Last week, as I was getting ready for the beginning of a new school year, I heard an interesting reference that got me thinking; "Faculty are a different type of customer in IT's [Information Technology's] eyes." I'm sure that I have heard this claim in various versions before but this time it stuck with me. To be sure, there is some truth in the statement. Students certainly have different needs from faculty. For instance, students will probably want to stream more media than faculty and faculty will probably need more complex software (e.g., SPSS) than students. Furthermore, there are often many more students with many more mobile devices than there are faculty or faculty mobile devices. In a sheer numbers perspective, student bandwidth needs burden the system more than faculty needs. Then again, when faculty need technology on campus, it is often for student learning needs, whereas students may absorb more bandwidth for various academic and social concerns.
On its face, then, faculty may indeed be viewed as a different kind of customer than students, especially when it comes to technology. What struck me about the claim I heard last week was not the logic but that word, customer. But why was I so hung up on that word? In all likelihood, it probably stuck with me because I am used to the title "user" being attributed to IT issues and service. I am certainly a user of technology but am I a customer? And if I am a customer, am I a different type of customer than my students?
The word customer comes from Middle English. It was used to describe an economic transaction, often brief, involving customs. When we travel through customs, let's say at an airport, we report goods that we have brought from outside the country and, at our interaction with the customs official, sometimes pay a tax for bring those items with us. In a store, a similar economic transaction occurs when we purchase items that we want. In both cases, this is a single-point transaction. One customer takes or brings goods to an interaction with one seller or customs official. In many ways, this is different from a client, who has a longterm, often complex relationship with the seller.
So, am I a customer? I certainly hope not! I use technology continuously throughout the data, often on multiple devices at once. If IT views me as a customer, then at least one side of the relationship (theirs) is experiencing a relationship that is a "one and done" deal, whereas I'm looking for a longterm commitment (maybe without the long walks on the beach!).
But maybe this is the problem that so many faculty have with their IT departments. Like any relationship, when both sides differ in their expectations, conflict occurs. I wager that many faculty want a long-term, give and take relationship with their IT departments, whereas many IT departments, often drowning in a sea of request slips, are viewing interactions as "in process" or "complete" transactions. Maybe we need to explore some kind of IT/Faculty version of marriage counseling.
As for the differences between faculty and students, then, it seems that as customers, students will always win the attention of IT departments. Simply by their sheer numbers, they can create more requests for single-point transactions than any faculty group might be able to. However, as clients, may faculty as a little more important. In faculty, IT can find a group that has a bit more staying-power and institutional knowledge. Most of us certainly hope that we will be around for more than 4 years.
Am I a customer? I guess that depends. I would hope that my IT department and yours views you as a client, whether you are a student or faculty member. In this model, the relationship between the user and IT seems more like an investment, where both sides can learn from each other. Even just four years can provide a lot of learning experiences when the relationship is consistent, not viewing issues as single-point transactions. So, as we return to school, let's make an effort to get to know our IT departments as "an individual;" maybe we can even buy them a drink. And let's become their clients, not their customers.
No comments:
Post a Comment