Develop an IT Strategy to Support Customer Service

E-commerce is accelerating, and with it, customer expectations for exceptional digital service.

Analyst Perspective

The future of Customer Service is digital. Your organization needs an IT strategy to meet this demand.

As the pandemic closed brick-and-mortar stores, the acceleration of ecommerce has cemented Customer Service’s digital future. However, the pandemic also revealed severe cracks in the IT strategy of organizations’ Customer Service – no matter the industry. These cracks may include low resolution and high wait times through the contact center, or a lack of analytics that fuel a reactive environment. Unfortunately, organizations have no time to waste in resolving these issues. Customer patience for poor digital service has only decreased since March 2020, leaving organizations with little to no runway for ramping up their IT strategy.

Organizations that quickly mature their digital Customer Service will come out the other side of COVID-19 more competitive and with a stronger reputation. This move necessitates a concrete IT strategy for coordinating what the organization’s future state should look like and agreeing on the technologies and software required to meet this state across the entire organization.

Thomas E. Randall, Ph.D.

Senior Research Analyst, Info-Tech Research Group

Executive Summary

Info-Tech Insight

IT must proactively engage with the organization to define what good customer service should look like. This ensures IT has a fair say in what kinds of architectural solutions are feasible for any projected future state. In this proactive scenario, IT can help build the roadmap for implementing and maintaining customer service infrastructure and operations, reducing the time and resources spent on putting out preventable fires or trying to achieve an unworkable goal set by the organization.

Key insights

Develop an IT Strategy to Support Customer Service

This blueprint will achieve:

An IT strategy for customer service is imperative for a post-COVID world

COVID-19 has accelerated ecommerce, rapidly evolving customer expectations for remote, contactless service.

59% Of customers agree that the pandemic has raised their standards for service (Salesforce, 2020).

• With COVID-19, most customer demand and employment moved online and turned remote.
• Retailers had to rapidly respond, meeting customer demand through ecommerce. This not only entailed a complete shift in how customers could buy their goods but how retailers could provide a remote customer journey from discovery to post-purchase support.

Info-Tech Insight

The pandemic did not improve customer tolerance for bad service – instead, the demand for good service increased dramatically. Organizations need an IT strategy to meet customer support demands wherever the customer is located.

The technology to provide remote customer support is surging

IT needs to be at the forefront of learning about and suggesting new technologies, working with Customer Service to deliver a consistent, business-driven approach.

Executive Brief – Case Study

Self-service options improve quality of service and boost organization’s competitiveness in a digital marketspace.

INDUSTRY: Financial Services

SOURCE: TSB

IT can demonstrate its value to business by enhancing remote customer service

IT must engage with Customer Service – otherwise, IT risks being perennially reactive and dictated to as remote customer service needs increase.

Info-Tech Insight

Change to how Customer Service will operate is inevitable. This is an opportunity for IT to establish their value to the business and improve their autonomy in how new technologies should be onboarded and utilized.

Customer Service and IT need to work together to mitigate their pain points

IT and Customer Service have an opportunity to reinforce and build their organization’s customer base by working together to streamline operations.

IT often cannot spark a debate with Customer Service on whether a decision made without IT is misaligned with corporate direction. It’s almost always an uphill battle for IT.

Sahri Lava, Research Director, IDC

Develop an IT Strategy to Support Customer Service

Use Info-Tech’s method to produce an IT strategy for Customer Service:

Key deliverable and tools outline

Each step of this blueprint is accompanied by supporting materials to help you accomplish your goals.

Looking ahead: defining metrics for success

Phase 1 of this blueprint will help solidify how to measure this project’s success. Start looking ahead now.

For example, the metrics below show the potential business benefits for several stakeholders through building an IT strategy for Customer Service. These stakeholders include agents, customers, senior leadership, and IT. The benefits of this project are listed to the right.

As this project nears completion:

1. Customers will have more opportunities for self-service resolution.
2. Agents will experience higher satisfaction, improving attrition rates.
3. The organization will experience higher ROI from its digital Customer Service investments.
4. Customers can engage the contact center via a communication channel that suits them.

Info-Tech offers various levels of support to best suit your needs

Diagnostics and consistent frameworks used throughout all four options

Guided Implementation

What does a typical Guided Implementation on this topic look like?

A Guided Implementation is a series of calls with an Info-Tech analyst to help implement our best practices in your organization.

A typical Guided Implementation is two to 12 calls over the course of four to six months.

Workshop Overview

Contact your account representative for more information.
workshops@infotech.com1-888-670-8889

Phase 1

Define Project and Future State

This phase will guide you through the following activities:

1.1a Create your project’s RACI chart to establish key roles throughout the timeline of the project.

1.1b Finalize your project charter that captures the key goals of the project, ready to communicate to stakeholders for approval.

1.2a Begin documenting business processes to establish potential future states.

1.2b Model future state business processes for looking beyond current constraints and building the ideal scenario.

1.3a Document your preliminary requirements for concretizing a future state and performing a gap analysis.

Participants required for Phase 1:

• Applications Director
• Customer Service Director
• IT and Customer Service Representatives

1.1 Identify process owners early for successful project execution

IT and Customer Service must work in tandem throughout the project. Both teams’ involvement ensures all stakeholders are heard and support the final decision.

