Technological change and business transformation have been hot topics in the IT channel for quite some time as providers, vendors and distributors each attempt to address the shifting needs of their own customers. There’s certainly no shortage of discussions relating to the conversion of conventional reseller organizations to those offering managed or cloud services. Each of these topics is important to some IT firm looking to improve its business options or just trying to remain viable in an increasingly competitive market.
While technical and business improvement discussions are imperative to long-term success, one key part of the equation is often glossed over or forgotten entirely: the end-user experience. How customers utilize your products or services is crucial to your success. Deeper than the information offered in case studies or feature/benefit examples, the user experience refers to how individuals feel when they log on to a website or interact with a solution or an app. It’s the emotional element or connection we make with the tools we operate or work with.
User experience was a prevailing topic with several speakers and in many round table discussions at the recent ITSS Community meeting in Philadelphia. They offered firsthand accounts of how some rather large organizations are adopting and implementing the latest technologies. Each presenter addressed a number of the concerns and problems their management and tech teams experienced along the way. They also shared their employees’ frustrations dealing with new innovations and detailed the support measures needed to minimize their anxiety.
The End-User Strategy
Hal Friedlander, chief information officer for the New York City Department of Education, kicked off the discussions by outlining the issues school administrators face when introducing innovation. Events leading up to the recent resignation of the Los Angeles superintendent provided a great example for his discussion. While providing each student in his district with an iPad was a notable goal, design and execution problems with the $1.3 billion project contributed heavily to his downfall. The district’s plan failed to account for and implement strategies to counter nonproductive end-user behaviors. Many students figured out how to circumvent educational applications to use the devices for social media and gaming.
Imagine developing a system that relies entirely on wireless access when many of their school buildings didn’t have the infrastructure to support it. Without keyboards, drives and USB ports, tablets are already somewhat limited, but the aggressive rollout and limited cloud accommodation created more substantial issues. “The school had the budget and a good equipment acquisition plan, as well as the customized educational solutions to run it,” said Steve Doran, Head of Support and Services for Appliance Solutions at Symantec. “Unfortunately, they didn’t have a solid strategy for configuring, maintaining and running it all. This forward-thinking idea could have made a great difference to so many kids, but it failed because their plan wasn’t properly supported and executed.”
That letdown is a major point of emphasis for Doran, an ITSS Community executive council member who enjoyed taking part in the recent Philadelphia event. “We often talk about creating a delightful experience for end-users, but you won’t get to that without well thought-out and properly articulated support processes. One benefit of having these types of speakers is it gives us the ability to discuss theory along with real world practices,” Doran said. “The conversations between formal sessions are often just as valuable, focusing not so much on what services are now, but what could and should be in the future. That’s what ITSS meetings are all about.”
Develop Real Service Applications
As an industry, we tend to theorize more about how things should work than study the real-world applications. While beta testing and experimentation with the latest solutions in your own business are great ways to improve quality control, many fail to include end-user input in their original designs. Those who create projects and systems without direction and participation from their ultimate audiences typically waste valuable time and resources — and end up with less than optimal results.
IT channel organizations need open the lines of communications with their end-users as well as others in their supply chain. Invest time asking more “emotional” questions, such as how their existing solutions make them feel or what words they’d use to describe specific parts of their computer systems.
“Apple, for example, makes the user experience all encompassing,” said Doran. “People don’t talk about the servers and databases that help make the communication process work, they talk about their experience from an iPhone point of view.” IT services firms that are more in tune to their customers’ emotional needs have a great advantage over those who don’t.
That’s one of the real benefits of attending these types of channel events. The presentations allow providers and vendors to visualize the opportunities and evaluate the pitfalls in different market segments. ITSS Community members frequently get the chance to question end-users and other industry professionals in their online and live events. That gives them valuable insight to customer needs and desires without having to make a significant financial commitment. Whether you’re looking to boost your team’s skill sets or open a new practice, the ITSS Community is bringing the right people to the conversation.
Ready to get involved or would you just like to learn more about the group and its activities? Check out the ITSS Community page or contact Cathy Alper at Calper@comptia.org for more details.
Brian Sherman is founder of Tech Success Communications, specializing in editorial content and consulting for the IT channel. His previous roles include chief editor at Business Solutions magazine and senior director of industry alliances with Autotask. Contact Brian at Bsherman@techsuccesscommunications.com.
