• COVID-19 has accelerated ecommerce, rapidly evolving customer expectations about the service they should receive. Without a robust IT strategy for enabling remote, contactless points of service, your organization will quickly fall behind.
• The organization would like to use modern channels and technologies to enhance customer service, but it is unclear whether IT has the infrastructure to support them.

• The relationship between Customer Service and IT is strained. Strategic system-related decisions are being made without the inclusion of IT.
• IT is in a permanent reactive state, only engaged post-purchase to fix issues as they arise and to offer workarounds.

• Use Info-Tech’s methodology to produce an IT strategy for Customer Service:
  • Phase 1: Define Project and Future State
  • Phase 2: Evaluate Current State
  • Phase 3: Build a Roadmap to Future State
• Each phase contributes toward this blueprint’s key deliverable: the Strategic Roadmap.

Despite the huge obstacles that organizations are having to overcome to meet accelerating ecommerce from the pandemic, customers have not increased their tolerance for organizations with poor service. Indeed, customer expectations for excellent digital service have only increased since March 2020. If organizations cannot meet these demands, they will become uncompetitive.

Without a coordinated IT strategy for leveraging technology and data to improve Customer Service, the organization will quickly be left behind. Analytics and reporting are crucial for proactively engaging with customers, planning marketing campaigns, and building customer profiles. Failing to do so leaves the organization blind to customer needs and will constantly be in firefighting mode.

Providing an omnichannel experience is fast becoming a table stakes offering for customers. To maximize customer engagement and service, the organization must connect with the customer on whatever channel the customer prefers – be it social media, SMS, or by phone. While voice will continue to dominate how Customer Service connects with customers, demographics are shifting toward a digital-first generation. Organizations must be ready to capture this rapidly expanding audience.

• An IT strategy for Customer Service that proactively meets customer demand, improving overall customer satisfaction with the organization’s services.
• A process for identifying the organization’s future state of Customer Service and developing a concrete gap analysis.

• Ready-to-use deliverables that analyze and provide a roadmap toward the organization’s desired future state.
• Market analyses and rapid application selection through SoftwareReviews to streamline project time-to-completion.

• A modernization process that aids Customer Service digital transformation, with a view to achieve high ROI.
• Save costs through an effective requirements gathering method.
• Building and expanding the organization’s customer base to increase revenues by meeting the customers where they are – no matter what channel.

Of decision makers say they’ve invested in new technology as a result of the pandemic (Salesforce, 2020).

OMNICHANNEL SUPPORT

Rapidly changing demographics and modes of communications require an evolution toward omnichannel engagement. Agents need customer information synced across each channel they use, meeting the customer’s needs where they are.

Of customers have increased their use of self-service during the pandemic (Salesforce, 2020).

INTELLIGENT SELF-SERVICE PORTALS

Customers want their issues resolved as quickly as possible. Machine-learning self-service options deliver personalized customer experiences, which also reduce both agent call volume and support costs for the organization.

Of global executives who use data analytics report that they improved their ability to deliver a great customer experience (Gottlieb, 2019).

LEVERAGING ANALYTICS

The future of customer service is tied up with analytics: from AI-driven capabilities that include agent assist and using biometric data (e.g., speech) for security, to feeding real insights about how customers and agents are doing and performing.

• The pandemic increased pressure on TSB’s Customer Service, with higher call loads from their five million customers who were anxious about their financial situation.
• TSB needed to speed up its processing times to ensure loan programs and other assistances were provided as quickly as possible.
• As meeting in-person became impossible due to the lockdown, TSB had to step up its digital abilities to serve their customers.

• TSB sought to boost its competitiveness by shifting as far as possible to digital services.
• TSB launched government loan programs in 36 hours, ahead of its competitors.
• TSB created and released 21 digital self-service forms for customers to complete without needing to interact with bank staff.

• TSB processed 140,000 forms in three months, replacing 15,000 branch visits.
• TSB increased digital self-service rate by nine percent.

• The right technology is established to support Customer Service.
• IT is viewed as a strategic partner and innovator, not just a cost center and support function.

• Streamlined and optimized Customer Service processes that drive efficiency and improve Customer Service quality.
• Transformation of the Customer Service function into a competitive advantage.

• IT lacks understanding of Customer Service challenges and pain points.
• IT has technical debt or constrained technology funding.
• The IT department is viewed as a cost center and support organization, not an engine of innovation, growth, and service delivery performance.

• Processes supporting Customer Service delivery may be sub-optimal.
• The existing technology cannot support the increasingly advanced needs of Customer Service functions.
• Customer Service isn’t fully aware of what your customers think of your service quality. There is little to no monitoring of customer sentiment.
• There is a lack of value-based segmentation of customers and information on their channel usage and preferences.
• Competitor actions are not actively monitored.

70% of companies either have a digital transformation strategy in place or are working on one (Tech Pro Research, 2018). Unless IT can enable technology that meets the customer where they are, the organization will quickly fall behind in an age of accelerating ecommerce.

Many customer journeys are now exclusively digital – 63% of customers expect to receive service over social media (Ringshall, 2020). Organization’s need an IT strategy to develop the future of their customer service – from leveraging analytics to self-service AI portals.

