SSPA and J.D. Power and Associates Unveil Enhanced Customer Support Certification Program

Prestigious multi-level certification provides benchmarks for both best practices and customer satisfaction

(San Diego, CA, September 20, 2006) – The Service & Support Professionals Association (SSPA) and J.D. Power and Associates, announced today the availability of the enhanced version of the J.D. Power and Associates Certified Technology Service & Support program. 
The program, launched last year, evaluates and recognizes companies that provide outstanding customer support services with the highest levels of customer satisfaction. Companies that have achieved certification to date include HP, Internet Security Systems, Xerox, Oracle and Cisco Systems.

The enhanced 2007 version of the program features an enriched set of standards as well as a new SSPA certification level that provides a stepping stone to companies pursuing the full J.D. Power and Associates certification.  Highlights of the 2007 version include:

• Enriched Standards: based on input from the SSPA Industry Standards board and contributions from subject matter experts from across the industry, the original standard has been expanded to over 250 certification criteria across all types of technical support including phone support, e-support, field and depot repair services, as well as customer support delivered by channel and outsource partners.
  
  
• SSPA Total Support Quality Certification: a new mid-point certification level that recognizes excellence in support operations for companies that pass the independent audit phase of the program.  Auditors from the SSPA and J.D. Power and Associates evaluate a company’s support quality based on its compliance with the rigorous standards maintained in the program. To achieve the SSPA Total Support Quality Certification, a company must earn at least 80 percent of the available audit points.

After achieving Total Support Quality certification, a company can move on to earn the full J.D. Power and Associates certification by maintaining customer satisfaction scores that rank in the top 20 percent of the industry. J.D. Power and Associates collects customer satisfaction data based on recent support experiences, and then compares these scores with an industry-wide benchmark of customer satisfaction with customer support.  Companies that successfully pass both levels of the program can leverage their certification status as well as the J.D. Power and Associates trophy in their marketing and sales materials.

“The J.D. Power and Associates Certified Technology Service and Support program is much more than just a way to measure an organization’s effectiveness,” said Mike Davison, SSPA’s vice president for advanced programs. “It’s a pathway for leading that organization to continuous improvement over time. Plus, it communicates the quality of support and a commitment to customer satisfaction directly to customers – where it can do the most good.”

The Certified Technology Service & Support program is designed to help customers and prospects gain confidence in the quality of a company’s customer service operations before they make purchasing decisions. Jointly developed by the SSPA and J.D. Power and Associates, the program provides the foundation for continuous improvement, enhances consistency in service delivery, and allows companies to convert their investment in high customer support satisfaction into a marketplace advantage.

The 2007 version of the J.D. Power and Associates Certified Technology Service & Support program will be available to participating companies beginning October 2.  Companies interested in applying for either the SSPA Total Support Quality or the J.D. Power and Associates certification should contact the SSPA at ctss@thesspa.com. For more information about the program, visit the J.D. Power and Associates program section of the SSPA website.

About the SSPA
As the industry’s foremost professional association, 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 the pioneering newcomers with out-of-the-box ideas. For more information, visit www.thesspa.com.

About J.D. Power and Associates
Headquartered in Westlake Village, Calif., J.D. Power and Associates is an ISO 9001-registered global marketing information services firm operating in key business sectors including market research, forecasting, consulting, training and customer satisfaction.  The firm’s quality and satisfaction measurements are based on responses from millions of consumers annually.  J.D. Power and Associates is a business unit of The McGraw-Hill Companies.