Cisco Earns Coveted J.D. Power and Associates Certification
for the Second Consecutive Year

Global Networking Company Recognized in Prestigious Program

SAN DIEGO, May 2, 2006 – The Service & Support Professionals Association (SSPA) and J.D. Power and Associates today announced Cisco, the worldwide leader in networking for the Internet, has earned the coveted J.D. Power and Associates certification for technology service and support excellence for the second consecutive year. This distinction recognizes Cisco Systems commitment to delivering “An Outstanding Customer Service Experience” to its customers around the world and across all modes of support.

“An excellent customer experience is what motivates us here at Cisco,” said Joe Pinto, senior vice president, technical services for Cisco.  “Our ultimate goal is customer success and we are proud to have earned this certification for the second year in a row.  The certification process was much more rigorous this year and it demonstrates our focus on making ongoing investments to continually improve our quality of service.”

Jointly developed by the SSPA and J.D. Power and Associates, this unique certification program combines validation of customer satisfaction and a rigorous audit of a company’s internal policies and procedures. Certification by J.D. Power and Associates, the ultimate authority on quality and satisfaction, demonstrates a company’s elite status in the industry and gives their customers tangible evidence of excellent customer service experienced by other customers as they evaluate which technology products to purchase.

“Sustained global certification for a company with a sophisticated and diverse product line like Cisco’s is a major accomplishment for their support operation,” said J.B. Wood, President and CEO SSPA.  “Cisco clearly understands the value of high quality service and support and the impact in creating satisfied customers.”

Cisco achieved certification by ranking in the top 20 percent for high customer satisfaction among technology support organizations. J.D. Power and Associates measured Cisco’s service excellence by surveying satisfaction among over 1,500 customers who recently experienced technical support.  J.D. Power and Associates then calculated a Customer Satisfaction Index for Cisco to determine their industry ranking based on the benchmark of customer satisfaction with technical support that they maintain for the technology industry.

J.D. Power and Associates and the SSPA also conducts a comprehensive evaluation of Cisco Systems’ support operations including phone, web and depot repair service.  Expert auditors from the SSPA and J.D. Power and Associates conducted a rigorous review of Cisco policies and procedures for managing the support organizations that included on-site audits of support facilities in North America.  Auditors evaluated Cisco’s performance on a wide range of industry practices including business strategy, tools and technology and support operations.

“Over a three to five year horizon, many customers will spend as much on technical support services as they do on initial product purchase” said Vafa Akhavan executive director at J.D. Power and Associates.  “For customers evaluating such significant investments, the J.D. Power and Associates certification gives Cisco customers an objective assessment of the company’s support quality and technical support satisfaction from a recognized authority on customer 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 www.thesspa.com.

About the SSPA
The Service & Support Professionals Association (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 prestigious J.D. Power and Associates Certified Technology Service & Support, as well as networking, media and analyst relations, education and other information resources. SSPA core constituents include the world’s leading enterprise and consumer technology companies as well as the scores of innovative small and mid-sized companies that serve to continually refresh the industry by bringing new ideas and processes to the marketplace. For more information, visit www.thesspa.com.

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