The SPA Organizational Development Program
Frequently Asked Questions:
- What is the Organizational Development Program?
- What is Excellence in Service Operations?
- What is the difference between Excellence in Service Operations and SSPA Rated Outstanding?
- What is J.D. Power and Associates CTSS?
- Why did the SSPA create the Organizational Development Program program and what benefits does it have?
- What are the different levels of certification a company can achieve through the Organizational Development Program program?
- What are the operational scoring criteria and how were they developed?
- What help do I get from the SSPA as I go through the program?
- Who performs the Assessment and what will I learn from it?
- Who does the Audit and what will I learn from it?
- What is the new SSPA Advisory Service? Who delivers it and what do I get when I engage them?
- Who is PRTM and why/when would I need them?
- How can I use the Excellence in Service Operations Certification?
- What if I get Excellence in Service Operations certified and then decides to go for the J.D. Power and Associates Certified Technology Services and Support customer satisfaction certification? Does anything I did under the Excellence in Service Operations program apply?
- How are customer surveys conducted when I go for the J.D. Power and Associates CTSS certification?
- Is there a difference between Excellence in Service Operations certification for the entire service/support operations (i.e. 80+% of the call volume) and the Rated Outstanding certification at the module and/or location levels?
- How is the pricing structured and what is the time period I have to achieve certification?
- How do I get started?
- How do I find out more about Value Added Support?
What is The Organizational Development Program?
The Organizational Development Program is an integrated certification program designed to help member companies assess, evaluate, improve, and recognize their support operation capabilities.
The Assessment module is designed to help member companies understand how their current performance compares to the industry, a selected set of peers and/or their strategy. During this phase an evaluation is included and provides a detailed comparison of selected elements of a member company’s service and support organization against best practices and documents the differences.
The Improve module is designed to create a specific improvement plan for selected areas that leverages a range of capabilities to drive improvements including other SSPA member organizations, SSPA Advisory Services and/or PRTM Consulting services.
The Recognize module is designed to measure performance against individual and/or all material support modules and as warranted earn functional and/or location specific certification from the SSPA. Companies that assess and certify all aspects of their support organization have the opportunity to achieve SSPA’s high standard acknowledgement in the “Excellence in Service Operations” certification.
Once successfully completing audits of the full set of support modules, a company may choose to validate their performance with their customer base by implementing the J.D. Power and Associates customer satisfaction survey. Achieving the highest levels of customer satisfaction will allow a member company to receive the J.D. Power and Associates Certified Technology Services and Support certification which gives them the opportunity to license and market the J.D. Power and Associates brand to their customer and prospects as per the JDPA licensing terms and conditions.
The Organizational Development Program program is focused around support related operational modules (i.e. core, assisted, unassisted, field, depot, channel and outsourced) that are evaluated for their operational effectiveness (audit process) and voice of the customer (survey of customer satisfaction) when compared and benchmarked against industry best practices, peer companies and customer expectations. The program is supported by SSPA Executive Management, Program Management, Advisory Services and/or the SSPA consulting partnership with PRTM - a global consulting service firm specializing in support operational effectiveness and valued added support transformation work. The program is designed to:
- Help member companies identify gaps in both operational effectiveness and the ability to achieve high levels of customer satisfaction as determined by the JDPA customer survey process and where shortfalls exists, the SSPA works with member companies to build plans and assist in the improvement process.
- Recognize operational excellence at the functional (e.g. assisted support), location or enterprise levels. . Companies that audit and meet or exceed the SSPA certification criteria for all aspects of their support operations will achieve the SSPA standards for excellence and will be awarded the Excellence in Service Operations certification.
Once a company has achieved Excellence in Service Operations, they qualify to validate their performance with their customer base by implementing the J.D. Power and Associates customer satisfaction survey. Achieving the highest levels of customer satisfaction will allow a member company to achieve J.D. Power and Associates Certified Technology Services and Support certification. This entitles the successful companies to license and use the J.D. Power and Associates brand in their marketing for the period of 1 year following the successful completion of the survey process.
What is Excellence in Service Operations?