73% of customers prefer to shop across multiple channels (Sopadjieva et al., 2017). Assess your current state’s application integrations and functionality to ensure your future state can accurately sync customer information across each channel.

Customer relationship management software is one of the world's fastest growing industries (Kuligowski, 2022). Choosing a best-fit solution requires an intricate analysis of the market, future trends, and your organization’s requirements.

95% of customers cite service as key to their brand loyalty (Microsoft, 2019). Build out your roadmap for the future state to retain and build your customer base moving forward.

PHASE 1: Define Project and Future State

Output: Project Charter and Future State Business Processes

1.1 Structure the Project

1.2 Define a Vision for Future State

1.3 Document Preliminary Requirements

KEY DELIVERABLE:

Strategic Roadmap

PHASE 2: Evaluate Current State

Output: Requirements Identified to Bridge Current to Future State

2.1 Document Current State Business Processes

2.2 Assess Current State Architecture

2.3 Review and Finalize Requirements for Future State

PHASE 3: Build a Roadmap to Future State

Output: Initiatives and Strategic Roadmap

3.1 Evaluate Architectural and Application Options

3.2 Understand the Marketplace

3.3 Score and Plot Initiatives Along Your Strategic Roadmap

Project RACI Chart

Activity 1.1a Organize roles and responsibilities for carrying out project steps.

Key Deliverable:

Strategic Roadmap

Develop, prioritize, and implement key initiatives for your customer service IT strategy, plotting and tracking them on an easy-to-read timeline.

Business Process Shortlisting Tool

Activities 1.2a, 1.2b, and 2.1aOutline and prioritize customer service goals.

Project Charter Template

Activity 1.1b Define the project, its key deliverables, and metrics for success.

Systems Strategy Tool

Activities 1.3a, Phase 2, 3.1a Prioritize requirements, assess current state customer service functions, and decide what to do with your current systems going forward.

.

Number of channels for customer contact

1

6

Customer self-service resolution

0%

50%

% ROI

- 4%

11%

Agent satisfaction

42%

75%

Call #1: Introduce project, defining its vision and metrics of success.

Call #2: Review environmental scan to define future state vision.

Call #3: Examine future state business processes to compile initial requirements.

Call #4: Document current state business processes.

Call #5: Assess current customer service IT architecture.

Call #6: Refine and prioritize list of requirements for future state.

Call #7: Evaluate architectural options.

Call #8: Evaluate application options.

Call #9:Develop and score initiatives to future state.

Call #10: Develop timeline and roadmap.

Call #11: Review progress and wrap-up project.

Define Your Vision for Future State

Document Current State and Assess Gaps

Adopt an Architectural Posture

Frame Desired State and Develop Roadmap

Communicate and Implement

1.1 Outline and prioritize your customer goals.

1.2 Link customer service goals’ relevance and value to your Customer Service processes.

1.3 Score Customer Service business processes against organizational goals.

2.1 Holistically assess multiple aspects of Customer Service-related IT assets with Customer Service Systems Strategy Tool.

3.1 Analyze Customer Service Systems Strategy and review results with the Customer Service Systems Strategy Tool.

4.1 Help project management stakeholders visualize implementation of Customer Service IT initiatives.

4.2 Build strategic roadmap and plot initiatives.

5.1 Finalize deliverables.

5.2 Support communication efforts.

5.3 Identify resources in support of priority initiatives.

1. Initial position on viable Customer Service strategies.
2. Shortlist of key business processes.
3. Documented future-state business process model.
4. Business/functional/non-functional requirements.

1. Documented current state business process model.
2. Customer Service systems health assessment.
3. Inventory of Customer Service supporting applications.
4. Inventory of related system interfaces.

1. Posture on system architecture.
2. Completed Customer Service systems health assessment.
3. List of application options.

1. Scored and prioritized list of initiatives.
2. Customer Service implementation roadmap.

1. Customer Service IT Strategy Roadmap.
2. Mapping of Info-Tech resources against individual initiatives.

1.1 Structure the Project

1.2 Define Vision for Future State

1.3 Document Preliminary Requirements

2.1 Document Current State Business Processes

2.2 Assess Current State Architecture

2.3 Review and Finalize Requirements for Future State

3.1 Evaluate Architectural and Application Options

3.2 Understand the Marketplace

3.3 Score and Plot Initiatives Along Strategic Roadmap

• Customer Service is the victim of pain points resulting from suboptimal systems and it stands to gain the most benefits from a well-planned systems strategy.
• Looking to reduce pain points, Customer Service will likely initiate, own, and participate heavily in the project.
• Customer Service must avoid the tendency to make IT-independent decisions. This could lead to disparate systems that contribute little to the overall organizational goals.

• IT owns the application and back-end support of all Customer Service business processes. Any technological aspect of processes will need IT involvement.
• IT may or may not have the mandate to run the Customer Service strategy project. Responsibility for systems decisions remains with IT.
• IT should own the task of filtering out unnecessary or infeasible application and technology decisions. IT capabilities to support such acquisitions and post-purchase maintenance must be considered.