Technology Service and Support Leaders Discuss Latest Advancements in Value-Added SupportSM
World-Class Service & Support Organizations Display Innovation and Excellence
SAN DIEGO, Oct. 4, 2007 – The Service & Support Professionals Association (SSPA), the largest and most influential association for technology service and support professionals, concluded its Services Leadership 2007 Conference this week in New Orleans with a firm commitment from its members to continue a collective industry dedication to providing Value-Added Support.
Cultivated by the SSPA, Value-Added Support represents a new support paradigm that takes a proactive approach to accelerating the customer’s time-to-value with their products and advancing the total value of the product beyond the expectation the customer has at the point of purchase.
Themed “Enabling Breakthrough Customer Success,” the conference was presented specifically for support
management and leaders in the industry to gain valuable new insights about how to create a services organization that improves the overall customer
experience by helping them achieve greater outcomes and increased ROI with their products.
“From retail consumer electronics to enterprise software, technology providers have an obligation to provide the highest level of service and support to ensure
the success of their customers. The industry professionals who participated in the Services Leadership 2007 Conference represented the world’s leading thinkers on
business and strategy issues related to service and support, and we are excited about the innovations they are driving to redefine the customer support experience,”
said Stephen Smith, Executive Director, SSPA.
“This year’s SSPA Services Leadership conference was an outstanding event. The keynote and breakout sessions focused on the strategic aspects of moving our
services businesses forward and provided new perspectives for leaders on how to address the challenges we’re all facing. As a support executive, I found this to be
an invaluable experience,” said Julie Hogan, Region Vice President, Xerox Services.
During the three-day event, the SSPA recognized technology service and support industry leaders for their contributions to the profession:
- Citrix Online, Clarabridge, InQuira, ISOdx, NextNine, RightNow and Verint were honored as SSPA Recognized Innovators;
- Approva, Cisco, Dell, HP, IBM, SAP, StoresOnline, Symantec, Tektronix and Xerox were named recipients of the 2007 SSPA STAR Awards for Service Excellence; and
- Cisco Systems, Inc. was inducted into the SSPA Hall of Fame.
Speakers included a who’s who of senior service and support executives from Allscripts, Amdocs, Avaya, BEA Systems, CA, Cisco, Cybernet-SlashSupport, DB Kay &
Associates, Escalate Retail, Global Development Consulting, IBM Global Technology Services, InQuira, Intuit, Kaidara, Knova, Linksys, MIT Media Labs,
Microsoft, Motorola, NetScout Systems, Network Appliance, NextNine, Nortel, Openwave, Oracle, Outsights, Pearson Assessments, Pillar Data Systems, Right Now
Technologies,Talisma, StrikeIron, Sun Microsystems, Support Center University, Verisign, Xerox.
Attendees also gained new insights from an all-star line-up of keynote speakers and panelists who offered thought-provoking perspectives on communities, viral
communications, globalization, business model transformation and other innovation opportunities. Keynote speakers included Andrew Lippman, Founding Associate Director,
MIT Media Lab; Paul Loftus, General Manager of Maintenance and Technical Support Services for IBM Global Technology Services; Cisco VP of Technical Services and Customer
Advocacy James Glueck; Nortel CMO Lauren Flaherty; and Bob Brauer, CEO, President & Co-Founder of StrikeIron.
Immediately following the conference, a team of nearly 40 individuals comprised of SSPA members and staff spent a day in community service working with Habitat for
Humanity on their project to build new housing in the Ninth Ward area of downtown New Orleans, one of the areas hardest hit by Hurricane Katrina. “This was a way for
the SSPA and its members to give back to the local community. It was an incredibly rewarding experience to share in the rebuilding efforts and demonstrates the
compassion and generosity of the SSPA community,” commented Mr. Smith.
For information on upcoming SSPA conferences including its new Technology Services Europe 2008 event April 2-4 in Paris and the Spring Best Practices event May 4-6 in
Santa Clara, please visit www.thesspa.com.
About the SSPA
The SSPA is chartered with bringing together the service and support community's best and brightest minds to deliver a relevant blend of market research, programs and certifications including the distinguished Excellence in Service Operations program, as well as networking, media and analyst relations, education and other information resources. SSPA's core constituents include the world's leading enterprise and consumer technology companies as well as scores of innovative small and mid-sized companies that serve to continually refresh the industry by bringing new ideas and processes to the marketplace. The SSPA also partners with thought leaders such as J.D. Power and Associates and the Wharton School to create programs that benefit the industry. The SSPA is a member of a global network of associations that includes the Technology Professional Services Association (TPSA), the Association for Services Management International (AFSMI) and the Electronic Supply Chain Association (ESCA). For more information, visit www.thesspa.com
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Value-Added Support is a service mark of the Service & Support Professionals Association. Registration of this mark is pending. |
