Next week, I will mark my 100th day here at the SSPA as the new Executive Director.  I think that this presents a unique opportunity to look back at what I’ve learned about our Association, and more importantly, to share my thoughts with you about where I see us heading in the future.
Before I do that though, I want to say “thank you.”  The warm welcome that I have gotten from each and every member that I have met, as well as the staff here at the SSPA, has been absolutely tremendous.  Thank you – you have truly made me feel welcome.

Over the past 18 years, the SSPA has cultivated a reputation as the
go-to thought leader for technology service and support professionals, driving unparalleled advancements in operational excellence and business insight through research, certification, education and the
peer-to-peer exchange of information. Here is a “short” list of some of the topics the SSPA has focused on and the programs that have been launched:

• Benchmarks (operational metrics, financial metrics, sales & marketing metrics, etc) for over 300 technology companies
• Call / case handling (common processes, forecasting call volumes, staffing, etc)
• Product information (support planning, QA, Product Life Cycle)
• Customer self-service (IVR, Web-based Support, Web 2.0)
• Globalization (multi-lingual support, follow-the-sun models, how to globalize)
• Service strategies (training, business models)
• Marketing (service offering definitions, programs, pricing, positioning materials, etc)
• Services selling (renewals, up sells, cross sales, reactivations, VSOE, ROI-based selling)
• Knowledge management (structured knowledge, patterns, multi-vendor support)
• Training (individual training and certification with Impact Learning Services)
• Executive education (special programs with the Wharton School of Business)
• Industry-leading certification with J.D. Power and Associates

While I think that anyone would argue that this is an impressive list, what I’ve learned over the past 100 days is that you want and expect more.  Just as your customers continually expect more and more from you, you expect more and more from us. More research, more programs, more insights and more value. I couldn’t agree more.

In discussions with a number of you, I always try to ask the questions “what do we do well?”, “what can we do better?” and “what else can we do for you that would allow you to get more value from the Association as we move forward?” When I looked back at the range of answers, three topics emerged as the most important across all type of organizations.

Value of Relationships  

The first topic is the value of relationships.  The value of having one-on-one relationships with executives and membership development directors within the SSPA – whether you are a large enterprise or the smallest of small companies – having that one-to-one relationship is critically important.  We have maintained excellent relationships with our largest members, but to be honest, I think we’ve lost a bit of the one-to-one communication with our smallest members over the last few years, and I’m doing everything I can to bring that focus back.  We’ve created a new SMB advisory group that meets once a month to give us input into specific SMB needs, we’re creating SMB specific tracks in our conferences, and we’ve created a special roundtable session that any SMB member can dial in to once a month to have a discussion with SSPA experts on any current topic of interest. 

I also believe that the other value the SSPA brings to our members is the ability to connect members with other members—sharing insights, ideas and creating value for the entire network. While this has traditionally been done very informally at conferences and other events, we’re looking at new tools to make this easier for all of our members and I hope to be able to make a special announcement in this area at our Fall conference in New Orleans.

Breadth and Depth of Content

The second topic that I have been hearing about is: how can the SSPA help you understand the breadth and depth of the content that we have created and help you consume it to drive change in your organization.   As I mentioned earlier in this update, the SSPA has a long history of creating content and publishing it into the marketplace.  It’s time though that we do more than that – and I’m delighted to announce our new Inquiry and Advisory Services to not only help you take advantage of the content that the Association has created, but also to address specific questions or research areas that you may have. 

If you have a specific question around benchmarking or metrics, or a basic support question that you believe the association can enlighten you on, I encourage you to reach out to your MDD’s and take advantage of the SSPA Inquiry Service. It’s a core part of your basic membership.  If you have a more comprehensive question or are interested in doing a more substantive study on a particular topic (e.g. who are the top outsourcing providers with capabilities in Vietnam and Thailand that can support at least 500 seats), please reach out to your MDD’s about SSPA’s Advisory Services – we have the most comprehensive support- focused research group in the industry.

Industry Certification Program

The third and possibly most important topic that we have been getting a significant amount of feedback on is our overall industry certification program.   Many of you have been asking us for a more modular approach – one that adds a number of new important capabilities that go significantly farther than we go today in our current program.  You have asked for the ability to reliably assess your organization’s performance against your peers, against the industry and against your strategy.  You have been asking for the ability to create improvement or recognition plans for portions of your organization (a geography, a function, a center, for example) based on those insights.  You have asked for the ability to have industry-specific recognition from the Association as well as J.D. Power recognition depending on your marketplace and end customers.  Most importantly—you have asked to be able to do this on a path that you choose—whether that’s looking at your entire organization at once or starting small and expanding in ways that make sense to you.

We have been listening to all of your feedback in this area—and I am delighted to announce the introduction of the new “SSPA Organizational Development Program (ODP)”.  This is the industry’s most comprehensive program that lets you assess your organization’s performance based on industry benchmark data (as well as your own current plans and strategy) and create a specific, detailed path forward for each element of your organization to reach the strategic objectives that you have.  Parts of your organization may be in need of improvement—and we have a new set of capabilities, both internally and with partners, to help get you there. Parts of your organization may be ready to go straight to recognition or certification, and we have the capability to help you there as well.  The ODP is the most comprehensive end-to-end program the SSPA has ever created to help you drive the improvements you are looking for, and at the same time, be modular and flexible enough to fit any companies’ needs.  It has been designed based on SSPA Member input—it works the way you want to work.  I strongly encourage you to reach out to your MDD’s for more information on this exciting new program.

In Conclusion

Once again, I want to say “Thank You” to each and every one of you for being an SSPA member, and even more importantly, for giving us the candid feedback and insights we need to help provide value to each and every member that’s part of the Association.

This is an exciting time to be part of this industry. The change that we’ve seen happening over the past decade is just the beginning. I firmly believe that we are on the brink of most significant period of change in our history—a tipping point that is going to elevate the strategic importance of service and support across the industry. We cannot do this alone—we are all in this together.  At the SSPA, we are here to help you, to work with you, and to be part of your team.

About Stephen Smith………………………………………………………

Steve Smith has championed innovation and change throughout an impressive 17-year career spanning several industries. Most recently, Smith is credited for leading IBM’s On Demand Business Transformation strategy globally for 30,000+ Business Consulting Services employees. During his time at IBM, Smith also developed and launched their Component Business Model offering to global customers, and led services strategy for IBM’s Business Performance Transformation Services—IBM’s strategic initiative to move into high-value, high-growth areas.

Previously, Smith gained accolades for leading the successful operational transformation for the customer care operations of one of the largest telecommunications providers in North America. In addition, Smith had the opportunity to demonstrate leadership not only in diverse industries and billion-dollar corporations, but in small and medium-sized companies as well. Smith helped build one of the largest independent Lotus Notes consulting and software businesses which was later sold to Ernst & Young, and continuing along the entrepreneurial track, Smith co-founded and acted as the COO of Encadia, which was sold to Mainspring, and later, to IBM.

Smith holds the position of SSPA’s Executive Director to further develop SSPA’s unique vision for the future of support, and build the vital resources and networks that will help members transform the support industry.

Smith, a Wharton MBA, lives in Westlake Village, Ca with his wife and 2 children.