Customer is King

I was chatting with my spouse, who incidently is no stranger to IT industry. What we discussed, gave me enough to share with my dear readers.

So Lets first understand the context with a question:- What are the most common reasons for client escalations?

If i were to dare, from my (our) past experience, i will try to collate the key reasons for any escalation.

Disclaimer:- Please pardon, these are from my(our) very personal experience and any resemblance of any sort is purely coincidental.

Alright, here goes my list:-

1. Art of delegation:- Everyone in team think "they can do all". This is the most common problem i feel we face with stakeholders who are reluctant to delegating the things at right time to right people. Customers may not know the reality (or root cause), but they fume at not seeing the results. After all they pay for the results.

2. Assumptions:- Teams make so many assumptions, that they over-kill themselves.I feel the pragmatic approach to any service is waning. Teams have started living for the day/moment and are decreasingly future oriented. If i were to use technical jargon, Teams have started becoming "Agile".

3. Pompousness:- This is so very implicit that teams tend to ignore the fact that clients are smarter these days. Any degree of Pompousness will be killing for any team.So we need to be aware.

4. No status reporting:- This is seriously gross. Teams refrain - may be for zillion of practical and mental reasons, to share the very status of any deliverable/service.They report when asked.

5. Sitting on issues/problems - I somehow feel the tricks we learnt during our entrance exams are very life living. The thumb rule we were taught was - never sit on a question, instead leave it and move on. If i were to apply the same rule - i would say teams, sit too much and donot go back to client for more information. I know leaving situation is anachronic but going back to client is best. Even they will appreciate.

Miscellaneous others:-

7. Not creating the motivating team culture.

8. NOt relating with each member of team

9. Team Thinking every project/assignment a stop gap arrangement for different personal goals in life - could be money, designation(power), onsite experience etc etc

10. To top all - People have become "Being individual" and does not work/showcase and live as team .


There are definitely many more. But this is what my(our) small experience has taught. Maybe will retrospect more some other day, some other time.

Till then..lets recite and create a placard - "Customer is King".


~ Manav Ahuja