Start from the End - How to Improve IT Processes from the Customer’s Perspective?

Most IT optimization projects start with tools, systems, backlogs, and architecture. But if you truly want to improve the customer experience - start from the end.

Once you know who your client is and understand who they really are, you can begin analyzing the process backwards. And remember: the client is not always the end user. In IT, the client can be:

• a call center employee using the system,

• a sales team leader waiting for a report,

• a colleague from another department to whom you're assigning a ticket.

Define it clearly: who does this process actually serve? The clearer the answer, the more precise your improvements will be.

If you've got that figured out, then…

Let’s begin!

How do you want your process client to feel?

What emotions should they experience at the end? Because emotions are the true measure of experience (CX).

Do you want them to:

• feel calm, knowing the system works?

• feel heard, because their request was taken seriously?

• feel satisfied, because something works faster, smoother, and without friction?

This isn’t just about KPIs. It’s about the emotional outcomes of your process. Name what your client should feel after going through this process journey.

One step back.

What made them feel this way?

Let’s get into specifics. The client feels this way because:

• they received a confirmation of their request with a clear resolution time,

• they didn’t have to explain the same issue three times,

• they noticed that the process was logical and predictable.

Now you begin to see the touchpoints that truly influence their perception. Identify those key touchpoints within the process. Analyze the emotions triggered at each interaction and each stage. Are they emotions linked to value and clarity - or frustration and confusion?

Another step back.

How was this achieved?

This is the time for operational questions:

• What did the IT team do to make this happen?

• How was communication handled?

• Which process worked well? What integration was critical?

This is where you move from reacting to issues……to consciously designing experiences.

One more step back.

What problems did you need to solve along the way?

You rarely build good CX without first:

• simplifying internal processes,

• resolving system-related ticketing issues,

• improving collaboration between teams (Dev + Support + Business),

• changing communication standards.

This is your moment of honesty: What was truly getting in the client’s way?

And one final step back.

How was it all designed in the first place?

Was the process:

• tested with real users involved?

• measured not just by response time, but by the quality of the experience?

• integrated with the teams responsible for the final outcome?

This is where process meets intention. Because it’s not just about whether something works

It’s about whether it works for someone.

When you start from the end, you start with what really matters - the client and their experience.

Step by step, working your way backwards, you don’t just see the process. You see the purpose behind it.

The best IT systems aren’t just fast.They’re understandable, empathetic and predictable.

So next time you want to improve something, don’t start by asking how it works.

Start by asking: how should the client feel?