Info-Tech Insight

While involving management is important for high-level strategic decisions, input from those who interact day-to-day with the systems is a crucial component to a well-planned strategy.

1.1 Define project roles and responsibilities to improve progress tracking

Assign responsibilities, accountabilities, and other project involvement roles using a RACI chart.

• IT should involve Customer Service from the beginning of project planning to implementation and execution. The project requires input and knowledge from both functions to succeed.
• Do not let the tasks be forgotten within inter-functional communication. Define roles and responsibilities for the project as early as possible.
• Each member of the project team should be given a RACI designation, which will vary for each task to ensure clear ownership, execution, and progress tracking.
• Assigning RACI early can:
  • Improve project quality by assigning the right people to the right tasks.
  • Improve chances of project task completion by assigning clear accountabilities.
  • Improve project buy-in by ensuring that stakeholders are kept informed of project progress, risks, and successes.

R – Responsibility

A – Accountability

C – Consulted

I – Informed

1.1 Use Info-Tech’s recommended process owners and roles for this blueprint

* The Applications Director is to compile a list of Customer Service systems; the Customer Service Director is responsible for vetting a list and mapping it to Customer Service functions.

** The Applications Director is responsible for technology-related decisions (e.g. SaaS or on-premise, integration issues); the Customer Service Director is responsible for functionality-related decisions.

1.1a Create your project’s RACI chart

1 hour

1. The Applications Director and Customer Service Head should identify key participants and stakeholders of the project.
2. Use Info-Tech’s Project RACI Chart to identify ownership of tasks.
3. Record roles in the Project RACI Chart.

Download the Project RACI Chart

1.1 Start developing the project charter

What is a project charter?

• The project charter defines the project and lays the foundation for all subsequent project planning.
• Once approved by the business, the charter gives the project lead formal authority to initiate the project.

Why create a project charter?

• The project charter allows all parties involved to reach an agreement and document major aspects of the project.
• It also supports the decision-making process and can be used as a communication tool.

Stakeholders must:

• Understand and agree on the objectives and important characteristics of the project charter before the project is initiated.
• Be given the opportunity to adjust the project charter to better address their needs and concerns.

1.1b Finalize the project charter

1-2 hours

1. Request relevant individuals and parties to complete sections of Info-Tech’s Project Charter Template.
2. Input the simplified RACI output from tab 3 in Info-Tech’s Project RACI Chart tool into the RACI section of the charter.
3. Send the completed template to the CIO and Customer Service Head for approval.
4. Communicate the document to stakeholders for changes and finalization.

Download the Project Charter Template

1.2 IT must play a role shaping Customer Service’s future vision

IT is only one or two degrees of separation from the end customer – their involvement can significantly impact the customer experience.

1.2 Establish a vision for Customer Service excellence

Info-Tech has identified three prominent Customer Service strategic patterns. Evaluate which fits best with your situation and organization.

1.2 Let profitability goals help reveal which strategy to pursue

Profitability goals are tied to the enabling of customer service strategies.

• If looking to drive cost decreases across the organization, pursue cost efficiency strategies such as customer volume diversion in order to lower cost channels and avoid costly escalations for customer complaints and inquiries.
• Ongoing Contribution Margin is positive only once customer acquisition costs (CAC) have been paid back. For every customer lost, another customer has to be acquired in order to experience no loss. In this way, customer retention strategies help decrease your overall costs.
• Once cost reduction and customer retention measures are in place, look to increase overall revenue through cross-selling and up-selling activities with your customers.

Info-Tech Insight

Purely driving efficiency is not the goal. Create a balance that does not compromise customer satisfaction.

Customer Service strategies: Case studies

1.2 Performing an environmental scan can help IT optimize Customer Service support

Though typically executed by Customer Service, IT can gain valuable insights for best supporting infrastructure, applications, and operations from an environmental scan.

An environmental scan seeks to understand your organization’s customers from multiple directions. It considers:

• Customers’ value-based segmentations.
• The interaction channels customers prefer to use.
• Customers’ likes and dislikes.
• The general sentiment of your customer service quality.
• What your competitors are doing in this space.

Info-Tech Insight

Business processes must directly relate to customer service. Failing to correlate customer experience with business performance outcomes overlooks the enormous cost of negative sentiment.

1.2 The environmental scan results should drive IT’s strategy and resource spend

Insights derived from this scan can help frame IT’s contributions to Customer Service’s future vision.

1.2 Have Customer Service examine feedback across channels for a holistic view

Your method of listening needs to evolve to include active listening on social and mobile channels.

1.2 Benchmark IT assets by examining your competitors’ Customer Service capabilities

The availability of the internet means almost complete transparency between your products and services, and those of your competitors.

Info-Tech Insight

Look to your competitors for comparative models but do not pursue to solely replicate what they currently have. Aim higher and attempt to surpass their capabilities and brand value.

1.2 Collaborate with Customer Service to understand customer value segments

Let segmentation help you gain intelligence on customers’ expectations.

Insights and implications from customer service

• Segment your customers based on their value relative to the cost to serve. The easiest way to do so is with channel preference categorization.
• If the cost for retention attempts are higher than the value that those customers provide, there is little business case to pursue retention action.

How IT can help

• Couple value-based segmentation with channel preference and satisfaction levels of your most-valued customers to effectively target IT investments in channels that maximize service customization and quality.
• Correlate the customers’ channel and technology usage with their business value to see which IT assets are delivering on their investments.

