Customer Service benchmark

Here is a real customer service episode we had recently.

I was in a meeting with a client when she told me that she will be traveling overseas next week and would like to show a demo of the web-based application we just developed for them. She was unsure about having Internet access while abroad and she could not carry a heavy laptop for health reasons.

I carry a Sony Vaio Ultrabook (about 1 Kg. in weight) as a Windows based alternative to Macbook Air. I suggested we'll deploy the web-app on the ultrabook and she could demo it from 'localhost' without needing Internet access. We agreed on the solution and the deployment started.

As soon as we deployed the app on the Ultrabook, Murphy made his first mark! We realized the charting library we used in the system only works when the user is connected to the Net. This is OK in most cases as user would typically access the system over the Web, but we were preparing for a 'standalone' scenario. Thankfully we had a couple of days in hand to replace the charting library with one that is independent of the Internet.

Murphy smiled again when another colleague who was supposed to deliver the ultrabook to the client reported sick the day he was supposed to travel. Thankfully we had a plan B ready and we triggered it. Our lead developer flew to handover the ultrabook. Just before the handover, we realized some anomalies in the system which he decided to fix immediately, to realize further that the 3G data card for wireless Net access has some issues though it was functioning well earlier. Client opened her office on the Sunday and got the Net access required to fix the issues. The whole team worked over the Sunday and got the system ready for the demo abroad.

As always, learnings.....

  1. Murphy's laws are as relevant as always. If something can go wrong, it will! Be prepared with a plan B, always.
  2. Start early, so that you have enough time to handle unexpected surprises
  3. Software development is a collaborative process when client and vendors are actually collaborators/partners in project management.
  4. Hence, collaborative Agile methodology is the only natural way for serios software development.
  5. Teamwork wins! We are an extended team of our client to make sure they succeed so that we do. I am so proud of and grateful to my team!

Each of our clients feels that they are our only client. That's our benchmark for customer service at Harrier. That's the reason we get over 70% of our revenue from repeat orders!

Thank you for reading. I look forward to your feedback, thoughts, ideas and suggestions.


Location: Nagpur, Maharashtra, India

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