The style of your organization reflects the way systems are built and used by members of the organization. Interfacing is a common issue between departments and systems; what should we pass, when and how? Systems are a product of this organizational style. Internal competition between departments is not often bridged by infrastructural solutions, although this should be the case at least for a minimum level. This minimum level is to make sure that customers are not aware of some main issues. Not only Internet has made it possible to see through company walls, a simple call will also do; have you ever dealt with the following example? You call your service provider. Call, because the internet connection is down. Could you provide me your name please?
- You spell out your name. What is your telephone number?
- You provide them the number (from previous experience you know that they are able to see the number you are dealing from, but okay...) Could you tell us the problem? (sometimes preceded by another script line where asking for identification) So then you explain a bit what happened. And then you are told to hold-on, because they will connect you to a service department. And what happens? You are to inform them with the same information you had just spelled out. If you are lucky there is no other department to care for this issue, but it is possible. I tend to call these collaborative solutions infrastructural, because they are not specific for one system usage, nor should they be dedicated to one department or unit. But what ever you call the solution, in the example above, there are solutions to pass through information when transferring a call to some else from whatever department or business area. There are a million ways in which organizations may differ. Yet, observed from the outside there is a certain threshold level in which every company should be equally transparent to the client. That is not to do with style, but just with credibility. 2006 Hans Bool |