“If you're developing a Customer Service strategy, it has to start with who your clients are, what [they are] trying to do, and through what channels […] and then your decision around processes have to fall out of that. If IT is trying to lead the conversation, or bring people together to lead the conversation, then marketing and whoever does segmentation has to be at the table as a huge component of this.”

Lisa Woznica, Director of Client Experience, BMO Financial Group

1.2 Be mindful of trends in the consumer and technology landscape

Building a future vision of customer service requires knowing what upcoming technologies can aid the organization.

Phase 1 – Case Study

Omnichannel support delivers a financial services firm immediate customer service results.

INDUSTRY: Financial Services

SOURCE: Mattsen Kumar

1.2 Construct your future state using a business process management approach

Documenting and evaluating your business processes serves as a good starting point for defining the overall Customer Service strategy.

• Examining key Customer Service business processes can unlock clues around the following:
  • Driving operational effectiveness.
  • Identifying, implementing, and maintaining reusable enterprise systems.
  • Identifying gaps that can be addressed by acquisition of additional systems.
• Business process modeling facilitates the collaboration between business and IT, recording the sequence of events, tasks performed, by whom they are performed, and the levels of interaction with the various supporting applications.
• By identifying the events and decision points in the process, and overlaying the people that perform the functions and technologies that support them, organizations are better positioned to identify gaps that need to be bridged.
• Encourage the analysis by compiling the inventory of Customer Service business processes that are relevant to the organization.

Info-Tech Insight

A process-oriented approach helps organizations see the complete view of the system by linking strategic requirements to business requirements, and business requirements to system requirements.

1.2 Use the APQC Framework to define your Customer Service-related processes

• APQC’s Process Classification Framework (PCF) is a taxonomy of cross-functional business processes intended to allow the objective comparison of organizational performance within and among organizations.
• Section 5 of the PCF details various levels of Customer Service business processes, useful for mapping on to your own organization’s current state.
• The APQC Framework can be accessed through the following link: APQC’s Process Classification Framework.

The APQC Framework serves as a high-level, industry-neutral enterprise model that allows organizations to see activities from a cross-industry process perspective.

Source: (Ziemba and Eisenbardt 2015)

Info-Tech Caution

The APQC framework does not list all processes within a specific organization, nor are the processes which are listed in the framework present in every organization. It is designed as a framework and global standard to be customized for use in any organization.

1.2 Each APQC process has five levels that represent its logical components

The PCF provides L1 through 4 for the Customer Service Framework.

L5 processes are task- and industry-specific and need to be defined by the organization.

Source: (APQC 2020)

This Industry Process Classification Framework was jointly developed by APQC and IBM to facilitate improvement through process management and benchmarking. ©2018 APQC and IBM. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

1.2a Begin documenting business processes

4 hours

1. Using Info-Tech’s Customer Service Business Process Shortlisting Tool, list the Customer Service goals and rank them by importance.
2. Score the APQC L4 processes by relevance to the defined goals and perceived satisfaction index.
3. Define the L5 processes for the top scoring L4 process.
4. Leave Tab 5, Columns G – I for now. These columns will be revisited in activities 1.2b and 2.1a.

Download the Customer Service Business Process Shortlisting Tool

1.2 Start designing the future state of key business processes

If Customer Service transformation is called for, start with your future-state vision. Don’t get stuck in current state and the “art of the possible” within its context.

“If you're fairly immature and looking for a paradigm shift or different approach [because] you recognize you're totally doing it wrong today, then starting with documenting current state doesn't do a lot except make you sad. You don't want to get stuck in [the mindset of] ‘Here's the current state, and here’s the art of the possible.’”

Trevor Timbeck, Executive Coach, Parachute Executive Coaching

1.2 Start modeling future-state processes

Build buy-in and accountability in process owners through workshops and whiteboarding – either in-person or remotely.

Getting consensus on the process definition (who does what, when, where, why, and how) is one of the hardest parts of BPM.

Gathering process owners for a process-defining workshop isn’t easy. Getting them to cooperate can be even harder. To help manage these difficulties during the workshop, make sure to:

• Keep the scope contained to the processes being defined in order to make best use of everyone’s time, as taking time away from employees is a cost too.
• Prior to the workshop, gather information about the processes with interviews, questionnaires, and/or system data gathering and analysis.
• Use the information gathered to have real-life examples of the processes in question so that time isn’t wasted.

Info-Tech Insight

Keep meetings short and on task as tangents are inevitable. Set ground rules at the beginning of any brainstorming or whiteboarding session to ensure that all participants are aligned.

1.2 Use the five W’s to help map out your future-state processes

Define the “who, what, why, where, when, and how” of the process to gain a better understanding of individual activities.

Info-Tech Insight

It’s not just about your internal processes. To achieve higher customer retention and satisfaction, it’s also useful to map the customer service process from the customer perspective to identify customer pain points and disconnects.

1.2 Use existing in-house software as a simplistic entry point to process modeling

A diagramming tool like Visio enables you to plot process participants and actions using dedicated symbols and connectors that indicate causality.

• Models can use a stick-figure format, a cross-functional workflow format, or BPMN notation.
• Plot the key activities and decision points in the process using standard flowcharting shapes. Identify the data that belongs to each step in a separate document or as call-outs on the diagram.
• Document the flow control between steps, i.e., what causes one step to finish and another to start?

