SMARTER DIGITAL
  • Blog
  • Smarter Digital Press
    • On Post-Covid Techno-Social Transformation
    • TIE: Learning from 737 Disasters
    • TIE: EdTech Reality Check
    • TIE: Anyone, Anyone Bueller?
    • TIE Online Blog
    • Books
    • Tongue Booger
  • Courses & Platforms
    • Outschool
    • Lesson Leap: Animation
    • ESME8
  • Work
    • Organizational Transformation >
      • My Approach >
        • Make the Invisible, Visible
        • Break Conway's Law
        • Build for Support
        • Consulting
    • Technology Audit
    • EdTech Audit
  • About
    • Matt Brady Website
    • Bio of Matt Brady
  • Blog
  • Smarter Digital Press
    • On Post-Covid Techno-Social Transformation
    • TIE: Learning from 737 Disasters
    • TIE: EdTech Reality Check
    • TIE: Anyone, Anyone Bueller?
    • TIE Online Blog
    • Books
    • Tongue Booger
  • Courses & Platforms
    • Outschool
    • Lesson Leap: Animation
    • ESME8
  • Work
    • Organizational Transformation >
      • My Approach >
        • Make the Invisible, Visible
        • Break Conway's Law
        • Build for Support
        • Consulting
    • Technology Audit
    • EdTech Audit
  • About
    • Matt Brady Website
    • Bio of Matt Brady

Rebuild for support

Digital transformation is high-touch, not high tech

DASDF?

Picture
What a Real Capacity Building Transformation looks like is a service orientation
So I’m ready to replace the filter for the first time. I open the door to see the make and model of my refrigerator prominently displayed on the inside frame, nicely embedded for the moment of need. My original intent was to take that information, Google the manufacturer’s website and research how to change the filters on this particular model.

But upon examining the label, I noticed a QR code alongside the model number. I took my smartphone from my back pocket, scanned the code and was taken directly to my specific refrigerator model on the product section of the manufacturer’s website. As I looked at the bottom of my phone display (with no scrolling involved), I saw a list of commonly asked questions. The first one is about how to change a water filter. I clicked the link and was taken to a page of directions with a video at the top explaining how to change the filter. Problem solved in less than five minutes.

Notice: They didn’t direct me to the user manual. They didn’t post an 800 number to call for assistance. They didn’t have a link on their home page directing me to a FAQ. They designed user-focused support into the experience by anticipating my performance problem.

To do that, they took pains to know my behavior.  Second, they embedded support at my point of need; the resource fit perfectly both in location and context.  The technology was perfectly matched- it was literally in my back pocket and setup for viewing on a mobile device and I was guided to the appropriate resource in seconds.  They gave me two options but clearly recommended the one they felt was most helpful. That’s a powerful way of looking at technology.

These are the range of offerings that transformation entails; and if you rebuild for support like this, you:

  • Lower support costs. ​ do less training. lower help desk and post-training support costs.Optimize support impact.
  • Increase customer satisfaction. We want to empower learners’ confidence in their ability to solve problems and own their professional development.
  • Increase customer loyalty and sell more products.  those you serve will want to continue to buy
 
  •  if you are not seeing examples like this one in your organization, be aware you are at risk of being outcompeted on service and or your technology/support is leaving money on the table.

  • Notice this example of tech support did not feature innovative technology. It made a customer have a good days because it was a process that worked exactly as needed, no more no less.  People generally don’t want features and innovations—until the core problems are solved. So there needs to be a realignment- repair is better than innovation. You might have all the trappings of a program, but if the inner game is off, the processes aren’t delivering, then no amount of what you can see is going to make what people experience match what is necessary.


Digital Ecosystem Design Deliver transformational capability, hardware, software and mindware
  • Design is intelligence made visible
  • It means inspiring teachers to try new tools and strategies by making their current systems to organize, instruct and inspire work first before integrating anything extra. Creating and delivering “future-ready” digital ecosystems because we all want to be inspired; we all want to wake up in the morning thinking the future is going to be great and feel that we can influence what the future looks like and will be.
  • Design work enabled effective communication, reduced operational complexity
  • Data and Systems architecting: It's amazing how many people don't realize how important a well defined production process is to get shit done quickly.


Support/Vision/Results


-Solved: became the chief advocate for understanding staff/student POV.




Insight to think what nobody has thought yet, about what everybody sees, then executing.
- transformative leadership




Do more for others than anyone else is doing: leading from influence, not authority.
-Successful leadership does opposite of what passes for leadership- decentralize and support.     


There was, he said, no 'Eureka' moment.


Instead, it was hard work, the experience of working in computer science and an attempt to overcome the frustrations of trying to share information with colleagues and students.

Why is this problem worth solving?

Interesting because it’s what innovation really aught to be focused on.
  • Lower support costs. In our case, we want to lower help desk and post-training support costs.
  • Optimize support resources while reducing in-home visits. In L&D we want to decrease the overhead of expensive learning resources such as the classroom while optimizing their impact.
  • Increase customer satisfaction. We want to empower learners’ confidence in their ability to solve problems and own their professional development.
  • Increase customer loyalty and sell more products. In our case, we want to create better and more impactful learning products that those we serve will want to continue to buy

How do you solve it?  How can you make the invisible, visible?  (My Contributions)

  • Lower support costs. In our case, we want to lower help desk and post-training support costs.
  • Optimize support resources while reducing in-home visits. In L&D we want to decrease the overhead of expensive learning resources such as the classroom while optimizing their impact.
  • Increase customer satisfaction. We want to empower learners’ confidence in their ability to solve problems and own their professional development.
  • Increase customer loyalty and sell more products. In our case, we want to create better and more impactful learning products that those we serve will want to continue to buy
nteresting because it’s what innovation really aught to be focused on.

High touch is better than high tech because high tech alone is lost on the average person.

Repair more important than innovation.
​

How do I know this approach works?  Because it treats technology as but a part in the whole

What is referred to as "technology" in an organization is actually a social technical system; an interlinked, systems based mixture of people, technology and their environment. Technology is part of your digital ecosystem. Good digital ecosystem design deliver transformational capability, hardware, software and mindware.  Essentially, design is intelligence made visible, it works to enable effective communication, reduce and operational complexity.  It means inspiring teachers to try new tools and strategies by making their current systems to organize, instruct and inspire really work first before integrating anything extra. 

It's amazing how many people don't realize how important a well defined production process is to get things done well. Truly, design is intelligence made visible, 

Next Steps

- Click here to receive the first section of the free white paper: Leading Technology Change. 

- Click here to contact Matt Brady for a free online consultation about your school or organization

- Connect on linked in or twitter
​
- Read more...
Copyright © 2020 by Matt Brady. All rights reserved.