#RelateLive

Ryan DonahueZendesk VP Global Design

@rydonahue

Designed with ServiceThe Emerging Alliance of Design and Customer Service

Peter Thiel Billionaire Investor, author of Zero to OneElon Musk Founder of Tesla, Spacex, SolarCity

Peter Thiel Billionaire Investor, Contrarian, Author of Zero to One

“By 2016, 89% of companies expect to compete mostly on the basis of customer experience, versus 36% four years ago.” - Gartner Research

Customer Experience as Innovation

Customer experience innovations are typically cheaper and easier to create than “zero to one” leaps in technology or product.

Design and service are two of the most important layers of CX. Can be done quickly and relatively cheaply.

Add great design to your support experience and stand out from the crowd

Technology Drives Commoditization

Commoditization driven by tech:

It has never been easier to start a company (e-commerce, web hosting, social media, google, etc.)

Cheaper, scalable storage (Moore’s law, AWS).

Lower barrier to entry for software development.

Customer experience is one way of defending against look-a-likes

The Heart of Customer Experience

Customer Service

Design

Customer Service

Design

Today these things are largely disconnected

Customer Service

Design

The Heart of Customer Experience

Part OneWhy designers really need support people

Design Needs Love From the Support TeamAsking a support team to “live the brand” requires lots of trust and buy-in

For a brand, support personnel are the critical human layer of the brand.

Great support people speak, act and listen like the brand would do if it were human.

Brand managers can provide direction for how the brand personality should come across.

Designers Need Constant Validation of Their IdeasInteractions with customers are coveted and necessary to designers

Getting in front of real customers with new ideas is part of the everyday function of a user-centered design team.

However, access to customers is often challenging.

Artificial Customers are Costly and Lack ValuePaid respondents (in place of the real customers) is often the norm

Design teams spend lots of time and money working with customer proxies when they could be talking to the real thing.

You’re Swimming in Customer DataSupport organizations are immersed in what designers need - customer insights

Support organizations are swimming in data that could be used to drive innovation, but it is rarely leveraged to its full potential.

Part TwoWhy support people really need designers

Cost Center Innovation Center Profit Center

Value Perception of Support OrganizationsBy aligning with design, support is more likely viewed as an innovation center

Value Perception of Support OrganizationsBy aligning with design, support is more likely viewed as an innovation center

Cost Center Innovation Center Profit Center

When support orgs align with design

Support Teams Need to Align With the BrandIf your support personnel aren’t on-brand, you’re hurting the business

Service orgs are hurting brands everyday by not having a brand team available to design the service experience.

Design and Support Must AlignTo compete on customer experience these teams must join forces

Here’s How to Get Started

Make Designers Provide Service

Have designers work as customer service advocates for a day (or longer). First hand experience is invaluable.

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Let Service People Design

Customer service people are always invaluable in design thinking workshops.

Tag Your Data Train and incentivize your agents to tag and route insights to design stakeholders.

4 Design Your Service Make the brand design of your service experience a top priority for your design team.

Designers as Part-Time Support AdvocatesFor just a day, or on a regular basis, allow designers to work as support advocates

Irina Blok, a designer at Zendesk, started her first week on the job by working as a support advocate.

Your Design Thinking Needs Support PeopleSupport professionals strengthen the design process

Support people bring an informed perspective to customer-centered design thinking. Sadly, their knowledge largely goes untapped.

Tag Your Support Data with Designers in MindIf scientists can tag a butterfly, you can tag an email

First response time and CSAT are critical metrics but there is so much more.

Design a Unique and Branded Service ExperienceGreat brands invest their creativity in serving customers well, and uniquely

Warby Parker advocates all wearing Warby eyewear, whether their eyes require glasses - or not.

Its Time to Align

89% of companies plan to compete mostly on the basis of customer experience1

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Support and design are at the center of customer experience, but are deeply disconnected within the org

By aligning, both teams benefit greatly

Q & A