Strategic Planning

for Customer Service

& Support: Quick Guide
Adapt your strategy to a rapidly
changing environment

© 2020 Gartner, Inc. and/or its aff iliates. All rights reserved. CM_CF_987738
The why and how of
streamlined strategic planning
As organizations reset their business strategies, strategic A waste-free planning approach works from the beginning
planning for 2020-2021 can no longer be the type that lasts to quickly produce a clear, effective, measurable,
for months or relates to a strategy that is fixed until the next communicable plan by focusing exclusively on the following
annual review. The business context is changing too fast and key components:
too radically, and scenario plans, strategies and strategic
1. A few metrics that define the function’s current and target
plans need to streamline accordingly.
end state
At a functional level, strategic planning defines the roadmap 2. The most critical assumptions underpinning the plan
for executing the choices and actions required to meet 3. The key initiatives required to achieve the end state
strategic goals — which reflect the function’s contribution 4. A concise statement that distills and communicates
to the enterprise business model and goals. the strategy

Effective execution therefore rides on the following

four imperatives.

Strategic Planning for Customer Service & Support: Quick Guide 2

The why and how of streamlined strategic planning (continued)

01 Identify a shortlist of metrics to describe the

function’s target state 02 Document and monitor
key assumptions
To brainstorm appropriate metrics to measure your function’s target state, first The assumptions that underpin your strategy are essential tools for communication
confer with business leaders and other stakeholders to make sure you’re clear because they reflect why the target end state and required initiatives are better than
on the overarching business strategy and goals. Then identify metrics that relate alternatives and they form the cognitive foundation of the selected strategy.
directly to your stated outcomes. In articulating the central drivers of value for your function, include explicit cause-
You’ll need to estimate the metrics’ value on Day 1 to track your progress. The and-effect relationships and interdependencies where they exist among, e.g., the
period to achieve those targets may be as short as a quarter or as long as five business ecosystem (initial and target), key initiatives and external driving forces.
years — depending in part on the volatility of the current environment and the Incorporate assumptions developed during scenario planning to better understand
need to give a strategy a chance to work. Longer-term goals should still be which of these relationships are highly reliable “truths” while others represent
tracked at least quarterly. highly uncertain dynamics difficult to control or predict.
Make sure the assumptions are concrete, with quantifiable thresholds for monitoring,
and frequently monitor the assumption thresholds to watch for advanced warning of
an imminent breach. The breach of one of these assumptions would trigger an urgent
course correction.

Strategic Planning for Customer Service & Support: Quick Guide 3

The why and how of streamlined strategic planning (continued)

03 Identify key initiatives and milestones required

to move to the end state 04 Craft a concise statement that captures the
essence of the strategy
To identify the select key initiatives that drive waste-free planning, include In creating a statement to surmise the essence or core elements of a strategy, strive
initiatives that: for a single, aspirational sentence — but be willing to sacrifice conciseness for clarity.
The focus should be more on getting the essential elements right than on finding the
• Represent the “change the business agenda”
perfect turns of phrase. Teams caught in endless debate over wordsmithing have
• Seek to create value beyond the inertial trajectory
likely gone too far.
• Demonstrate real action by grouping smaller projects under the initiative
as necessary The components of the strategic plan can be documented on a single page,
making it easy to communicate (see Page 5).
The plan doesn’t need to include initiatives intended to run the business, such
as “keep serving our customers” or “maintain employee engagement.” These
initiatives strive to perpetuate the current state or trajectory.
After specifying the initiatives, set criteria and dates for key milestones and
completion. Benefits of waste-free strategic planning
By boiling strategic planning down to only these necessary and sufficient
parts, a waste-free planning approach enables:
• Faster, but more collaborative, strategy formulation
• Quicker and more effective communication to implementers (with less “lost
in translation”)
• Earlier course correction
• More objective measurement and allocation of performance gaps between
strategy formulation and execution

Strategic Planning for Customer Service & Support: Quick Guide 4

Strategic Plan on a Page for Customer Service & Support Leaders, 2020-2021
Document the key elements of your strategy on one page. Examples are illustrative.

Current state Plan Future state

Measured by Constituted of Do Don’t Measured by

4 to 7 metrics 4 to 7 • Reconcile conflicting views • Push ahead without consensus and 4 to 7 targets
buy-in
initiatives • Build strong buy-in
Do Do
• Focus resources and attention
• Accurately measure the organization’s • Describe the organization’s desired end state
baseline and progress toward target state • Set goals to determine when the end state
Example: Implement CRM system that pulls customer information upfront for easy front-line rep access.
• Capture mission-critical risks to running will be reached
the business metrics
Example: Simplify the web self-service process and guide customers to best-service channel to reduce
Don’t
repeat contacts.
Don’t • Target scenarios too distant from the current
• Create overly detailed metrics related to state
day-to-day performance

Rationalized by Do Don’t Example: Customer effort score: 82 out of

Example: Customer effort score: 74 out of 4 to 7 • Communicate explicitly • Create confusion or disagreement 100 within 6 months
100 around basis of strategy
assumptions • Specify quantifiable thresholds
• Allow for real-time course corrections Example: First call resolution: 92% within
Example: First call resolution: 86% 8 months
Example: Live service costs xx times as much as self-service.

Example: 40% or more of today’s live volume could be resolved in self-service channels.

Expressed as Do Don’t
1 sentence • Capture the essence of the strategy • Create doubt around what
constitutes strategy

Example: Drive and support top-line growth by providing a more consistent and seamless customer
service experience.

Strategic Planning for Customer Service & Support: Quick Guide 5

Strategic Plan on a Page Template
Type in the fields below to complete the interactive form.

Current state Plan Future state

Measured by Constituted of Measured by

4 to 7 metrics 4 to 7 4 to 7 targets
initiatives

Rationalized by
4 to 7
assumptions

Expressed as
1 sentence

Strategic Planning for Customer Service & Support: Quick Guide 6

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© 2020 Gartner, Inc. and/or its affiliates. All rights reserved. CM_CF_987738