Innovation Drives Costs Out of Field Service Operations
by John Ragsdale, Vice President of Research, SSPA
When improving the customer experience is discussed, a key service channel—field service—is now finding itself in the customer experience spotlight, often for the first time. In this article, learn how innovation is driving costs out of field service operations and how field service can have a major impact on customer satisfaction and incremental revenue.
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The Death of Hierarchical Support
By Rusty Walther, Senior Vice President - Global Support, Network Appliance, Inc.
Technology customers have accepted a hierarchical support structure for many years. However, more recently, customers have transitioned to a demand for faster results that cannot be serviced by this hierarchical model. This article frames the hierarchical support situation and provides a transitional roadmap with “10 Tips” to help drive your support center to a real-time, multi-level, collaborative, problem-solving machine.
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Can Customer Focus and Cost Reduction Co-Exist
in the Contact Center?
By Becky Carroll, President and Founder, Petra Consulting Group
There is tremendous pressure on customer support organizations to reduce costs in the contact center. However, there is also a growing shift in many organizations to become “customer centric”. Can these two ideas co-exist? Yes! This article will explore how they can co-exist along with steps towards making a harmonious existence possible.
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Improve Product Value: Design for Supportability
Co-authored By Frederick C. Van Bennekom, Dr.B.A., Principal, Great Brook And Keith Goffin, Ph.D, Professor, Cranfield School of Management
Product design significantly impacts life-cycle costs, yet frequently emphasis is focused on initial product acquisition costs. A Total Cost of Ownership analysis brings focus to these life-cycle costs, but the customers’ benefit of ownership must be considered as well. This in-depth article describes how Design for Supportability practices in New Product Development are key to delivering this long-term competitive advantage.
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Strengthening the Circle of Hiring,
Training, and Performance
By Marc Van Baar, Support Education Manager, Blackbaud
In the technical service and support industry, managers are always seeking out the best methods to increase retention, morale and performance. In an effort to avoid “mis-hires” and to increase performance, Blackbaud has successfully implemented a method of linking recruiting, training and coaching with performance. This article tells you how.
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Determining Proper Staffing Levels in a
Complex Technical Support Environment
By Dave Brown, President, Support Center University
Why is it so difficult to determine the correct level of staffing in the ‘typical’ support center environment? “Erlang C” tables work great on some days, but terrible on others. Why is it so inconsistent? This article explains some of the challenges that come with using Erlang or any staffing formula in a support center environment, as well as possible causes and remedies for missed service level targets.
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