Lessons in IT Customer Service from “The Restaurateur”

Not long ago I had the pleasure of meeting someone dedicated to and passionate about customer service, whom I’ll refer to as “The Restaurateur.” We spoke at length and I drank up his insights, and couldn’t help but think to relate them to IT Service.

What is it the customer really wants? It depends, but it’s certainly not that some SLA is met. Generally, IT Service provides a Means to an End. Determine that End and directly help the customer get there.

Engaging the Customer
The Restaurateur expects his staff to size-up the customers, treat them accordingly, and adjust as they get feedback. “The more mature couple who walks in, it could be a special night for them, so give them space. But the younger group walking into a, say, French restaurant, may not have the experience and will probably need more interaction and guidance.” Are the customers in a hurry, or are they looking for a long casual dinning experience? This applies to everyone: the Host/ess, the Wait Staff, the Busers, and the Manager.

Does everyone in your IT organization recognize the customer and treat them appropriately? This isn’t just the difference in treating staff differently from C-levels. It’s about adjusting your engagement to make your customer as comfortable as possible. They may not “speak IT” or even if they do, you want your organization to meet them on their terms. IT is big on process (or at least we should be) and this can be unknown to, and sometimes difficult to navigate for, those outside the organization.

What’s on the Menu?
The Restaurateur expects the staff to know what is on the menu, including the specials, and he even quizzes them prior to the start of a service. For the customer this means they don’t necessarily have to search through the menu to find what they are looking for, and avoiding those embarrassing “Um, we have that?” moments.

Does your IT Organization know what’s in their Service Catalog? Can they direct the customer to the correct part of the Catalog? The customer shouldn’t know the Catalog better than the IT Organization does. Cost is always a factor and should be obvious and easy to understand. From the IT perspective, are we realizing the services we are providing (Catalog items) and billing appropriately?

Can you suggest something?
The Restaurateur’s staff will recommend dishes not randomly, but based on thoughtful questioning of the customer, not something generic like “What is it you’d like?” They help lead the customer to a solution or at least narrow down the choices.

For the IT Organization this manifests itself somewhat differently: while a restaurant tries to cater to a customer’s particular taste or whim at that time, the IT Organization should be helping to identify what the customer really wants to accomplish, their “Ends”. In fact, IT needs to be wary of when customers define their “Means” (or solution) for themselves – we are the experts in this field. We do this by asking thoughtful questioning and active listening.

What is that item?
The Restaurateur provides a menu of dishes that are made from specific ingredients, in various proportions, and prepared in a particular way. This is important to the customers. He expects his Wait Staff to really know the menu and not have to break the customer service flow to ask the Chef. He told me a story of how, at another restaurant, a customer asked if something could come with Sour Cream. “Imo”, a brand of sour cream substitute (which I didn’t even know existed), was delivered - which the customer identified and didn’t want. Clearly, a customer service delivery failure.

Our IT customers probably know less about the components and delivery of IT Services than they know about cooking. Like the brief descriptions on a menu, the descriptions in the Service Catalog need to be a balance between terse and detailed. Does a request for a “Replacement Desktop” include the removal of the old one, the transfer of data and applications to the new computer, or are those separate requests? Again, what is it the customer really wants? Most want that “old POS computer gone” and replaced so they continue doing want they really want to do, getting their work done. Of course, it may be time and cost effective to find out the real issue (perhaps lack of disk space) and avoid letting the customer solution themselves.

Could you make this, or make it this way?
The Restaurateur establishes an expectation within his Wait Staff how variations in ingredients and preparations can be made – balancing customer choice verses the Chef’s creation and the “rules of cooking.” Of course, some modifications should be expected: common variations for taste, dietary restrictions, and food allergies.

Is your IT Organization flexible in its delivery? Do you recognize common variations in your customer’s needs and make it easy for them to “have it your way”? Of course, you have to be careful not to destroy the integrity or value of the bundle or service. Do you have an easy and timely process by which they can request IT to “make it from scratch”?

Going the extra mile.
The Restaurateur told me a story of when he was a waiter. The weather had quickly turned cold that evening and most of his customers were not prepared. He offered to have the valet bring their cars up and warm them up, so they could enjoy a comfortable ride home. They were quite surprised and appreciative by his initiative.

When’s the last time your IT Organization surprised your customers with initiative? Anticipated their needs? This goes back to truly understanding your customer’s needs and meeting them on their turf.


Bon App-I-T!