Info-Tech Best Practice

Diagramming tools can force the process designer into a specific layout: linear or cross-functional/swim lane.

• A linear format is recommended for single function and system processes.
• A swim lane format is recommended for cross-functional and cross-departmental processes.

1.2 Introduce low investment alternatives for process modeling for modeling disciplines

SaaS and low-cost modeling tools are emerging to help organizations with low to medium BPM maturity visualize their processes.

• Formal modeling tools allow a designer to model in any view and easily switch to other views to gain new perspectives on the process.
• Subscription-based, best-of-breed SaaS tools provide scalable and flexible process modeling capabilities.
• Open source and lower cost tools also exist to help distribute BPM modeling discipline and standards.
• BPMS suites incorporate advanced modeling tools with process execution engines for end-to-end business process management. Integrate process discovery with modeling, process simulation, and analysis. Deploy, monitor, and measure process models in process automation engines.

Explore SoftwareReviews’ Business Process Management market analysis by clicking here.

1.2b Model future state business processes

4 hours

1. Model the future state of the most critical business processes.
2. Use Tab 5, Columns G – H of Info-Tech’s Customer Service Business Process Shortlisting Tool to keep stock of what processes are targeted for modeling, and whether the models have been completed.

Download the Customer Service Business Process Shortlisting Tool

1.3 Start a preliminary inventory of your requirements

Use the future state business process models as a source for software requirements.

• Business process modeling deals with business requirements that can be used as the foundation for elicitation of system (functional and non-functional) requirements.
• Modeling creates an understanding of the various steps and transfers in each business process, as well as the inputs and outputs of the process.
• The future state models form an understanding of what information is needed and how it flows from one point to another in each process.
• Understand what technologies are (or can be) leveraged to facilitate the exchange of information and facilitate the process.

For each task or event in the process, ask the following questions:

• What is the input?
• What is the output?
• What are the underlying risks and how can they be mitigated?
• What conditions should be met to mitigate or eliminate each risk?
• What are the improvement opportunities?
• What conditions should be met to enable these opportunities?

Info-Tech Insight

Incorporate future considerations into the requirements. How will the system need to adapt over time to accommodate additional processes, process variations, introduction of additional channels and capabilities, etc. Do not overreach by identifying system capabilities that cannot possibly be met.

1.3 Understand the four different requirements to document

Have a holistic view for capturing the various requirements the organization has for a Customer Service strategy.

Business requirements

High-level requirements that management would typically understand.

User requirements

High-level requirements on how the tool should empower users’ lives.

Non-functional requirements

Criteria that can be used to judge the operation of a contact center. It defines how the system should perform for the organization.

Functional requirements

Outline the technical requirements for the desired contact center.

1.3 Extract requirements from the business process models

To see how, let us examine our earlier example for the Claims Process, extracting requirements from the “Record Claim” task.

1.3a Document your preliminary requirements

4 hours

1. The Applications Director and Customer Service Head are to identify participants based on the business processes that will be reviewed.
2. They are to conduct a workshop to gather all requirements that can be taken from the business process models.
3. Use Tab 4 of Info-Tech’s Customer Service Systems Strategy Tool to document your preliminary requirements.

Download the Customer Service Systems Strategy Tool

Phase 2

Evaluate Current State

This phase will guide you through the following activities:

2.1a Model current-state business processes for an inventory to compare against future-state models.

2.1b Compare future and current business states for a preliminary gap analysis.

2.1c Begin compiling an inventory of CS Systems by function for an overview of your current state map.

2.2a Rate your functional and integration quality to assess the performance of your application portfolio.

2.3a Compare states and propose action to bridge current business processes with viable future alternatives.

2.3b Document finalized requirements, ready to enact change.

Participants required for Phase 2:

• Applications Director
• Customer Service Director
• IT and Customer Service Representatives
• IT Managers

2.1 Document the current state of your key business processes

Doing so will solidify your understanding of the gaps, help identify any accidental omissions from the future state vision, and provide clues as to what can be salvaged.

• Analysis of the current state is important in the context of gap analysis. It aids in understanding the discrepancies between your baseline and the future-state vision, and ensuring that these gaps are recorded as part of the overall requirements.
• By analyzing the current state of key business processes, you may identify critical functions that are in place today that were not taken into consideration during the future-state business process visioning exercise.
• By overlaying the current state process models with the applications that support them, the current state models will indicate what systems and interfaces can be salvaged.
• The baseline feeds the business case, allowing the team to establish proposed benefits and improvements from implementing the future-state vision. Seek to understand the following:
  • The volumes of work
  • Major exceptions
  • Number of employees involved
  • Amount of time spent in each area of the process

2.1 Assess the current state to drive the gap analysis

Before you choose any solution, identify what needs to be done to your current state in order to achieve the vision you have defined.

• By beginning with the future state in mind, you have likely already envisioned some potential solutions.
• By reviewing your current situation in contrast with your desired future state, you can deliberate what needs to be done to bridge the gap. The differences between the models allow you to define a set of changes that must be enacted in sequence or in parallel. These represent the gaps.
• The gaps, once identified, translate themselves into additional requirements.

