Service Management: Cultivating the Flower Of The Flock

“Training is everything. The peach was once a bitter almond; cauliflower is nothing but cabbage with education.” This amazing, though somewhat sarcastic quote (we wouldn’t expect anything less from Mark Twain, of course) epitomises the importance of training in the transformation process. Personally, I couldn’t agree more.

By Chris Brown, Product Trainer, Marval

In today’s business environment, it’s all about the customer. Customer satisfaction has become a crucial KPI, measured and evaluated by several different departments as a major business and operational objective. Most organizations aspire to be the flower of the flock for their customers, a peach rather than a bitter almond, a cauliflower instead of a mere cabbage. Therefore, improving Customer Service is a key business goal, often integrated in the organization’s business transformation plans. Whether for individuals or teams, thorough training can help start or accelerate the transformation process, by infusing knowledge, confidence and the right culture around Service.

I believe that, in Service Management, product training can be as important as the tool itself. You can have the best ITSM tool in place and a customer-centric philosophy to complement it with, but unless your team is well-trained to put both into use, it is highly likely that you won’t receive the anticipated results as rapidly or easily as you would like (or even at all).

There is a simple reason for that: Customer Service is not delivered by organizations, philosophies and values, or tools. Customer Service is delivered by people, and its standards depend on the level of understanding people have about the organization, its philosophy and values, and the tool in use. Having a team of great people, following great processes and using great technology is the first step towards delivering great service. Having a team of great people who have the confidence to follow the process and use the technology, so they make the most of it, is the step towards offering exceptional service. And confidence is infused through knowledge and nurtured by effective training and development programs.

I witness this every day. I see people being transformed from shy operatives to confident users, ready to overcome common day-to-day challenges. I see Support Analysts flourishing as they realise that their input and contributions will be taken into account and their team will be able to work in more efficient, productive and collaborative ways, making best use of any available resources. By feeling more comfortable with the technology and appreciating the real value of the ITSM platform they are using, they are inspired to become more engaged and open to change. They have a clearer view of the organization’s vision and want to be part of it, having realised how important their role will be in this transformative process.

In Service Management, training is the seed for cultivating the flower of the flock; a team that will thrive, offer exceptional customer service and support the organization’s business transformation plans. In short, training is everything.

I must admit, it’s very rewarding for the trainer, too.