Cisco Systems Earns Prestigious J.D. Power and Associates
Certification for the Third Consecutive Year

June 5, 2008 – The Service & Support Professionals Association (SSPA) and J.D. Power and Associates today announced that Cisco has earned the highly coveted J.D. Power and Associates Certified Technology Service and SupportSM (CTSS) certification for the third consecutive year. This distinction recognizes Cisco for consistently delivering outstanding technical support to its global customers and providing "An Outstanding Customer Service Experience".

The Certified Technology Services and Support program, developed by the SSPA and J.D. Power and Associates, uniquely quantifies and demonstrates the efficiency and effectiveness of high technology support operations.  Cisco's commitment to drive operational efficiencies was examined and measured by comparing Cisco's technical support processes to the SSPA's industry best practices - jointly developed with over 50 industry leading technical companies. Cisco's onsite audits were conducted by technical support experts from the SSPA and J.D Power and Associates in San Jose CA, Houston TX, Mexico City Mexico, Sydney Australia and included Cisco’s partners.  

The CTSS program also requires achieving a survey index score that represents being in the top 20 percent of customer satisfaction for Global Enterprise brands in technical support satisfaction.  Customer satisfaction was measured through J.D. Power and Associates surveys of over 1700 Cisco customers who recently contacted a Cisco Technical Assistance Center for support via phone, web, or depot repair.  The combination of achieving exemplary customer satisfaction and best practice operations gives Cisco customers tangible evidence of quality technical support consistently delivered.

“Cisco’s management continues to provide consistent delivery of leadership in the technical service and support industry,” said Stephen Smith, Executive Director, SSPA. “Achieving the CTSS certification for three consecutive years exemplifies their ongoing commitment and effectiveness in delivering top quality technical support.”

 “At Cisco, we strive to provide our customers with outstanding service and support on a global basis. At the end of the day, providing a superior customer experience is one of our most critical markers of success,” said Joe Pinto, Senior Vice President of Technical Services for Cisco.  “We believe our ability to sustain this certification for three years in a row further demonstrates our commitment to our customers.”

The CTSS program was jointly developed by J.D. Power and Associates and the SSPA and launched in the fall of 2005.  An enhanced version of the program was released in 2007 that includes over 300 separate best practice criteria for high quality support operations.  The CTSS program combines an objective assessment of a company’s support operations with an external validation of their customers’ satisfaction.

Queries about the J.D. Power and Associates Certified Technology Service & Support program can be made by calling 1-858-674-5491 or visiting - http://www.thesspa.com/certifications/odp.asp

About Cisco
Cisco, (NASDAQ: CSCO), is the worldwide leader in networking that transforms how people connect, communicate and collaborate.  Information about Cisco can be found at http://www.cisco.com.  For ongoing news, please go to http://newsroom.cisco.com.

About J.D. Power and Associates
J.D. Power and Associates 2008 Certified Technology Service & Support ProgramSM, developed in conjunction with SSPA. For more information, visit www.jdpower.com or www.thesspa.com

About SSPA
As the support industry’s premier management community, the Service & Support Professionals Association (SSPA) is a key resource for the information and best practices needed to make better business decisions. It brings together the best minds from across the industry spectrum – from established companies with successful track records to pioneering newcomers with out-of-the-box ideas. 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) and the Association for Services Management International (AFSMI). For more information, visit www.thesspa.com