Having been in the business of service delivery for several years now, I understand customer service and the customer experience. The long and the short of it, as we enter into an agreement with a service provider we have certain expectations of the service provider. But, what about the flip-side? What does the service provider expect from us, the client?
In the majority of cases, nothing. Over-eager sales people promise the world and leave it up to others to deliver. Clients enter into a business agreement built on the falsehood that the product – and the customer service team behind it – can do anything and are at the whim of the customer. Too often, “customer service” becomes “customer servant” and account managers, help desk, and implementation folks become mired in the business of ego-management. Ultimately, this detracts from the true goal of the project and sours the relationship between the service provider and client.
While I mentioned sales people as over-promising, I actually believe the problem starts with the client itself. It goes without saying that people like to believe they are important. When you tack on a title like, let’s say, “Executive Vice President for Global Human Resources,” that belief of importance is magnified to sometimes unbearable levels. The problem is compounded when people work for an extremely notable name or a large corporation.
Outside of Big Corporation USA, though, these executives are normal human beings like the rest of us. And if we remember our grade school lessons, we were always taught to “do unto others as you would have done unto you.” And it just seems common sense that, when you act kindly to someone, they will return the act. Instead, for some reason, clients think that by bullying, threatening, and waiving around a big name gets things done faster. Apparently they buy into the adage of “the squeaky wheel gets the oil” instead of the former.
It’s not always executives, though. Other times, it’s the lowly HR Assistant who, after years of dealing with some of the same, finally has someone to dump their pent-up aggression on: the vendor. Suddenly, one slight mis-step turns into a situation where the product blew up the client’s report and the organization will collapse if it’s not done by 1 PM. Moreover, the vendor representative on the phone is made to feel like they actually caused the problem. Or worse, the client now has an unsavory status amongst the client relationship team and is tossed about like a game of ‘Hot Potato’, with the representative taking the call as the unfortunate loser.
The question that I am seeking to answer is simply, “How do both clients and vendors get the service they deserve?” For this post, I’m focusing on the latter but in the end I think the answers are the same. First, a mutual respect for both the client and vendor. Second, a mutual understanding. Third, being committed to the vendor/client and the project ahead.
The first two might sound similar, but they’re not. I frame respect as both parties recognizing each other as partners – not a client speaking to a vendor. That goes with recognizing the vendor as someone with the knowledge and expertise, and moreover the experience to get what you need done. Mistakes happen, and yes, we are human; we don’t (and can’t) recall every fact and detail about that particular employment law. Understanding involves both the client and vendor knowing each other, both at a high level and personal level. Know the business, and know how both companies do the work that gets done. Finally, both the vendor and client need to know the project and treat it as a priority. Missing meetings, lack of a project plan (and adhering to it), and lack of knowledge sharing are all death knells for a successful implementation.
So, all of that said, my focus returns to the client and I wager my argument can be summed up thusly: clients cannot enter into an agreement one-sided. You can’t place the burden of project success when you view your new business partner as “just a vendor” and they should be darn thankful for the fact they have your business. Relationships can’t be built when you think you’re twenty notches above your client relations team. And if you act and think you’re better than your vendor, then you’ll never understand just what your vendor can do for you and your organization.
