Enhancing Customer Experience through Scheduled Change Management Communication
Stephen Finn
September 19, 2023
In our previous blog, titled "Using Network Outages and Change Management Strategies to Improve Customer Experience," we explored the concept of change management in the context of municipalities and Hydro Utilities as they introduce broadband services. The main focus was to emphasize the importance of change management in enhancing customer experience and enabling organizations to build networks and revenue faster. This article will delve deeper into the role of effective communication in scheduled change management, especially during the initial stages of Internet service deployment. During these early stages, your organization's ability to deliver the promised level of service and customer care is under scrutiny, making it crucial to maintain a consistent and proactive approach to communication.
This article will explain the importance of setting a communication cadence during scheduled maintenance and provide a few simple steps to implement it within your organization.
Why Establish a Cadence of Change Management Communication?
Your maintenance window is not just a part of your technical operation; it's also your customer's maintenance window. When network outages or changes occur, your customers are directly impacted, and how you handle these situations can significantly influence their perception of your services or, worse, impact their business operations.
Here are some examples of scenarios where scheduled change management communication is crucial:
Telehealth services rely on uninterrupted connectivity; downtime can disrupt critical healthcare operations.
Point-of-sale (PoS) systems cannot afford unexpected outages, especially during important events or peak retail sales days.
Cloud-based services are the backbone of many businesses today, and any interruption can result in financial losses.
Enterprise customers may need to shut down servers for maintenance, and effective communication helps them plan for this, ensuring minimal disruptions.
Remote workers rely on their residential service for critical presentations, meetings or virtual conferences.
Schools or students for online courses, exams, or access to online resources to meet a vital paper deadline.
First Email - Minimum of 2 Weeks in Advance:
Send an initial email notification two weeks before the scheduled maintenance window. This provides ample time for residential and business customers to plan around any critical events.
Encourage enterprise customers to notify their internal users and customers about the upcoming maintenance. This one is a big one and often overlooked. We may do a great job telling our customers, but if they do not notify their customers then the overall customer experience will be impacted.
Include details of the service levels committed during the maintenance and provide a contact for customer inquiries.
Second Email - One Day Before:
Send a second email notification one day before the scheduled maintenance as a reminder.
Reiterate the importance of the maintenance and highlight any specific actions customers need to take.
Third Email - One Hour Before
Just one hour before the maintenance, send a final reminder email.
Emphasize that this is the last advance notice and that this email aims to reduce unnecessary disruption and support calls during the outage.
Final Email - After Completion
Once the scheduled maintenance is completed, send a final email to inform customers that the outage is over.
If you have a Network Operations Center (NOC), ensure they inform the customer support center or Service Desk for coordination.
Clear and effective communication during scheduled change management is crucial to enhance the customer experience. By setting up a regular communication cadence, you can keep your customers informed and minimize the impact of outages on their work and personal lives as much as possible. It's important to remember that your maintenance window is also your customer's maintenance window, and transparent communication can be the key to maintaining their trust and satisfaction.
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