The business and IT teams often disagree with one another in many companies. The friction between these teams, however, may have an adverse impact on Customer Experience (CX) and, ultimately, the company.
There is a widespread belief that business teams and their IT counterparts are constantly at odds with each other. Lack of awareness of what each team genuinely wants from the partnership is the root cause of conflict between the two parties. A delicate balance must be found to address business and IT challenges in a way that benefits both the customer.
The start of the fiscal year is often when the still-common but outdated communication model between business and IT divisions occurs. Business users have an extensive wish list of new functions and features, but the IT team must first approve them before finding space in the budget.
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A long waiting period could require business team members to discover a workaround, often in the shape of an expensive new acquisition or a patchwork of existing components that may or may not operate well together. It is up to IT to solve any component that eventually malfunctions in the new software solution, which further delays the development of the requested features.
Although there is frustration on both sides, the consumer is the one who suffers the most. Customers might stop using the service altogether or, at the very least, have a negative view of the business as a whole if there are frequent outages, long downtimes, and delays in releasing new features. Here are some ways that the organization can improve the customer experience by balancing business needs with IT issues.
Working on a Solution Together
The first step for leaders is to identify what prevents the business and IT teams from feeling like one cohesive unit. It often boils down to certain fundamental organizational frameworks and processes that can be changed for the benefit of all parties.
Working on a solution together with both sides satisfied with the development and expected result is crucial. For work to advance quickly, IT must feel at ease showcasing prototypes and early versions of their work, and business users must promptly provide their honest input. When the solution is finished being developed, it should be a perfect fix to the issue rather than only a mediocre upgrade.
Customers are the Top Priority
It is easy to forget that modifications to customer-facing systems are often created, developed, and tested without any involvement from the intended users. Teams may believe they are aware of every area in which consumers experience problems, but until those customers provide direct feedback, issues are inevitably missed or neglected.
When going through the iteration process, it’s crucial to keep in mind how the final product will appear and work for regular users who weren’t engaged in its design. Early input from consumers can help the business, and IT teams in identifying challenges and hurdles in the customer experience before the project enters its final phase of testing.
Maintaining a focus on the needs of the customer not only ensures that the team and internal users are happy with the outcomes but that the consumers also see it as an upgrade.
Also Read: Techniques for B2B Marketers to Boost Customer Experience and Strengthen Trust
Select Solutions that Empower both Business and IT Teams
Large projects are often the main focus of IT teams. Smaller requests and feature recommendations will therefore be added to a list and handled when time and resources permit. Using a low-code platform that allows business teams to build solutions on their own can be a great alternative to waiting for IT to get around to it or building something that hardly functions.
IT can focus on integrations, data flow, and governance without interfering with daily business operations by allowing business teams to optimize their workflows with solutions designed within appropriate guardrails. After all, those employees that interact with consumers are the ones who have the most expertise in these areas. IT can keep an eye on how things are going behind the scenes. It is a win-win situation for the IT and business teams, and the customer benefits from faster access to new features, improving their overall experience.
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