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	September 7, 2004

The Rejuvenation of Tech Support
by Bill Rose

In the July 27 issue of SSPA News, I wrote a column in response to a magazine cover I saw on a newsstand that read: “The Death of Tech Support.” You can imagine that lone headline on the Smart Computing cover really got my attention. When I opened it, I discovered the headline referred to six articles inside, all with titles suggesting that tech support is a dying profession. All of us in the tech support industry know that isn’t true – tech support is expanding and evolving, but it is NOT dying.

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Call for Sponsors
SSPA Conference @ Savannah
October 2004

SSPA 2004 Top Talent Industry Study

When you’re looking to recruit and hire top talent support staff, where do you look? What characteristics do you look for in potential hires? What job responsibilities do you emphasize? What benefits do you offer? What sources yield the highest top talent returns? The answers to these questions and more were researched in SSPA Research’s 2004 Top Talent for Service and Support Industry Study.

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Eight Ways To Change The Customer Service Experience
By Don Graham, President, Porter Research.

It seems the only constant in today's world of customer service is never-ceasing change as companies race to improve the overall customer experience. Ever newer technologies, offshore outsourcing, job automation, and productivity pressures are just a few of the drivers forcing customer service leaders to change the way they do business. The major problem with this scenario is that most people don’t respond well to change, especially your customers. Everyone, it seems, has a story about their cable company, their phone service, or their software support that argues for a return to how things used to be. The phrase "perception is reality" is true and the perception today is that customer service is not changing for the better, at least in the eyes of the customer.

> full article

Stream is a leading global technical support and customer service outsourcer focused on the high-tech and telecommunications industries. We create exceptional customer experiences by providing the people, operations, tools and technology, and global reach that create seamless support. Stream's unique Smart Shore^SM methodology helps companies determine the best combination of service needs, support locations, and contact channels (voice, e-mail, chat, and Web) to ensure customers receive quick, easy access to support.

www.stream.com

Seven Tips for More Effective Email Communication
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Measuring the Success of Online Customer Service
(members only) › more info

Leverage the Power of Your Knowledge Base
(members only) › full article

Improving Agent Performance Through Information Visualization
(members only) › more info

Industry Insight from SoftwareCEO
5 site picks for linking strategies and Web marketing
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eSupport Tip from Citrix Online
Improve Customer Support with Auto-Response Messages
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Benchmark Benefits from Service 800, Inc.
What Drives the SSPA Software Benchmark?
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Focus CRM from CRM Magazine
What Is the Best Way to Integrate Web Self-Service and the Call Center?
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SupportSoft Completes Core Networks Acquisition
SupportSoft, Inc. has completed the acquisition of substantially all of the assets of Core Networks Incorporated under the terms of the agreement announced on July 20, 2004. Core Networks specializes in technologies for network monitoring, management and activation of advanced digital services for DSL and cable broadband providers.

Forrester Report Confirms IT Spending to Increase
That’s the good news from a recent Forrester Research survey of CIOs. The study suggests that in 2005, IT budgets will increase by about 6.4%. Forrester also projects an estimated 7% overall industry growth rate – a marked improvement over the past couple of years.

> more news

Recently Achieved SSPA Certification

Jamie Brigden, CSS
Wayne Senior, CSP
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Philip Tarpey, CSP
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Linda Naylor, CSP
William Savalis, CSP
Valarie Boston, CSP

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Rebecca Dumas Herrin, CSP
Anthony Callegaro, CSP
Chris Gibbons, CSP
Keelin Hart, CSP
Mark Small, CSP
Nicholas Deacon, CSP
Rick Stanaitis, CSP
Chris Warren, CSP
Merri Widenhofer, CSP

Unipress

Learn how you can streamline and automate your help desk to improve agent workflow, reduce support costs, and speed customer problem resolution. Sign up for “Powerful Web-based Help Desk Automation” on September 9th.

> sign up now

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