METHODOLOGY

The material in these web pages is based on Client Encounters of the Technical Kind, published in July 2015 and available here.

There’s a lot more to technical work …

… than technology, as anyone in contact with clients will know—and most engineers, scientists and technicians have some sort of client to worry about. Experience shows that the relational and commercial aspects of customer-facing technical roles are as difficult as the ‘hard science’. And, to succeed professionally, you have to shine in all these areas … simultaneously!

Client Encounters of the Technical Kind describes a set of tools and methods that help ‘Customer-Facing Engineers’ to overcome this constant challenge. Based on over 20 years’ experience in direct customer support as well as the management and training of field support teams, the book addresses Sales, Support and ‘Own Organisation’ topics, and also tackles delicate issues, such as how to stand up to customers whose views you do not share. Using a wide range of practical examples, it:

• Helps engineers to bring new and existing customers over to their point of view
• Improves support outcomes by facilitating the analysis of client situations, making it easier to choose the right next steps
• Enables engineers to challenge their customers in a constructive and low-risk manner
• Gives a structure to pre- and post-sales work, facilitating teamwork and helping engineers consolidate their experience.

Topics and tools are organised around a five-step Encounter Process, making them simple to learn and remember, and web-based resources facilitate day-to-day recall and use. The system of tools and methods, called ICON9^®, has proved its worth in many companies—small, large and multinational—where Customer-Facing Engineers are recognised as being critical to success in Business-to-Business (B2B) operations.