After Sales Service…

You bring on several different points, and all of them are true, and all of them have known reasons, and none of them seem to be truly submitted to improvement, because none of them are in the interest of… the interest holders…

What are some of these reasons?

– Machines to replace human interaction? Overengineered support systems.
– Fierce competition, thus focus on cost cutting (after sales support is mostly seen as a huge cost center)
– Wage levels of the support personnel, and with that, their general level of motivation and knowledge (though this is a generalization!)
– Short term result orientation (the same underlying problem as multi million dollar bonuses, which I am not against, but which are not based on the right measurements for long term value creation)
– High job rotation due to high stress level and low income/career potential

What are some of the solutions then, and the reasons why they are not being brought on?

– Utilize automation only there where neccesary, and open multiple support channels to cater to a wider audience, with wider needs than just the predetermined set of answers provided as options. Reinstall some human capacity. Outsource to specialized firms where possible.
–> Why not done? Technology has allowed us increasingly to replace people with automation systems. This trend is difficult to reverse. However, it can be adjusted, when the proper awareness can be brought to decision makers that technology and people can go hand in hand in this support function.

– Increase appreciation for support departments, inside and outside of the organisation. Inside, by not focusing on minimizing cost, but increasing efficiency and value creation. By letting the great level of support be part of the brand value, and build that image over time. This can be a reason to increase cost for the same product, as we all know from so and so company, the support is great, so you’re willing to pay for that. Attribute that portion of the sales to the support team/department, so it gets to be considered a profit center, which in turn will instill added investment (which can then be used for the points below)
–> Why is it not done? Fear of shifting focus from maximizing income and profits, and innovation, to long term value creation through superior brand and product support.

Increase wage levels, or provide other means to increase motivation, and allow staff to accept their work stress. Make their financial situation less precarious, so they are not preoccupied with their own issues, and can focus on grander goals. This will also attract higher educated, better mannered, well informed professionals, who would else too easily let go of these opportunities for something else “something better”.
–> Why not done? Cost cutting, and the perception of support staff as the lower echelon of the corporate ladder… even though these people have to support the managing directors, and engineers who call in because they can’t fix the problem themselves.

– Short term returns… not an easy one. Bonuses underwent the same problem, and that problem is still existing. It is the problem of instant gratification, and (wo)man’s natural resistance to delaying gratification. Bonus systems could shift their base of measurement, away from short term, and towards sustainability. The disadvantage will be that there is a delay between the “investment” and the “payout” and that no guarantees are given in the interim. This together with a more mobile workplace than previous generations, forms the basis for the uncertainty that the promised payout in x years will really still be there, when the time comes.
And that is just the internal and controllable bonus systems… The same principle would have to work on the stock market, so that price fluctiations reflect changes of long term results, not short term ones… It could be studied to make dividend payments mandatory, and only payable to the shareholders who have held shares for at least x number of months or years. Short term trading is then still possible, but the long term returns are forfeited if you decide to focus on short term trading/thinking…
–> Why it is not done: This would necessitate a market attitude paradigm shift. It is not impossible, but there needs to be a willingness and a common long term vision, and the tenacity to persist through time. In other words the initiative towards this sustainability, needs to be… sustainable.

– High job rotation: minimal wages, flexible working times, being shouted at by disgruntled customers, not properly trained, not appreciated, low barrier to entry for your replacement should you not do exactly as your boss dictates you to, high work stress… These are only some of the items that need to be resolved, and the approach is again long term. Appreciation, both mentally, socially, and financially, proper positioning of the function within the workplace, and the shift from cost center to profit/brand value support center would be important first steps. And it needs to be carried by the entire organisation, and society at large.

(Just my two cents…)