E-support

Citation

(2001), "E-support", Work Study, Vol. 50 No. 1. https://doi.org/10.1108/ws.2001.07950aaf.003

E-support

E-supportKeywords: Computer technology, Customer care, Productivity

E-support is coming. Front-line productivity of support staff (help-desks) and second line technical staff has increased only marginally over the last few years, yet the increasing use of ever-more-sophisticated technology means that user calls to their support facilities continue to rise. The solution has been to throw people at the problem. This, obviously, is an expensive solution.

The alternative – e-support – is the provision of support services by electronic means, avoiding, where possible, the standard helpdesk call. It can take a number of forms – but all rely less on human beings to provide the support. Whereas now, a call is made to the helpdesk to report a problem, in the new world of e-support, the computer may well know about the problem before the user, and not only report it, but automatically download a fix from the supplier's Web site. For usage problems, there are new opportunities for self-service such as the deployment of (carefully written) frequently asked questions (FAQ) pages or knowledge bases. For second level issues, there is remote diagnosis and repair based on the already established technology of remote computer control. For some time, technology has been able to support remote interaction between technicians and the hardware they look after. In fact, what is surprising is how little such technology is used.

What is required is for organisations to understand and appreciate the available technologies and to provide employees with appropriate cultures, attitudes and skill sets with which to exploit such technologies. Strategies for e-support must deliver this supporting infrastructure.

Strategies must also recognise the needs and preferences of customers. Customers may appreciate new forms of support which give them added choice and/or improved service, but may resent a complete change to electronic technologies which limit their ability to talk to a real human being. Part of any support process is the reassurance to the support-requestor that somebody else has taken responsibility for the reported issue. Though machines can work through the procedures, they cannot take responsibility – this psychological gap may haunt e-support agencies who do not find a way of filling it. Most customers are sophisticated enough to recognise when e-support is used simply as a cost-cutting exercise; they will also recognise lower support levels. This will be compounded if notification of the changes to e-support begin with "For your convenience, we have …".

Of course, providing the right levels of support is a difficult balancing act. Provide too much and users will rely on this convenient, though expensive, resource rather than reading the manual or the FAQ, attending the training courses, or simply thinking! Provide too little and the core business suffers.

So, e-support offers the opportunity to improve support and to make it more efficient. To achieve both these ends requires the organisation to think carefully about the purpose of, and the context of, the support being provided and then to select and implement appropriate technologies and supporting processes. Simple, isn't it?