Excellence in Service Operation or Excellence in Service Operations is the new SSPA branded industry certification which recognizes outstanding service operations across all aspects of a customer support business and includes an in-depth audit of all significant support operational functions. The functions or modules include: Core Operations, Assisted Support, Unassisted Support, Field Service, Depot Maintenance, Outsource Management and Channel Management. Member companies participating in this program can certify their entire support organization (Global or North America) or they can choose which modules are most appropriate for their operations including the core service module. Speak to your SSPA Membership Development Director to identify the best option for you.
What is the difference between Excellence in Service Operations and SSPA Rated Outstanding?
Both Excellence in Service Operations and SSPA Rated Outstanding utilize the same criteria. However with SSPA Rated Outstanding you can select a single support function or support center location to be audited. With Excellence in Service Operations certification the functions and locations included in the audit scope must include operations that represent at least 80% of all support case volume. Both certifications require the onsite audits and both audit reports include an in-depth review and analysis of support operation functions. Excellence in Service Operations can be used as a step towards the J.D. Power and Associates CTSS certification. Speak to your SSPA Membership Development Director to identify the best option for you.
What is J.D. Power and Associates CTSS?
J.D. Power and Associates CTSS (Certified Technology Services and Support) certification is the highest level of certification in operational excellence and customer satisfaction that is awarded to companies in our industry. It certifies that customers are receiving overall superior support as a result of the performance of a companies internal support operations. It also recognizes excellence in meeting the JDPA standards of satisfaction desired by the company’s customer base. Companies, who achieve J.D. Power and Associates CTSS certification, have the option to also license the J.D. Power and Associates brand and incorporate that brand into defined aspects of their marketing.
Why did the SSPA create the Organizational Development Program program and what benefits does it have?
The SSPA created the Organizational Development Program program in response to requests from the membership. Members wanted a program that would allow them to assess, evaluate, and improve specific aspects of their business vs. their entire support operations. The Organizational Development Program program enables members to assess their organizations, create specific improvement plans where necessary and also provides recognition for top performing organizations and customer services solutions. Organizational Development Program can also support recognition at more granular levels while helping top performing organizations with the readiness and/or improvement requirements for a full scale audit of their support offerings. Organizational Development Program is the foundation for the J.D. Power and Associates certification of Customer Satisfaction and helps member companies determine their readiness to pursue that level of certification.
What are the different levels of certification a company can achieve through the Organizational Development Program program?
Companies can achieve either North American or Global certifications for SSPA’s Excellence in Service Operations and J.D. Power and Associates Certified Technology Services and Support. Companies can also achieve specific location and or support module certifications with the SSPA Rated Outstanding certification..
What are the operational scoring criteria and how were they developed?
Each module of the program has its own unique set of best practice performance criteria. The criteria as well as the standards for performance were established by a committee of over 50 companies. These companies range from small and medium size software and hardware companies to some of the largest technology providers in the industry. All companies provided input on the key performance criteria as well as best practices to determine the thresholds for Excellence in Service Operations and J.D. Power and Associates Certified Technology Services and Support certification. The program criteria are reviewed and enhanced on an annual basis to ensure the highest standards are being met. This annual review process ensures that our members are not only pursuing the recognition of their high levels of customer satisfaction, but also implementing continuous improvement in their support operations.
What help do I get from the SSPA as I go through the program?
Once you enter the program, the SSPA assigns a Program Manager as well as an SSPA Executive to guide and support the participating member company through the process. Companies entering the program assign their own Program Manager to work with the SSPA and coordinate their internal team and program deliverables.
Who performs the Assessment and what will I learn from it?
Based on the new benchmark platform data, the assessment can be done via web conference or on-site. The assessment is performed by an SSPA expert and will include a detailed report on the member company’s performance against the industry and peer group data points. The SSPA expert will assist the participating member in understanding the strengths and weaknesses of their performance against these standards and averages.
Who does the Audit and what will I learn from it?
