms nailed and it is a few others that need addressing, that’s ok, as long as the business identifies it, and make the steps to start addressing this.
Here at Xperience we have the tools and most importantly, the people that can help you to start embracing the new world of “house building” through our Certified for Microsoft Service Management solution, Unite 365 for businesses like your very own.
Get in touch for a chat and find out how we can help you improve your business practices.
Contact: [email protected]