Assessment Example

Info-Tech Insight

It is important to allot time for the current-state analysis, confine it to the minimum effort required to understand the gaps, and identify any missing pieces from your future-state vision. Make sure the work expended is proportional to the benefit derived from this exercise.

2.1a Model current-state business processes

2 hours

1. Model the current state of the most critical business processes, using the work done in activities 1.2a and 1.2b to help identify these processes.
2. Use Tab 5, Column I of Info-Tech’s Customer Service Business Process Shortlisting Tool to keep stock of what models have been completed.
3. This tool is now complete.

Download the Customer Service Business Process Shortlisting Tool

2.1b Compare future and current business states

2 hours

1. Use Tab 9 of Info-Tech’s Customer Service Systems Strategy Tool to record a summary of the future state, current state, and actions proposed in order to bridge the gaps.
   • Fill out the desired future state of the business processes and IT architecture.
   • Fill out the current state of the business processes and IT architecture.
   • Fill out the actions required to mitigate the gaps between the future and current state.

Download the Customer Service Systems Strategy Tool

2.1 Assess whether Customer Service architecture can meet future-state vision

Approach your CS systems holistically to identify opportunities for system architecture optimization.

• Organizations often do not have a holistic view of their Customer Service systems. These systems are often cobbled together from disparate parts, such as:
  • Point solutions (both SaaS and on-premise).
  • Custom interfaces between applications and databases.
  • Spreadsheets and other manual workarounds.
• A high degree of interaction between multiple systems can cause distention in the application portfolio and databases, creating room for error and more work for CS and IT staff. Mapping your systems and architectural landscape can help you:
  • Identify the number of manual processes you currently employ.
  • Eliminate redundancies.
  • Allow for consolidation and/or integration.

Consider the following metrics when tracking your CS systems:

Time needed to perform core tasks (i.e., resolving a customer complaint)

Accuracy of basic information (customer history, customer product portfolio)

CSR time spent on manual process/workarounds

Info-Tech Insight

There is a two-step process to document the current state of your Customer Service systems:

1. Compile an inventory of systems by function
2. Identify points of integration across systems

2.1c Begin compiling an inventory of CS systems by function

2 hours

1. Using Tab 2 of Info-Tech’s Customer Service Systems Strategy Tool, request that the CS managers fill in the application inventory template with all the CS systems that they use.
2. Questions to trigger exercise:
   • Which applications am I using?
   • Which CS function does the application support?
   • How many applications support the same function?
   • What spreadsheets or manual workarounds do I use to fill in system gaps?
3. Send the filled-in template to IT Managers to validate and fill in missing system information.

Download the Customer Service Systems Strategy Tool

2.1 Use activity 2.1c for an overview of your current state map

Info-Tech Insight

A current-state map of CS systems can offer insight on:

• Coverage, i.e. whether all functional areas are supported by systems.
• Redundancies, i.e. functional areas with multiple systems. If a customer’s records are spread across multiple systems, it may be difficult to obtain a single source of truth.

2.2 Assess current state with user interface architecture diagrams

Understand a high-level overview of how your current state integrates together to rate its overall quality.

• If IT already has an architecture diagram, use this in conjunction with your application inventory for the basis of current state discussions.
• If your organization does not already have an architecture diagram for review and discussion, consider creating one in its most simplistic form using the following guidelines (see illustrative example on next slide):

Represent each of your systems as a labelled shape with a unique number (this number can be referenced in other artifacts that can provide more detail).

Color coding can also be applied to differentiate these objects, e.g., to indicate an internal system (where development is owned by your organization) vs. an external system (where development is outside of your organization’s control).

2.2 Example: Current state with user interface architecture diagrams

2.2 Evaluate application functionality and functional coverage

Use this documentation of the current state as an opportunity to spot areas for rationalizing your application portfolio.

If an application is well-received by the organization and is an overall good platform, consider acquiring more modules from the same vendor application.		If you have more than one application for a function, consider why that is and how you might consolidate into a single application.
Measure the effectiveness of applications under consideration. For example, consider the number of failures when an application attempts a function (by ticket numbers), and overall satisfaction/ease of use.		The above steps will reveal capability overlaps and application pain points and show how the overall portfolio could be made more efficient.

2.2 Determine the degree of integration between systems

Data and system integration are key components of an effective CS system portfolio.

Phase 2 – Case Study

Integrating customer relationship information streamlines customer service and increases ROI for the organization.

INDUSTRY: Retail and Wholesale

SOURCE: inContact

2.2a Rate your functional and integration quality

2 hours

1. Using Tab 5 of Info-Tech’s Customer Service Systems Strategy Tool, evaluate the functionality of your applications.
2. Then, use Tab 6 of the Customer Service Systems Strategy Tool to evaluate the integration of your applications.

Download the Customer Service Systems Strategy Tool

2.3 Revisit and refine the future-state business processes and list of requirements

With a better understanding of the current state, determine whether the future-state models hold up. Ensure that the requirements are updated accordingly to reflect the full set of gaps identified.

• Future-state versus current-state modeling is an iterative process.
• By assessing the gaps between target state and current state, you may decide that:
  • The future state model was overly ambitious for what can reasonably be delivered in the near-term.
  • Core functions that exist today were accidentally omitted from the future state models and need to be incorporated.
  • There are systems or processes that your organization would like to salvage, and they must be worked into the future-state model.
• Once the future state vision is stabilized, ensure that all gaps have been translated into business requirements.
  • If possible, categorize all gaps by functional and non-functional requirements.

