IT has been around since the 1980s and has taken different roles in assist business to reach its business targets and increase one business survival ability. However as all these are going on, IT has taken a step backwards and move into the shadow where no one really knows what IT is doing and some users has taken us for granted.
Looks like we have all forgot what IT really means and does for the company. True we are geeks and behaviorally shy (for myself at least) but without us, there can be no emails sending, no proper managing of internet sharing with tens of users, no one to scream at when the personal computer (PC) starts having problems etc..... To illustrate my point further, i will give an example which happened in my company today.
We has set up recently a internal portal where users are encouraged (force) to report their IT faults online. We will proceed to resolve the issue. Priority will be given to those who report through the system, followed by email and phone. The reason for this is to measure MIS key performance index (KPI) and allows some form of analytics on IT infrastructure before some major problems happen. One of the service we provide is FTP where transfer of large files are made possible (even though it is slow and prior to problems). One of my users request that we set up a account for one of our vendors so that some files can be transfer. We by practice will create the account and test the account to make sure it is accessible outside of my company before sending the details to the user. On top we will also include a step by step manual on how to access the ftp server.
So today one of users after we have did the above complain via email that the vendor is unable to access the site and asked why we closed the job request when it is half solved. Of course we ask the user to login a job request through the portal. But the user took the easy way and call my manager asking him what is happening and confuse my manager. My manager being diplomatic , ask me what is really happening and i explain from beginning. Having understand the full pic, my manager ask the user to log in a job request and explain our stand. Again the user called and demand what is the issue here. Then we finally realize that the user has no intent to follow the system and wish to shortcut her way through by pressuring my manager for the solution. My manager 'outsource' the problem to me and seeing no way out, I replied in an email asking for the vendor contact to "keep out middleman noise". The user immediately is offended and take it personally. I replied that she has misunderstood my intention and aplogize for the 'misunderstanding'
Being the subject master, of course I feel that I do not need to spend time trying to explain myself to some executive whom may not have enough IT knowledge to know that is going on. My company used to the the policy whereby all FTP or IT related issues go straight to the MIS department. So we become support consultant for our vendors/customers as well. That is the right approach as that makes MIS responsible for our actions and even though we may not generate any form of sales, by being visible to vendors/ customers concern, we provide another level of personalized service that is hopefully valued by our vendors/ customers and internal business partners alike.
Whether the problem is resolved or not, i will have to let my management take a stand to make MIS visible and hopefully make the illustrated problem, a problem of the past bygone era.
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