How It User Surveys Increase It And Company Performance

Submitted by: Howard Deutsch

IT Customer Satisfaction Surveys / IT User Satisfaction Surveys Assess IT s Impact on Employees, Customers and Profit:

IT customer satisfaction surveys are highly effective in identifying known and hidden problems with IT service, hardware, software, network performance, application support and other key drivers of IT customer and company performance. IT customer surveys / IT user surveys identify solutions for resolving problems encountered with both in-house and outsourced IT services.

IT surveys drill down to identify strengths, weaknesses, problems and opportunities by department, location, number of service requests during the past year and other relevant demographic parameters. IT user surveys identify strengths and weaknesses based on ratings as well as providing information and insight for understanding the reasons why ratings are high or low.

IT customer surveys identify common problems that are significantly impacting IT s performance, customer satisfaction and productivity, and company performance. Problems are identified on both an enterprise and localized level. In depth analysis of survey findings pinpoint actions that can be taken to significantly improve IT s performance and increase customer satisfaction and effectiveness.

Common findings from IT customer satisfaction surveys / IT user satisfaction surveys include:

1 – Employee Comments and Suggestions – Many Tech Support customers are frustrated with the support they receive. Comments identify a wide range of problems that are negatively impacting employees productivity and their ability to support customers (sales, customer service, etc.) on a timely basis.

2 – Ratings Variation by Tech Support Area and by Employee Demographics The variation in service level ratings is typically significant by IT service area (e.g. Help Desk, Desk-Side Support, Network Availability/Speed, Application Support, etc.). The variation in ratings is usually also significant by Tech Support customer demographics including department, site location and the number of times service was requested during the past 12 months.

3 – Satisfaction With Tech Support Staff While most IT customers are typically satisfied with the individual Tech Support staff, comments frequently mention that it depends on who handles your request and the nature of the request. Comments often mention specific staff members as being competent, responsive and having a professional attitude, as well as mentioning other Tech Support staff members as lacking professionalism and technical knowledge.

4 – Slow Response to IT Service Requests Tech Support customers frequently point to significant numbers of service requests as taking too long to respond to and to reach resolution.

5 – Network Speed and Access and Aging Hardware and Software are Often Hot Buttons In many organizations there is considerable frustration with the age and slow speed of computers/software, and lack of access to applications both while at work as well as when working from home or in the field.

6 – Productivity Impact – Network downtime and slow response time are often impacting employee productivity and their ability to perform their jobs effectively and to support customers on a timely basis.

7 – Service Request Status Tech Support users for the most part are not being updated on the status of their service requests. Some service request tickets get closed out without the problem being resolved, requiring customers to initiate another service request and adding to their frustration.

8 – Service Request Handoff – For service requests that the IT Help Desk passes on to other IT support areas, the hand-off is often slow.

9 – Responding to Phone and E-mail Requests For many organizations, there is dissatisfaction with timeliness in responding to phone requests where voicemail requests for support are made, as well as with e-mail requests and requests made using an online Tech Support service request form.

10 – Recurring Tech Support Problems IT customer satisfaction surveys often identify recurring problems. Identifying and eliminating these problems can reduce Tech Support costs significantly while increasing IT customer satisfaction and performance.

11 – Problems Using Enterprise Systems Many organizations do a poor job of implementing enterprise systems (e.g. SAP, Oracle, JD Edwards, etc.). These are large, complex and costly systems that require significant expertise and staffing to implement and maintain on an ongoing basis. Companies often beat up their employees and customers during and after implementation of enterprise systems. IT surveys often identify significant problems impacting employees and customers years after enterprise systems were supposed to be fully implemented.

12 – IT Problems/Shortfalls and their Related Impact/Risks Tech Support customers typically list specific IT problems and shortfalls and their related risks.

Information Technology problems and shortfalls typically include:

Old / underpowered / slow hardware

Slow replacement/upgrade of old systems and hardware

Software/operating systems that are cumbersome/slow

Data integrity / loss problems

Insufficient support for resolving problems/having to wait too long for problem resolution

Insufficient technical support knowledge

Some rude/unprofessional Tech Support support staff

System downtime

Slow system/network/hardware response time

System crashes

Losing data

E-mail system deficiencies (slow / downtime / insufficient storage capacity)

Inability to replace very old/non working equipment

Printing and scanning problems

Insufficient functionality of systems

Cumbersome / inefficient business processes due to technology shortfalls

Need for training in use of software / systems

Using older versions of software than customers (compatibility issues)

Problems with access from smart phones and laptops when working from the field/home

Company not supplying laptops/smart phones to employees that need them

Etc.

Business Impact/Risks due to Tech Support Problems/Shortfalls typically include:

Negative impact on productivity, quality, customer service, meeting deadlines ? increases business costs

Negative impact on employee engagement and morale (significant frustration)

Delayed product releases

Invoicing delays/invoices not sent out

Negative impact on customer satisfaction and retention

Decreased responsiveness / communications with / to customers (providing quotes, responding to e-mails / inquiries, etc.)

Negative impact on company image and reputation with current and prospective customers

Business analysis compromised

Negative impact on production, order processing and inventory management

Conflict among departments and employees due to inability to provide information and respond to requests on behalf of customers

Increased employee and customer attrition

Lost revenue and profit

Etc.

About the Author: Howard Deutsch is the CEO of Quantisoft, a full service survey company. Contact Howard Deutsch at (609) 409-9945 or hdeutsch @ quantisoftdotcom Quantisoft survey Info

Quantisoft.com

IT Customer Satisfaction Survey Info

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Employee Engagement & Employee Satisfaction Survey Info

quantisoft.com/Industries/HumanResources.htm

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