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The 10 *Worst* Practices for Technical Support and How to Overcome Them
This white paper explores 10 of the "worst practices" that are common to customer support operations. Each of these feature a section discussing how these worst practices can creep in to your contact center, and new ways in which to deal with them. We touch on how to eliminate well-intentioned management blunders that can hurt your performance from within, together with good and bad uses of support technology. Taken together, the guidelines in this report represent a summary of a new kind of best practices for support.
Convergys to Launch Work-at-Home Program in UK
Convergys Corporation, a provider of relationship management solutions, announced it is expanding its highly successful Home Agent program to the United Kingdom. Convergys, which has some 70,000 employees worldwide, currently has home agents in 29 U.S. states and six Canadian Provinces in North America. Convergys will use the same web-based rollout strategy that worked very well in the United States to rollout the program in the UK.
Numara Software Launches Family of Integrated IT Asset Management Solutions
Numara Software, Inc., a provider of service management and asset management solutions, has introduced eight software products designed to manage IT assets through their entire lifecycle. The eight software products for inventory management, software deployment, patch management, remote control, power management, vulnerability, compliance and device management, are part of the family of solutions that are based upon the Numara Asset Management Platform (NAMP). Built from the ground up as a modular yet integrated system, NAMP employs a single, unified platform that eliminates the need for expensive combinations of disparate products.
California ‘In-Shoring’ Firm to Hire in Michigan
Systems in Motion delivered a jolt of well-received news to Michigan last Tuesday, saying it will hire about 1,085 information-technology workers around Ann Arbor. The Fremont, Calif., company calls itself an “in-shoring” provider, meaning it takes on IT projects for clients but does the work on American soil. Its chief executive, Neeraj Gupta, told the Detroit Free Press that it will kick off a training program for new and career-changing workers and expects to pay $30,000 to $80,000 for most of the positions, which it will hire over the next five years. Systems in Motion said in a statement that it also considered Texas and Ohio for its new support center. It received tax credits and other incentives from Michigan.
source: WSJ
Virtual Hold Technology and Bell Partner to Eliminate Hold Time in Canada
Virtual Hold Technology, LLC announced that it has entered into a reseller agreement with Bell ICT Solutions to sell and support the Virtual Hold software solution to Bell business clients across Canada. Virtual Hold software helps eliminate hold time in contact centers worldwide. When hold time is more than a few minutes, the Concierge solution informs the customer of the estimated hold time and then offers to hold the customer's place in line and call them back when it's their turn to speak to a customer service representative. Scheduled callbacks, website integration and outbound notification products also are available.
White Paper: Communications Skills for Remote Support
Today's support transaction is a little more like meeting someone for lunch than reading scripts over a telephone, and like a powerful close-up mirror, these transactions can magnify both the strengths and weaknesses of your interpersonal skills and the quality of your support delivery. At an organizational level, these skills can in turn have a tremendous influence on your bottom line.
The good news is that specific, procedural techniques can dramatically change the effectiveness of your remote support agents, and give them the confidence to handle any support situation live on a customer's own computer.
This white paper walks you through four specific steps that will help supercharge your customer relationships in an era of remote support.
US Leadership in IT Industry is Growing, Even in Tough Economic Environment
The Economist Intelligence Unit's annual study, sponsored by the Business Software Alliance (BSA), reveals that countries in Asia, Latin America and Europe are taking deliberate steps to improve their technology environments, although the US remains the leader in providing the most competitive conditions for the information technology (IT) industry.
The United States still ranks first in the world in the annual IT Industry Competitiveness Index, which was conducted by the Economist Intelligence Unit, the business information arm of The Economist Group. The United States scored a 78.9 out a possible 100 in the index. However, the US lost ground to competitors in a number of areas, while Finland jumped from 13 in the 2008 rankings to number two in 2009 and surpassed the United States in the quality of its business environment.
The study, now in its third year, assesses and compares the IT industry environments of 66 economies to determine the extent to which they enable IT sector competitiveness. The ten highest ranked countries in the 2009 study are the US, Finland, Sweden, Canada, Netherlands, United Kingdom, Australia, Denmark, Singapore, and Norway.
