Lawson Software – Using the Software Benchmark to Improve Customer Service
by Service 800, Inc.

The high-tech industry has evolved from mainframes to laptops and command lines to GUI. Sounds sticky, but considering we are still in the infancy of the high-tech revolution, continued evolution is sure to follow.

While the marriage between the software and hardware industries is unbreakable, the progression of each segment has been somewhat different, especially in the area of service and support.

The hardware industry, for the most part, is still ‘speeds and feeds’. Not to discount the extraordinary accomplishments made in the hardware sector, but the ‘smarter, faster, smaller’ motto continues to ring true and likely will in the future. Once considered a costly necessity for hardware manufacturers, service and support now provide the best margins.

On the other hand, the software industry has boundless creative space to explore, niches to fill, and markets to conceive. Just like the hardware segment, the software sector hasn’t turned its back on the profit-rich service opportunities that are upon us. In fact, software manufacturers are a bit more experienced in providing service and support because they have been doing so since the inception of the first mass marketed DOS.

Still, the challenges and competition facing software manufacturers are greater than ever before and service is many times a differentiating factor. This is why more and more companies make customer satisfaction a top priority and monitor it carefully.

Such is the case with Lawson Software, of St. Paul, Minnesota. “We’ve built a strong reputation by developing world-class enterprise software solutions. To complement our products and continue to grow, it is imperative that we also deliver outstanding service and support to our customers. Our participation in the SSPA Software Benchmark is an essential litmus test that enables us to compare our service and support against our competitors. Without this type of comparison, we would lose valuable insight into our customers’ needs and could potentially lose market share,” commented Jeff Quast, Quality Programs Manager.

Lawson Software provides business application software and services to the healthcare, retail, government and education, banking, insurance and other industries. Lawson's software suites include enterprise performance management, distribution, financials, human resources, procurement, retail operations and service process optimization. Headquartered in St. Paul, Lawson has offices and affiliates serving North and South America, Europe, Asia, Africa and Australia.

“The broad scope of our customer base presents a challenge, but the structure of our support organization, along with the reliable, on-going customer satisfaction feedback we receive from SERVICE 800, allow us to consistently satisfy more than 94% of our customers,” added Quast.

Lawson has participated in the SSPA Software Benchmark since its inception in 2000. The benchmark is based on feedback obtained from telephone interviews with customers who have just experienced service events. SERVICE 800 gathers, compiles, and reports customer satisfaction data privately to each participant to help them maximize their service and support capabilities. Each month, SERVICE 800 consolidates the data into service benchmarks that represent industry performance for ease of requesting service, response time, technical ability, professionalism, product quality, completeness, repair time, and more.

“We are only one of four service organizations in the world that has achieved Support Center Practices (SCP) certification for six consecutive years. Each year, it becomes more difficult to maintain certification. A key part of our success in this area is the on-going work we do with SERVICE 800,” remarked Quast.

The SCP certification is a well-respected industry accomplishment that measures every aspect of a support organization. Customer satisfaction processes, measurement, and results count for approximately 20% of the overall score. Each consecutive year of certification means the bar is raised for the next year.

“Looking back, I believe that the benefits of participation in the SSPA Software Benchmark are more far-reaching than we originally expected,” said Quast. “Participation is more than just measuring customer satisfaction…it’s embracing an enhanced way of doing business. It empowers us to quickly pin point issues, perform logistical change analyses, and study the impact of changes, all of which positively affect our efficiency, productivity and profitability.”

For example, though Lawson support had a history of short hold times (65 seconds on average), the company decided to conduct a test to assess the impact of hold times on customer satisfaction levels. In an effort to streamline costs and free up resources, Lawson designed an approach that slightly increased hold times in hopes of increasing overall customer satisfaction through quicker problem resolution.

It worked. The small increase in hold times did not reduce customer satisfaction at all. In fact, Lawson’s overall satisfaction levels increased significantly because front-line, support personnel have more room to address specific customer issues. In addition, the personnel that are now free from the telephones act in a support role to help first response technicians solve problems in a more timely manner.

Lawson used this approach to validate other service and support changes. For example, based on customer feedback from the follow-up interviews, the company implemented several new electronic support tools, including asynchronous chat sessions and various on-line, self-service venues. The results were impressive. After just 15 months, 50% of all customer support transactions were going through the new tool with a 97% overall satisfaction rating.

Customer “hot sheets” have also proved indispensable to Lawson. “I can’t stress how much of an impact the hot sheets have had,” said Quast. “If a customer indicates dissatisfaction with our support, SERVICE 800 alerts us immediately and we quickly address the situation. The hot sheets are the single most powerful tool we have to find out what our customers truly want from a support perspective. They allow us to identify root causes of issues.”

Lawson uses customer satisfaction feedback to motivate and retain employees. In fact, a substantial portion of every individual’s review comes from overall satisfaction scores and specific customer comments.

“Of course, the benchmark is instrumental in helping us continually deliver the highest quality service and support. More Importantly, the positive aspects of feedback help our employees maintain high levels of customer satisfaction, at the same time they expand their skills, increase earning potential, and enjoy their jobs more,” stated Quast.

Lawson also implemented customer satisfaction-based career path opportunities and skills enhancement programs. Every employee in the service organization has a chance to start as a phone technician and move up through several levels to become an advisory consultant, providing strategic account support. Along the way, these exceptional contributors act as mentors, provide improvement suggestions, and fill management seats.

Also, managers, groups and individuals frequently get formal recognition for outstanding customer service. Informally within the company, bragging rights for top satisfaction ratings are just as appreciated and actually foster competitiveness among groups.

Next Week - What Other Types of Benchmarks are Available?

To Contact Us — To discuss this topic, any other Benchmark Benefits article, or to provide topic suggestions, please contact Jan DeMatteo at jan@service800.com.

For More Information — For additional information about the SSPA SoftwareMetric Customer Satisfaction Benchmark, SERVICE 800, or other benchmark programs, visit www.service800.com/benchmarkprograms.asp.

About SERVICE 800
Founded in 1989, SERVICE 800 designs and administrators real-time customer satisfaction measurement programs, helping service organizations follow up with their customers within hours or days of service events. The company utilizes a distinctive follow up telephone interview process along with e-mail, web, and other survey techniques to measure customer satisfaction. With offices in Minneapolis and London, SERVICE 800 has been measuring customer satisfaction for corporations throughout the world for over a decade.