Archive for the ‘Telephone Support’ Category

New TSIA Benchmark Survey Lauched

Monday, July 26th, 2010

Last week, we launched the completely new and much anticipated Field Service and Support Services TSIA Benchmark Survey. This new benchmark survey is a significantly revised and updated version of the TSIA benchmark survey, which TSIA member companies have been using for the past 3 years.

I have been absent from these blog posts for the past several weeks because I have been feverishly working – along with others in TSIA – on finalizing this new benchmark survey and benchmark tool. I’m proud to say we’ve finished our initial efforts, and the new benchmark survey and survey tool is now available to our member community.

The benchmark survey has undergone a radical transformation. We’ve developed completely new online software members can use to access the benchmark survey. The old benchmark survey questions have been revisited, revised, and updated, and we’ve added more than 100 new questions to the new survey.

The new online software includes many features aimed at easing the process of completing the survey, including:

  • The ability to logon, log off, and log back on again later and resume the survey where you left off.
  • Multiple user logins, which allows different people in an organization to complete those portions of the survey with which they are most familiar.
  • Built-in “skip logic” automatically “hides” those questions in the survey that are not relevant to the survey respondent based on answers he or she provided to earlier questions.
  • Detailed explanations and instructions tied to the questions eliminate different interpretations of the questions, thus ensuring consistency in the answers.
  • And much, much more.

The new TSIA benchmark survey covers all major aspects of customer support operations:

  • FINANCIALS, including:
    • Service & support revenue and growth, margins, cost center vs. profit center, service revenue allocations, SaaS/Cloud revenue allocations to service, etc.
  • SUPPORT CENTER OPERATIONS, including:
    • Quality programs, direct vs. outsourced employee data, call handling statistics, service incident response & resolution times, multiple support channel data (phone, email, web portal, chat, social media, etc), priorities & types of incidents, support rep labor rates, costs per service incident, customer/support rep ratios, much more.
  • FIELD SERVICE OPERATIONS, including:
    • Assignent & dispatch methods, response & resolution times, first visit fix rates, call back rates, SLA compliance, remote diagnostics & remote problem resolution data, training, muti-vendor services, field service labor rates, costs per field service incident, more.
  • SERVICE SPARE PARTS, including:
    • 1st pass fill rates, backorder rates, call backs due to lack of parts, spares inventory values as a % of revenue, inventory variances to book values, parts used per incident, parts $ per incident, DOA & NTF data, security measures, spares planning methods, outsourcing practices, end-of-life practices, more.
  • DEPOT REPAIR, including:
    • Customer repairs, “walk-up” or “drop-off” repairs, field technician repairs, RMA processes, advance exchange practices, “new” vs. “equivalent to new” exchanges, 3rd party repair vendors, turn-around-times, not-economical-to-repair (NER) thresholds, repair technician labor rates, etc.
  • ENTITLEMENTS, including:
    • Maintenance contract & warranty data, methods of pricing contracts, list vs. net pricing, contract pricing fees, T&M fees & per incident fees, initial contract attach rates, contract attach rates during/at end of warranty, contract sales compensation practices, warranty credit allocations, much, much more.
  • CUSTOMER SATISFACTION, including:
    • Customer survey methods, survey completion stats, customer satisfaction scores, satisfaction data by support channel (phone, email, web portal, chat, etc.), satisfaction by direct employee vs. outsourced employee, customer loyalty data, compensation based on customer satisfaction.

Of course, we also gather DEMOGRAPHIC data in the survey, such as industry and company size. So we can segment the data we gather accordingly for meaningful comparisons among our member companies.

We can honestly boast that no other survey anywhere gathers the breadth and depth of the data the TSIA benchmark survey gathers about service and support operations. If you are a TSIA member, we urge you to complete the new benchmark survey at your earliest possible convenience.

If you are NOT YET a TSIA member, I personally encourage you to check out this valuable association for service and support organizations here. You can also CONTACT ME and I’ll put you in touch with right people who will explain all the benefits and details.

Thanks for your interest – IT MATTERS!

MICHAEL ISRAEL

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Posted in Customer Service & Support, Field Service, Hardware Maintenance, Hardware Service, Hardware and Software Support, Maintenance Pricing, Service Costs, Service Profit Margins, Service Revenue, Software Support, Spare Parts, TSIA Benchmark, Telephone Support | 1 Comment »

IT SEEMS SO OBVIOUS, BUT NEVER DO THIS IN TELEPHONE SUPPORT . . .

Wednesday, December 23rd, 2009

I use a MacBook. I also run Windows in a Virtual Machine on my MAC. I do so because I need the more robust functionality in the Windows version of Excel not available in the MAC version of Excel. A few days ago I noticed the “control key” in the Windows version of Excel wasn’t working as it should. Specifically, I could no longer select non-adjacent cells, columns, or rows while holding down the control key and clicking the left mouse button. I briefly researched the Microsoft support site and Google to see if I could discover a setting that had gone awry, or some other cause for this never before seen problem; I found nothing.

I use this “control key” feature frequently in my analysis and research work at TSIA and couldn’t see getting along without it, so I decided to part with 49 bucks and buy a Microsoft support call to resolve the issue. I told them I was having a problem with Excel, so they directed me to Excel support. The person with whom I first spoke ran me through several diagnostic steps, which identified that the problem was in fact not isolated to Excel; the control key/left click combination was not working correctly in internet explorer, my computer, other apps – everywhere. He determined that he needed to transfer me to someone who could help me from a broader perspective than that of just Excel support. This is where the “fun” began.

He transferred me to operating system support and stayed on the line to explain the issue to the new support person. But now they began to debate – with me on the line listening to every word – about which of them was going to have ownership of the case and whether it should be a “child” case or not (as if I know or care what that is). Apparently this new support person became angry or frustrated at the conversation and hung up on us at some point because the line seemed to go dead. By now I’m somewhat exasperated, but I wait.

Hat’s off to the initial support guy – he doesn’t give up easy. He came back on the line several minutes later and with a new operating system support person to whom he again explains the situation. But again they argue about who should own the case and whether it should be a “child” case or not. At some point one of them – or both, I don’t really remember at this point – demanded to speak with the other’s manager. (I’m still on the line listening to this!) Mercifully, they then put me on hold. Now I’m beyond angry and exasperated; I’m intrigued, I have to see what’s going to happen next. A few minutes later the newest support person comes back on the line to tell me he will be taking over the case from now on – I guess they figured out who should own the case without my help!

After several more diagnostic steps with no resolution this 2nd OS support person decided to transfer me to level two. The level two technician said he would need to look into it in further detail and would call me back within two hours. That’s exactly what the first two technicians should have done instead of arguing or debating the internal issues with me on the line.

Never air internal issues like those described above in front of your customers. Customers don’t give a damn about your accounting procedures, your internal policies, or your inner politics. They just want their questions and their problems handled quickly and professionally. I have two impressions of this experience. One is of the tenacity of the initial support rep in trying to get me the help I needed. But the overriding one is of the support reps arguing, with me listening to every word, over internal matters that had nothing to do with my problem. The second impression will be the more lasting.

(In the interest of full disclosure I must tell you that the problem ultimately turned out to be a setting in the virtual machine, not in Microsoft or Excel. The setting had apparently gotten changed during a download or an update. I have advised the Microsoft support technician of the details. I do not believe this diminishes the point of the blog however, that is, don’t lose focus on a customer support issue because of  your own internal squabbles.)

PS – Happy Holidays All! And thanks for your interest – IT MATTERS!

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Posted in Customer Service & Support, Hardware and Software Support, Telephone Support | 1 Comment »