> It's hard to keep good people in support because it's difficult and often underpaid because its a cost of good sold.
That's one way to look at it. Another is that it's marketing and brand-building. Yet another is that it's user research. And vital data for process improvement, product improvement, and waste reduction.
In reading about Lean Manufacturing, one of the most interesting things I learned is that companies that successfully transition to it don't just change their manufacturing. They change their accounting. That's because traditional accounting has viewpoints baked into it that conflict with long-term improvement.
I am very interested in this. especially the change in accounting and the reasoning behind this. could you point me in the right direction regarding where you read it?
Oh, and one way I've heard to express it is that most businesses are focused on costs and profits. But the right approach is to focus on value creation and waste.
So if I'm making hamburgers, the way to sustained profit isn't identifying my biggest cost (say, beef) and then cutting it. It's by identifying the biggest wastes and reducing them. So the first thing I do is to reduce beef inventory, so I'm not throwing out unused meat (or serving old meat, which also reduces customer value). I minimize overproduction, so I'm not tossing (or serving) staled cooked burgers. Maybe I change how the patty is made, because all things equal people like the look and flavor of a thinner but wider burger that peeps past the edge of he bun.
Similarly, I'd look at customer service as a way to maximize value delivered. Even if we make and sell a product that's in theory great, no value is delivered if a person can't figure out how to work it. So obviously, we need to help every person who buys it. But then we also look upstream in the process, to see how we can redesign the product and its experience so that customer support is less necessary. That in turn lets existing CS staff discover and mitigate less obvious problems.
Look into cost accounting vs. lean accounting. /The Goal/ is a classic and relatively fun read. /Principles of Product Development Flow/ is also highly regarded, although neither are strictly accounting books.
The Goal is currently on my list after having read "The Phoenix Project". Thanks for also giving me additional material with "Principles of Product Development Flow".
That's one way to look at it. Another is that it's marketing and brand-building. Yet another is that it's user research. And vital data for process improvement, product improvement, and waste reduction.
In reading about Lean Manufacturing, one of the most interesting things I learned is that companies that successfully transition to it don't just change their manufacturing. They change their accounting. That's because traditional accounting has viewpoints baked into it that conflict with long-term improvement.