Enterprise Technology Blog

It’s been too long since I’ve posted and have nothing to blame it on other than time, or lack thereof. 

This item from the IT Failures Blog at ZDNet came to me via Twitter.  Michael Krigsman, the IT Failures blog blogger, picked up the story from ZDNet’s Larry Dignan.  Larry is Editor in Chief of ZDNet and Editorial Director of ZDNet sister site TechRepublic and wrote a Wednesday post about the B&L shake up on his Between The Lines blog.

If one can re-tweet, I assume re-blogging is also acceptable so here goes.

The bottom line of the story is that B&L has decided to roll customer service under one person. Writes Larry Dignan: [Bausch & Lomb] named Alan Farnsworth, senior vice president of customer service and information technology and chief information officer.

Michael Krigsman looks at the positive side of such a move:

[B]y bringing together IT and customer service under one roof, Bausch & Lomb creates stronger connections between two critical information-related functions. Eliminating the boundaries creates tremendous opportunity for the company to bring strategic IT to bear on customer service. That’s got to be good for customers and therefore great for Bausch & Lomb.

Considering there are two sides to every coin, I’d like to turn this one over and look potential pitfalls.

I have no doubt that Customer Service gathers and stores more information than any single B&L department, if not all others combined.  Also, if SoftBrands is any gage, I’m convinced their CSRs spend more time in the CRM system than accounting in theirs, sales in theirs, etc.  None of this convinces me, however, that putting the Customer Service department under the direction of the CIO is a good idea…for any company.

Customer Service is just one of several functional areas requiring support from IT, its people and systems, but making it part of IT sends a message that the other departments do not rise to the same level of importance.  The truth is, there are competing interests and priorities that need to be managed and they are best managed by a neutral third party, not by someone who represents one of the competiting parties.  

Imagine sitting in a budget meeting with the CIO, discussing wish list of software and hardware you would like your team to have in the next fiscal year.  Then imagine having the Customer Service manage sitting next to you with her wish list.  How confident are you that your priorities would get a fair hearing.

I’m not suggesting intentional maliciousness or a conspiracy to keep you from getting what your team needs.  But, let’s face it, we are all human and we come with biases.  Ask yourself this: Two people ask you to loan them $5 each.  Both have legitimate reasons for needing the money.  One is a good friend, the other an acquaintance, but you have enough for just one. 

Which way do you lean?  Who gets the money?

The move by Bausch & Lomb to put Customer Service under the watch of the CIO is an interesting one and I hope it succeeds.  Not because I have a vested interest, but because I think it’s risky and I admire risk takers.

It is a move that deserves to be watched closely.