2.3a Compare states and propose action

3 hours

• Revisit Tab 9 of Info-Tech’s Customer Service Systems Strategy Tool to more accurately compare your organization’s current- and future-state business processes.
• Ensure that gaps in the system architecture have been captured.

Download the Customer Service Systems Strategy Tool

2.3 Prioritize and finalize the requirements

Prioritizing requirements will help to itemize initiatives and the timing with which they need to occur.

Stakeholders must ask themselves:

• What are the consequences to the business objectives if this requirement is omitted?
• Is there an existing system or manual process/workaround that could compensate for it?
• Why can’t this requirement be deferred to the next release?
• What business risk is being introduced if a particular requirement cannot be implemented right away?

2.3b Document finalized requirements

4 hours

1. Using Tab 4 of Info-Tech’s Customer Service Systems Strategy Tool, evaluate your applications’ functionality, review, refine, prioritize, and finalize your requirements.
2. Review the proposed future state diagrams in activity 2.3a and distill from them the business, functional, and non-functional requirements.
3. The Applications Director and Customer Service Head are to identify participants based on the business processes that will be reviewed. They are to conduct a workshop to gather all the requirements that can be taken from the business process models.

Download the Customer Service Systems Strategy Tool

Phase 3

Build Roadmap to Future State

This phase will guide you through the following activities:

3.1a Analyze future architectural posture to understand how applications within the organization ought to be arranged.

3.3a Develop a Customer Service IT Systems initiative roadmap to reach your future state.

Participants required for Phase 3:

• Applications Director
• CIO
• Customer Service Director
• Customer Service Head
• IT and Customer Service Representatives
• IT Applications Director

3.1a Analyze future architectural posture

1 hour

Review Tab 8 of the Customer Service Systems Strategy Tool.

This tab plots each system that supports Customer Service on a 2x2 framework based on its functionality and integration scores. Where these systems plot on each 2x2 provides clues as to whether they should be considered for retention, functional enhancement (upgrade), increased system integration, or replacement.

• Integrate: The application is functionally rich, so integrate it with other modules by building or enhancing interfaces.
• Retain: The application satisfies both functionality and integration requirements, so it should be considered for retention.
• Replace: The application neither offers the functionality sought, nor is it integrated with other modules.
• Replace/Enhance: The module offers poor functionality but is well integrated with other modules. If enhancing for functionality is easy (e.g., through configuration or custom development), consider enhancement or replace it altogether.

Download the Customer Service Systems Strategy Tool

3.1 Interpret 3.1a’s results for next steps

Involving both sales and marketing in these discussions will provide a 360-degree view on what the modifications should accomplish.

3.1 Work through architectural considerations to narrow future states

Info-Tech Insight

Decommissioning and replacing entire applications can put well-functioning modules at risk. Make sure to drill down into the granular features to assess if the feature level performance prompts change. The goal is to make the architecture more efficient for Customer Service and easier to manage for IT. If integration has been chosen as a course of action, make sure that the spend on resources and effort is less than that on system replacement. Also make sure that the intended architecture streamlines usability for agents.

3.1 Considerations: Best-of-breeds vs. suite

If requirements extend beyond the capabilities of a best-of-breed solution, a suite of tools may be required.

3.1 Considerations: Integration and consolidation

Use Tab 7 of Info-Tech’s Customer Service Systems Strategy Tool to gauge the need for consolidation.

IT benefits

• Decreased spend on infrastructure, application acquisition, and development.
• Reduced complexity in vendor management.
• Less resources and effort spent on internal integration and functional customization.

Customer Service benefits

• Reduced user confusion and application usage efficiency.
• Increased operational visibility and ease process mapping.
• Improved data management and integrity.

Theoretical scenarios and recommendations

	Problem: Large Redundancy – multiple applications address the same function, but one application performs better than others. Recommendation: Consolidate the functions into Application 1 and consider decommissioning Applications 2 to 4.
	Problem: Large Redundancy – multiple applications address the same function, but none of them do it well. Recommendation: None of the applications perform well in functional support. Consider replacing with suite or leveraging the Application 3 vendor for functional module expansion, if feasible.

3.1 Considerations: Deployment

SaaS is typically recommended as it reduces IT support needs. However, customization limitations and higher long-term TCO values continue to be a challenge for SaaS.

3.1 Considerations: Public cloud deployment

Functionality is only one aspect of a broader range of issues to narrow down the viability of a cloud-based architecture.

3.2 Explore the customer service technology marketplace

Your requirements, gap analysis, and assessment of current applications architecture may have prompted the need for a new solutions purchase.

• Customer service technology has come a long way since PABX in 1960s call centers. Let Info-Tech give you a quick overview of the market and the major systems that revolve around Customer Service.

Info-Tech Insight

While Customer Relationships Management systems interlock several aspects of the customer journey, best-of-breed software for specific aspects of this journey could provide a better ROI if the organization’s coverage of these aspects are only “good enough” and need boosting.

