Make tech support a valuable business pillar

LAST week, a New York Times (NYT) article on "Why tech support is (purposely) unbearable" suggested that US companies were "aware of the torture" they put customers through, and that cable and mobile operators provided the worst technical support.

Singapore customers may find solidarity with this universal misery - just about anyone who has tried to reach a telco for product assistance can relate to being put on hold, interacting with rigid automated systems, or talking to tech support agents who read from unhelpful scripts - but the Republic's three listed cable and mobile operators must feel less than amused.

If anything, the article's takeaway is that tech support is one of the most valuable pillars of a business. Over and above product assistance, tech support is a means for the company to get a sense of what is happening on the ground (which is, at times, an unpretty reality of user experience) and to engage with their customers - an effort that is more vital than ever today.