Colliers

Priscila Machado Carlos's career began at IBM as an IT support analyst and later progressed to IT consulting and coordinating at various big companies, including Hospital Albert Einstein, Qualitor Software, and Dafiti Group. Currently, Claros is the IT service delivery manager at Colliers, a real estate company, where she is responsible for IT support and intersectionality all around Latin America. In an interview with CIOReview Latin America, Claros highlights the strategies and technological advancements that can complement effective IT support. She also shares insights on the prevalent challenges impacting the domain.

What are some of the leading challenges impacting organizations’ IT management space?

The biggest challenge is the gap between business communication and technology communication. IT workers can be well-versed in technology but often need help translating it into business terms.

This is a universal issue; the best way to resolve it is by developing a sense of empathy between a company's business and technology aspects.

What are these innovations or technological advancements, according to you, that are impacting the overall IT operations today?

Everybody is shifting toward leveraging artificial intelligence in IT operations. AI plays a pivotal role in improving IT support’s customer experience. But it is used as an initial point of contact as it is important to have a human and personal approach in further stages of communication. Most people don’t find talking to machines credible while seeking help.

 The development of AI in tech support is the biggest signal proving this transformation. It is important to train people to welcome more of these technologies 

Even though the use of AI is increasing, not everyone is prepared to adopt the technology. People will be more capable of adopting AI in the future.

Can you discuss some strategies you leverage to drive your team toward success?

The most important strategy is to support my team emotionally. If I expect my team to help our users, I should begin by supporting my team and tackling their fears and vulnerabilities.

I also educate my team on the importance of effective communication to build credibility among users. The team should be capable of communicating every aspect of the process to the user and giving them an estimated resolution time.

How do you envision the future of IT support?

Omnichannel for tech support is going to be popular shortly. IT support will no longer be confined to telephones or Zoom. The development of AI in tech support is the biggest signal proving this transformation. It is important to train people to welcome more of these technologies.

What would be your piece of advice to your peers in the industry?

Always stay close to your team to understand their problems and weaknesses better. When I say problems, it is not just work-related but even the personal issues they wish to share as personal life is directly related to their professional performance. If you want your team to communicate well with the customer, the first step is to communicate well with your team and support their emotions.

Be confident of new technologies taking over processes. They are only here to support you and expedite your tasks.

Most importantly, don’t chase numbers. The number might be a bar for improving your performance, but the ultimate goal is to stay human and empathetic to your users.