3.2 The CRM software market will continue to grow at an aggressive rate

• In recent years, CRM suite solutions have matured significantly in their customer support capabilities. Much of this can be attributed to their acquisitions of smaller best-of-breed Customer Service vendors.
• Many of the larger CRM solutions (like those offered by Salesforce) have now added social media engagement, knowledge bases, and multi-channel capabilities into their foundational offering.
• CRM systems are capable of huge sophistication and integration with the core ERP, but they also have heavy license and implementation costs, and therefore may not be for everyone.
• In some cases, customers are looking to augment upon very specific capabilities that are lacking from their customer service foundation. In these cases, best-of-breed solutions ought to be integrated with a CRM, ERP, or with one another through API integration.

3.2 Utilize SoftwareReviews to focus on which CS area needs enhancing

3.2 SoftwareReviews’ data accelerates and improves the software selection process

SoftwareReviews collects and analyzes detailed reviews on enterprise software from real users to give you an unprecedented view into the product and vendor before you buy.

With SoftwareReviews:

• Access premium reports to understand the marketspace of 193 software categories.
• Compare vendors with SoftwareReviews’ Data Quadrant Reports.
• Discover which vendors have better customer relations management with SoftwareReviews’ Emotional Footprint Reports.
• Explore the Product Scorecards of single vendors for a detailed analysis of their software offerings.

3.2 Speak with category experts to dive deeper into the vendor landscape

Fact-based reviews of business software from IT professionals.

Product and category reports with state-of-the-art data visualization.

Top-tier data quality backed by a rigorous quality assurance process.

User-experience insight that reveals the intangibles of working with a vendor.

CLICK HERE to access SoftwareReviews

Comprehensive software reviews to make better IT decisions.

We collect and analyze the most detailed reviews on enterprise software from real users to give you an unprecedented view into the product and vendor before you buy.

SoftwareReviews is powered by Info-Tech.

Technology coverage is a priority for Info-Tech, and SoftwareReviews provides the most comprehensive unbiased data on today’s technology. The insights of our expert analysts provide unparalleled support to our members at every step of their buying journey.

3.2 Leverage Info-Tech’s Rapid Application Selection Framework

Improve your key software selection metrics for best-of-breed customer service software.

A simple measurement of the number of days from intake to decision.	Use our Project Satisfaction Tool to measure stakeholder project satisfaction.	Use our Application Portfolio Assessment Tool annually to measure application satisfaction.	Use our Contract Review Service to benchmark and optimize your technology spending.

Learn more about Info-Tech’s The Rapid Application Selection Framework

The Rapid Application Selection Framework (RASF) is best geared toward commodity and mid-tier enterprise applications

Not all software selection projects are created equal – some are very small, some span the entire enterprise. To ensure that IT is using the right framework, understand the cost and complexity profile of the application you’re looking to select. The RASF approach is best for commodity and mid-tier enterprise applications; selecting complex applications is better handled by the methodology described in Implement a Proactive and Consistent Vendor Selection Process.

3.3 Translate gathered requirements and gaps into project-based initiatives

Identify initiatives that can address multiple requirements simultaneously.

The Process

• You now have a list of requirements from assessing business processes and the current Customer Service IT systems architecture.
• With a viable architecture and application posture, you can now begin scoring and plotting key initiatives along a roadmap.
• Group similar requirements into categories of need and formulate logical initiatives to fulfill the requirements.
• Ensure that all requirements are related to business needs, measurable, sufficiently detailed, and prioritized, and identify initiatives that meet the requirements.

Consider this case:

Paul’s organization, a midsize consumer packaged goods retailer, needs to monitor social media for sentiment, use social analytics to gain intelligence, and receive and respond to inquiries made over Twitter.

The initiative:

Implement a social media management platform (SMMP): A SMMP is able to deliver on all of the above requirements. SMMPs are highly capable platforms that have social listening modules and allow costumer service representatives to post to and monitor social media.

3.3 Prioritize your initiatives and plan the order of rollout

Initiatives should not and cannot be tackled all at once. There are three key factors that dictate the prioritization of initiatives.

1. Value
   • What is the monetary value/perceived business value?
   • Are there regulatory or security related impacts if the initiative is not undertaken?
   • What is the time to market and is it an easily achievable goal?
   • How well does it align with the strategic direction?
2. Risk
   • How technically complex is it?
   • Does it impact existing business processes?
   • Are there ample resources and right skillsets to support it?
3. Dependencies
   • What initiatives must be undertaken first?
   • Which subsequent initiatives will it support?

Example scenario using Info-Tech’s Initiative Scoring and Roadmap Tool

An electronics distributor wants to implement social media monitoring and response. Its existing CRM does not have robust channel management functions. The organization plans to replace its CRM in the future, but because of project size and impact and budgetary constraints, the replacement project has been scheduled to occur two years from now.

• The SMMP solution proposed for implementation has a high perceived value and is low risk.
• The CRM replacement has higher value, but also carries significantly more risk.
• Option 1: Complete the CRM replacement first, and overlay the social media monitoring component afterward (as the SMMP must be integrated with the CRM).
• Option 2: Seize the easily achievable nature of the SMMP initiative. Implement it now and plan to re-work the CRM integration later.

3.3a Develop a Customer Service IT Systems initiative roadmap

1 hour

• Complete the tool as a team during a one-hour meeting to collaborate and agree on criteria and weighting.
  1. Input initiative information.
  2. Determine value and risk evaluation criteria.
  3. Evaluate each initiative to determine its priority.
  4. Create a roadmap of prioritized initiatives.

