Let me take you back to my time at a mid-sized tech company, where I worked closely with a forward-thinking CEO who constantly challenged the status quo and often asked the kind of questions that made everyone stop and think. I still remember the day, during one of our leadership meetings, when he looked around the room and asked, “Do you think our IT team is really the best in the industry?” It was one of those moments that stuck with me.
It was a simple question, but it sparked a debate that lasted for weeks. As the team tried to answer, they realized the question wasn’t as straightforward as it seemed. Here’s how their journey to find the answer unfolded, focusing on three key areas: alignment with business goals, impact on the company’s success, and how to measure what truly matters.
The Trap of Misalignment: The Case of the Marketing Campaign
To understand the importance of alignment, let’s rewind a bit. A few months before the CEO’s question, the company had launched a major marketing campaign. It was supposed to be a game-changer, designed to capture a new market segment. The marketing team had poured their hearts into it, and the IT team was tasked with building the digital infrastructure to support it.
But something went wrong. The campaign launched with much fanfare, but the website couldn’t handle the traffic. The servers crashed repeatedly, causing frustration among potential customers. Sales didn’t meet expectations, and the campaign fell flat. The marketing team was furious, and fingers were pointed at IT.
But here’s the thing: the IT team had actually done a remarkable job—on paper. They had implemented cutting-edge technology and followed best practices to the letter. The problem? There was a disconnect between what the IT team was focused on and what the business actually needed. They were so absorbed in building a state-of-the-art system that they lost sight of the primary goal: ensuring a smooth customer experience during the campaign.
This story highlights the first key area: alignment. An IT team can be the best at what they do, but if their work isn’t aligned with the company’s goals, it doesn’t matter. Success in IT should be measured by how well it supports and drives the business forward, not by how advanced or sophisticated the technology is.
The Power of Impact: The Customer Support Turnaround
Now, let’s fast-forward a bit. After the marketing campaign debacle, the CEO and leadership team decided to rethink how they measured IT’s success. They realized that having the best technology wasn’t enough; what mattered was the impact IT had on the company’s overall success.
One area they decided to focus on was customer support. The company had been receiving complaints about long wait times and slow issue resolution, which hurt its reputation and cost its customers. The IT team was brought in to overhaul the support system.
This time, they approached the problem differently. Instead of just upgrading the technology, they started by understanding the needs of the customer support team and the customers themselves. They simplified the ticketing system, automated routine tasks, and introduced real-time analytics to track and improve performance.
The results were dramatic. Wait times were slashed, customer satisfaction soared, and the company’s Net Promoter Score (NPS) significantly boosted. IT had a direct, measurable impact on the business, and it was clear to everyone—from the support staff to the CEO.
This brings us to the second key area: impact. It’s not about having the best technology or processes; it’s about making a tangible difference to the company’s success. IT’s role is to enable the business to achieve its goals, whether that’s through better customer service, faster product delivery, or more efficient operations.
Measuring What Matters: The Journey to Continuous Improvement
After the success of the customer support project, the CEO was convinced that they were on the right track. But he still wanted to know: how could they measure whether their IT team was truly the best? This led to the third and final focus area: measurement.
The leadership team realized that traditional IT metrics like uptime or number of bugs fixed weren’t enough. These were important, but they didn’t tell the whole story. They needed to measure outcomes that directly correlated with business success.
They started by setting clear, business-focused goals for IT. For example, instead of just tracking system uptime, they measured the impact of system downtime on sales. Instead of counting the number of projects completed, they looked at how those projects contributed to customer satisfaction and revenue growth.
They also embraced the idea of continuous improvement. They set up regular reviews where they didn’t just look at what IT had achieved but also how it could do better. This wasn’t about finding faults; it was about making sure that IT was always aligned with the company’s evolving goals and consistently making a positive impact.
Conclusion: The Best IT Team is One That Drives Business Success
So, is your IT team the best in the industry? The answer depends on how you define “the best.” If your IT team is aligned with your business goals, if it’s making a measurable impact on your company’s success, and if you’re measuring what truly matters, then you’re on the right path.
The story of this tech company shows that being the best isn’t about having the flashiest technology or the most impressive metrics. It’s about ensuring that your IT team is a driving force behind your company’s success. So, next time you’re asked if your IT team is the best, remember to consider what they’re doing and how they’re contributing to the bigger picture.
A company’s Net Promoter Score (NPS) is a metric used to measure customer loyalty and satisfaction. It is calculated based on how likely customers are to recommend the company’s products or services to others.
Customers are asked to rate their likelihood of recommending the company on a scale from 0 to 10. Based on their responses, customers are grouped into three categories:
- Promoters (9-10): These are loyal customers who are highly likely to recommend the company and continue buying from it.
- Passives (7-8): These customers are satisfied but not enthusiastic, and they might switch to a competitor if offered a better deal.
- Detractors (0-6): These are unhappy customers who are unlikely to recommend the company and might even discourage others from using its products or services.
The NPS is calculated by subtracting the percentage of detractors from the percentage of promoters. The score can range from -100 to +100, with higher scores indicating greater customer loyalty and satisfaction.