Context
I've been working in physical security field and in charge of a PC-based NVR(Network Video Recorder) product.
The Hidden Stakeholders
Last few weeks, I've dealt with a bunch of site issues.
Sometimes I resolved the issue remotely on my own.
Sometimes I supported the CS team in site to treat issues when I couldn't connect to the site(isolated network)
And sometimes I helped installation technicians.
Over the course of these experiences, I realized something. There were more people related to my product than I used to think. And each of them priortizes different things.
| Stakeholder | What They Care About |
|---|---|
| Installation technicians | Easy setup of network, cameras(codec, resolution, bitrate, etc.) and other initial configurations |
| CS team | Access to logs, settings, and troubleshooting information to diagnose and resolve site issues |
| Customers | A simple, reliable, and easy-to-use experience, especially for monitoring and playback |
What I Missed
Among them, I usually focused on improving only customer's experience. Why? user experience is always the top prior. There's no doubt.
And it was my mistake.
I should've focused on installation technicians and CS team as well.
The idea came from a simple thought - why were there so many issues that I, the engineer, must've dealt with?
The answer was simple - the software was not good enough for them(installers and CS) to resolve the issues themselves.
The software might satisfy customer experience, but not the other stakeholders.
- CS team : If the software does not support enough features for the to resolve the issue, they will end up asking me to deal with the issue.
- Installation technicians : If the software is inconvenient to set up initial settings(network, camera, etc.) they will also end up asking me about that. Even worse, they may accidentally set the product wrong.
-
- Initial installation is especially important. Customers usually don't change the initial settings and don't want to touch that. It's related to installation technicians' experience after all.
So simply, improving their experiences is also for myself.
Finding Common Ground
At this point, I had a question.
How can I satisfy all of them? That's too much.
Of course it may sound tiring. And it might not be able to satisfy all of stakeholders.
Here's a trick : before you get down to your tasks, find a common point first.
For exmaple, in my case, easy network setting is important for both the CS and installation technicians, so I priortized it first.
Since we're always pressed for time, negotiating with yourself and finding a common point will help you satisfy your stakeholders.
Conclusion
I used to think improving customer experience was enough.
Now I think software experience should include everyone who interacts with the product, even if they are not the end users.
Because when their experience improves, mine improves too.
Thank you for reading this article.