Download the Customer Service Initiative Scoring and Roadmap Tool

Document and communicate the strategy

Leverage the artifacts of this blueprint to summarize your findings and communicate the outcomes of the strategy project to the necessary stakeholders.

Document Section	Proposed Content	Leverage the Following Artifacts
Executive Summary	Introduction The opportunity The scope The stakeholders Project success measures	Project Charter section: 1.1 Project Overview 1.2 Project Objectives 1.3 Project Benefits 2.0 Scope Project RACI Chart Tool: Tab 3. Simplified Output
Background	The project approach Current situation overview Results of the environmental scan	Blueprint slides: Info-Tech’s methodology to develop your IT Strategy for CS Systems
Future-State Vision	Customer service goals Future-state modeling findings	Customer Service Business Process Shortlisting Tool: Tab 2. Customer Service Goals Tab 5. Level 5 Process Inventory Future State Business Process Models
Current Situation	Current-state modeling findings Current-state architecture findings Gap assessment Requirements	Customer Service Systems Strategy Tool: Tab 2. Inventory of Applications Tab 7. Systems Health Heat Map Tab 8. Systems Health Dashboard Tab 9. Future vs. Current State Tab 4. Requirements Collection
Summary of Recommendations	Optimization opportunities New capabilities	N/A
IT Strategy Implementation Plan	Implementation plan Business case	Customer Service Initiative Scoring and Roadmap Tool: Tab 2. CS Initiative Definition Tab 4. CS Technology Roadmap

Summary of Accomplishment

Develop an IT Strategy to Support Customer Service

With ecommerce accelerating and customer expectations rising with it, organizations must have an IT strategy to support Customer Service.

The deliverable you have produced from this blueprint provides a solution to this problem: a roadmap to a desired future state for how IT can ground an effective customer service engagement. From omnichannel to self-service, IT will be critical to enabling the tools required to digitally meet customer needs.

Begin implementing your roadmap!

If you would like additional support, have our analysts guide you through other phases as part of an Info-Tech workshop.

Contact your account representative for more information.

workshops@infotech.com

1-888-670-8889

Related Info-Tech Research

Deliver a Customer Service Training Program to Your IT Department

• One training session is not enough to make a change. Leaders must embed the habits, create a culture of engagement and positivity, provide continual coaching and development, regularly gather customer feedback, and seek ways to improve.

Build a Chatbot Proof of Concept

• When implemented effectively, chatbots can help save costs, generate new revenue, and ultimately increase customer satisfaction for both external- and internal-facing customers.

The Rapid Application Selection Framework

• Application selection is a critical activity for IT departments. Implement a repeatable, data-driven approach that accelerates application selection efforts.

Bibliography (1/2)

• Callzilla. "Software Maker Compares Call Center Companies, Switches to Callzilla After 6 Months of Results." Callzilla. N.d. Accessed: 4 Jul. 2022.
• Cisco. “Transforming Customer Service.” Cisco. 2018. Accessed: 8 Feb. 2021.
• Gottlieb, Giorgina. “The Importance of Data for Superior Customer Experience and Business Success.” Medium. 23 May 2019. Accessed: 8 Feb. 2021.
• Grand View Research. “Customer Relationship Management Market Size, Share & Trends Analysis Report By Solution, By Deployment, By Enterprise Size, By End Use, By Region, And Segment Forecasts, 2020 – 2027.” Grand View Research. April 2020. Accessed: 17 Feb. 2021.
• inContact. “Hall Automotive Accelerates Customer Relations with inContact.” inContact. N.d. Accessed: 8 Feb. 2021.
• Kulbyte, Toma. “37 Customer Experience Statistics to Know in 2021.” Super Office. 4 Jan. 2021. Accessed: 5 Feb. 2021.
• Kuligowski, Kiely. "11 Benefits of CRM Systems." Business News Daily. 29 Jun. 2022. Accessed: 4 Jul. 2022.
• Mattsen Kumar. “Ominchannel Support Transforms Customer Experience for Leading Fintech Player in India.” Mattsen Kumar. 4 Apr. 2020. Accessed: 8 Feb. 2021.
• Microsoft. “State of Global Customer Service Report.” Microsoft. Mar. 2019. Accessed: 8 Feb. 2021.
• Ringshall, Ben. “Contact Center Trends 2020: A New Age for the Contact Center.” Fonolo. 20 Oct. 2020. Accessed 2 Nov. 2020.
• Salesforce. “State of Service.” Salesforce. 4th ed. 2020. Accessed: 8 Feb. 2021.
• Sopadjieva, Emma, Utpal M. Dholakia, and Beth Benjamin. “A Study of 46,000 Shoppers Shows That Omnichannel Retailing Works.” Harvard Business Review. 3 Jan. 2017. Accessed: 8 Feb. 2021.

Bibliography (2/2)

• Tech Pro Research. “Digital Transformation Research Report 2018: Strategy, Returns on Investment, and Challenges.” Tech Pro Research. 29 Jul. 2018. Accessed: 5 Feb. 2021.
• TSB. “TSB Bank Self-Serve Banking Increases 9% with Adobe Sign.” TSB. N.d. Accessed: 8 Feb. 2021.
• VoiceSage. “VoiceSage Helps Home Retail Group Transform Customer Experience.” VoiceSage. 4 May 2018. Accessed: 8 Feb. 2021.