Audits across the entire support organization for the Excellence in Service Operations certification are performed by 2 auditors, one from the SSPA and one from J.D. Power and Associates. Companies certifying a subset of their support modules or locations will be audited by 1 SSPA auditor. These auditors have extensive support services backgrounds and will provide detailed scoring and feedback on performance against the best practice audit criteria that is outlined in the program materials for each module. These criteria are also the foundation for development of corrective action plans that may be necessary to bring a company up to the required top levels of support operations performance.
What is the new SSPA Advisory Service? Who delivers it and what do I get when I engage them?
This service allows our members to have access to the experts in the industry. These experts help members with in-depth gap analysis, corrective action plan development and tactical support in achieving the highest levels in operational excellence. Members who take advantage of the Advisory Services will know how to increase their operational effectiveness and efficiencies quickly, thereby translating into higher productivity and lower costs for the delivery of higher levels of customer satisfaction and loyalty. SSPA Advisory Service analysts can also be engaged on a wide variety of topics outside of support improvement (e.g., who are the top outsourcers for tier-1 support in Indonesia; what are the leading companies providing IVR services for companies under $2B in revenue, etc.).
Who is PRTM and why/when would I need them?
PRTM is a leading global consulting organization that has been in business since 1976. PRTM is focused on creating competitive advantage for their clients by changing the way companies operate. PRTM management consultants work with senior executives to develop and implement innovative operational strategies that deliver breakthrough results. The firm is a leader in operational strategy, supply chain, product development, and customer management. PRTM has 16 offices worldwide. Member companies will want to engage PRTM when they are looking for longer term and deep tactical engagements with experts who not only design but also help implement operational support transformations
How can I use the Excellence in Service Operations Certification?
The Excellence in Service Operations certification can be used in a variety of ways to recognize Member Company’s achievement both internal and externally. The SSPA Excellence in Service Operations brand and logo can be used in all forms of external advertising or internal communications. Hot links can be provided to give your customers and prospects information on what this certification means to them when evaluating the merits and value of businesses and products.
What if I get Excellence in Service Operations certified and then decides to go for the J.D. Power and Associates Certified Technology Services and Support customer satisfaction certification? Does anything I did under the Excellence in Service Operations program apply?
Excellence in Service Operations recognition is the foundation and prerequisite for J.D. Power and Associates CTSS certification. If an organization decides to achieve SSPA Rated Outstanding recognition at only the module or location levels, then the timing and successful completion of the audit process for the entire support operation will dictate eligibility for the J.D. Power and Associates CTSS certification.
How are customer surveys conducted when I go for the J.D. Power and Associates CTSS certification?
J. D. Power and Associates surveys customers who have had a recent support experience to determine their satisfaction level. Your customers will receive an email inviting them to participate in the research survey. The survey is conducted over the internet and is anonymous, and can be delivered immediately after the completion of the service event or within 6 months of completion of the service event. The second step is the comparison of these customer satisfaction results with a benchmark database that J.D. Power and Associates maintains for this program. This database tracks the customer satisfaction index for the technology support industry. The threshold for certification is defined as the 80th percentile, so your organization’s ratings must be in the top 20% of scores to qualify for CTSS certification.
Is there a difference between Excellence in Service Operations certification for the entire service/support operations (i.e. 80+% of the call volume) and the Rated Outstanding certification at the module and/or location levels?
Yes – If an organization elects to certify at just the module and/or location specific levels, the case volumes for the module or location don’t represent at least 80% of the enterprise support volumes, and they achieve the requirements of the SSPA audit criteria, the company’s certification will be specific to that module and/or location (e.g. SSPA Rated Outstanding, North Carolina Assisted Support).
How is the pricing structured and what is the time period I have to achieve certification?
Pricing varies based on the size of the member company and the number of modules, locations, selected levels of certification. Please speak with your Membership Development Director for Details.
How do I get started?
Contact your Membership Development Director! They can provide you with more in-depth information and get you started on the path to Excellence in Service Operations!
How do I find out more about Value Added Support?
Value Added Support is the future of services and is based on a solid foundation of operational excellence. The concept is that Value Added Support helps drive product consumption and as a direct result drives more product revenue, margin and overall customer satisfaction. To learn more about the VAS, please contact your Membership Development Director |
