Economic downturns often serve as catalysts for the replacement of tasks that were formally done by people with some form of automation. A good example was after September 11, when the airlines were struggling, one area they all invested in was online and kiosk based check in systems so that they could have less employees per passenger.

For some industries, they have been so successful that practically their only interaction with their customers is through IT, e.g. banks, insurance companies, online retailers etc.  

This means that in some cases the only contact that their company has with their customers is through some kind of IT system. These systems also make it easier for customers to change providers.  

In this case, the customer facing applications provided by many companies provide the make or break experience that determines revenue, retention and satisfaction of the customers. A good experience means that the customer will want to do business again. A bad experience means they will go elsewhere - and this technology makes it easier for them to do so. 

For example, I was recently interested in an online trading system. The first vendor that I tried had a convoluted system to register where certain information had to be faxed to them and verified during business hours. Even though they had the brand recognition and good pricing, I eventually went with another vendor because I could sign up and start trading on the spot.  

In all of these cases, the IT system is the ambassador for the company.  

In my experience, not a lot of IT staff really think about that. This includes all aspects of such a system, from design, implementation, release, maintenance, performance, availability, security and so on. 

Not only that, but many customers do not foster a customer mindset - not just for when internal users call in, but really thinking about who the customer is, what they are trying to do and how they can make it simpler, easier and faster for their customer. 

Are your IT systems good ambassadors for your company? Really?