SAN DIEGO, January 23, 2006 – The Service & Support Professionals Association (SSPA) and J.D. Power and Associates announced today that Oracle has earned the coveted Certified Technology Service and Support (SM) certification. This distinction recognizes Oracle® for delivering outstanding technology service and support for its enterprise database and business application product lines to its North American customer base. Certification is based on independent J.D. Power and Associates audits of customer satisfaction as well as support practices across all modes of support.
Jointly developed by the Service & Support Professionals Association (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.
“Oracle has long been recognized for its technology,” said Bill Rose, founder and executive director of SSPA. “Now they have proven that their service and support are also worthy of distinction. Oracle is in the vanguard of companies that are differentiating themselves through their suite of service and support offerings.”
Built by a blue ribbon industry committee of over 50 leading technology companies, the certification requires companies to rank in the top 20 percent of the industry, based on J.D. Power and Associates’ extensive technology industry benchmark customer satisfaction research. Certified companies must also pass an expert audit of its support policies and procedures. Certification must be renewed each year.
J.D. Power and Associates conducted a comprehensive evaluation of Oracle’s support operations including phone and email service, as well as their web self help service programs. Onsite audits were conducted in North America and Asia. Satisfaction data was collected from customers who recently took advantage of Oracle’s technical support services.
“Oracle has passed extremely rigorous standards, and earning this certification shows the company’s dedication to providing enterprise customers with the highest level of service and support,” said Vafa Akhavan, executive director at J.D. Power and Associates. “Customer satisfaction and loyalty ranked extremely high in our evaluations, indicating that Oracle clearly understands the importance of meeting the needs of a global customer base by supporting a successful service and support organization.”
Oracle passed a detailed audit of its service and support business processes on a wide range of industry best practices criteria, including: business strategy; talent management; tools and technology; and outsourced service management, as well as all components of its service delivery and other key service metrics.
“As a company, we strive to deliver a Superior Ownership Experience to our customers and we are determined to become the industry benchmark for outstanding Customer Support,” said Juergen Rottler, executive vice president, Oracle Support and Oracle On Demand. “The certification is recognition of our commitment to excellence and our continuous efforts to innovate and improve the high-level of service delivered by Oracle’s customer support teams.”
J.D. Power and Associates is currently evaluating technology service and support organizations across the industry to determine if they are eligible for certification. To date, HP North America Consumer Products Division, Internet Security Systems (ISS) and Xerox have also earned the J.D. Power and Associates certification.
The certification program, jointly developed by the SSPA and J.D. Power and Associates, features a unique certification structure that lets companies with different business models apply for certification under those modules that are relevant to their business. Under the program design, all companies will be required to be certified across a common set of core criteria. Companies will also be certified for additional service and support criteria – Assisted Support, Non-Assisted Support, Field and Depot Service – based on the way they deliver their services. In addition, the program will accommodate certification for companies who deliver their services through a services outsourcer or channel partner.
Queries about the J.D. Power and Associates Certified Technology Service and Support program can be made by calling 1-858-674-5491 or visiting www.thesspa.com.
