Measuring the True Cost of Support
by Citrix Online

Support costs encompass much more than agent salaries, office space, and support technology. When you calculate your company’s support investment, you also need to factor in the cost of winning customer satisfaction and loyalty. The customer experience is directly linked to satisfaction and loyalty and as a result, is gaining ground as an important element when it comes to measuring the true cost of support.

For many customers, the support department is the primary contact point with your company. “With continued focus on customer service, customer retention, and lifetime value of the customer, it is no surprise that contact center operations continue to increase in importance as the primary hub of a customer’s experience,” says Dr. Rosanne D’Ausilio, president of Human Technologies Global, Inc. If companies don’t pay close attention to support initiatives and activities, they might soon discover that frustrated customers are taking their business elsewhere. According to a recent study conducted by Human Technologies Global, poor customer service resulted in the following customer loss:

• 60% cancelled accounts with banks
• 36% changed insurance providers
• 40% changed telephone companies
• 35% changed credit card providers
• 37% changed Internet providers

Not only is winning new customers more costly than taking care of existing customers; existing customers are prime targets for upselling or cross-promoting opportunities. “Each [customer-service] call has become a possible revenue-generating opportunity, or at the least, an opportunity to turn a satisfied customer into a loyal customer,” says Dr. D’Ausilio. “Service, a key factor in purchase and repurchase, directly impacts costs, revenues, and profits. Thus, the traditional expense-based model of customer service has evolved into the revenue-generating model, and so is the case for the call center.”

It’s the customer experience that most often determines whether support budgets are further burdened or company revenue is increased. Only when you factor in customer satisfaction and loyalty will you accurately determine the true cost of support.

About Citrix Online
Citrix Online, a division of Citrix Systems, Inc. (Nasdaq: CTXS), offers the leading Web-based access, support and collaboration software and services. The division offers Citrix GoToMyPC®, the easiest-to-use solution for remote, secure and managed desktop PC access over the Web; and Citrix GoToAssist™, the most secure, reliable and powerful solution for Web-based technical support and customer collaboration. Citrix Online products are used by more than 4,000 companies worldwide, including Cisco Systems, Siemens, Intuit, Cablevision and Microsoft Business Solutions. The division is based in Santa Barbara, California, and is on the Web at www.gotomypc.com, www.gotoassist.com and www.citrix.com.