‘If we don’t have satisfied customers, we will perish’

Chia Wee Boon, V-P
at HP (customer support services, Asia-Pacific), is in charge of supporting
customer needs for availability, performance, management and protection of IT
investments. Prior to his current appointment, Wee Boon was managing director of
HP Singapore and South-East Asia. He also managed HP’s Business Customer
Organization in Southeast Asia, including sales, services, consulting and
marketing. Excerpts from an interview...

l What
are the differences in servicing customers across cultures?

A nation’s culture can be well compared to the country’s state of the
economy. In a less developed country (LDC), the demand for IT services is
relatively smaller and simple. However, these less developed countries are more
product-oriented. Hence, there is a constant need to procure out and provide
value added services.

l What
is the driving force behind HP’s customer Services and Support for Southeast
Asia?

Customers are the sole driving force and our functioning depends on what the
customers really want. Customers are focused on Return on Investments (ROI) and
Total Cost of Ownership (TCO). We need to provide them a comprehensive set of
end-to-end services from plan to design. HP plays in every single segment of
customer support because if we do not have satisfied customers, we cease to
exist.

l What
is the importance of support services and support delivery mechanisms when
interacting with the customers?

How you define customer support is vital. Two important assessments have to be
made regarding the same. These are the level of absorption of IT and going
beyond the products. Customers usually look out for beyond-the-box services
rather than hardware technology. If we extend the definition of customer
support, the future is bright.

l What
are the current trends in support services?

India has a dual role. Firstly, it is the key exporter of IT products. Secondly,
the products are cost-effective but highly competent. The country also provides
a huge market for the absorption of technology based services and has a high
growth potential.

Aakriti Kaushik