According to the Economist Intelligence Unit, six factors combine to create a sound environment for the IT sector, including an ample supply of high-skilled workers; an innovation-friendly culture that supports R&D; world-class technology infrastructure; a robust legal environment that protects intellectual property (IP) such as patents and copyrights; an open, competitive business environment; and government leadership that strikes the right balance between promoting technology and allowing market forces to work.
According to the study, the United States combines breadth and depth in the six competitiveness categories, with special strengths in the quality of its IP protection laws, business environment, and its highly-educated workforce. However, the report also highlights areas where US global leadership is challenged, including:
* Infrastructure: The US was ranked 7th in the world this year, down from 2nd last year. Despite having strong PC penetration -- the US has an estimated 86 desktop and laptop computers for every 100 people - broadband connectivity is moderate. Some parts of the country need better access to high-speed networks -- an issue that is being addressed by the economic stimulus bill approved earlier this year.
* Workforce: Technology firms in the United States have a strong demand for highly skilled talent. Immigration policies in the US have tightened due to security concerns, which constrain the flow of talent. Immigration restrictions on skilled workers should be eased or the US could lose its attractiveness as a destination for talent from abroad.
* Openness: The US economy is in the midst of a recession and must avoid embracing “America first” policies that limit global access to the market and invite reciprocal limitations by our trading partners. US policymakers should strive to open markets and protect intellectual property at home and abroad.
Other key findings of the research include:
* Despite economic turmoil, the IT industry in the US remains strong, even in the midst of an economic recession. Many governments around the world view the IT sectors as an important engine of economic growth, and many are taking measures to stimulate sector output as a means of accelerating economic recovery.
* Robust intellectual property protection remains essential to IT sector competitiveness. The top ten countries in this year's index all have strong intellectual property protection that enable their IT industries to flourish.
* A strong approach to cyber security is essential for economic and technological advancement. Cyber criminals are international threats that are becoming more advanced. A public -- private partnership is essential to thwart cyber crime. Governments should ensure that steps to secure cyberspace are taken without placing mandates on technology.
* Protectionism will hinder economic recovery efforts worldwide. The IT industry is a global industry and "buy local" provisions are slowing the global marketplace. Governments must avoid the siren call of protectionist market practices that will only hinder recovery and harm long-term sector competitiveness.
Worldwide Security Software Market on Pace to Grow 8% in 2009
The worldwide security software market will total $14.5 billion in 2009, an 8% increase from 2008, according to Gartner, Inc. In 2008, it grew at 19%, and Gartner anticipates the market to grow 13% in 2010 as revenue will total $16.3 billion. In Europe, the security software market will total 3.2 billion Euros in 2009, representing 7% growth from 2008.
In 2009, consumer security will remain the largest segment (in terms of total software revenue) in the security software market, representing 25 per cent of the total market. Gartner estimates it will account for $3.6 billion, growing 4% in 2009. The enterprise security software market formed by a number of segments such as endpoint protection platform, email security boundary and user provisioning is predicted to account for $10.9 billion, reaching 9% growth in 2009.
Economic Downturn Leading to Decline in Employee Commitment, Morale
The cost-cutting actions that employers have been making to deal with the economic crisis have contributed to a sharp decline in the morale and commitment of their workers, especially top performers, according to an annual survey by Watson Wyatt, a global consulting firm, and WorldatWork, an international association of human resource professionals.
The 2009/2010 U.S. Strategic Rewards Survey found that employee engagement levels for all workers at the companies surveyed have dropped 9 percent since last year, and close to 25 percent for top performers. Additionally, 36 percent of top performers say their employer's situation has worsened in the past 12 months and the number who would recommend others take jobs at their company has declined by nearly 20 percent. Compared with last year, top-performing employees are 26 percent less likely to be satisfied with advancement opportunities at their company. They are also 14 percent less likely to want to remain with their company versus take a job elsewhere.
The survey also found that top-performing employees are 29 percent less confident in management's ability to grow the business. And 41 percent believe that pay and benefit changes made by their employer in the past year have had a negative effect on work quality and customer service. The survey was conducted in May 2009 and is based on responses from 1,300 full-time workers at large U.S. employers.
The survey also found that most top-performing employees say they aren't expecting to receive the same bonus or pay increase as they have in the past, even though historically companies have rewarded them with pay commensurate with their performance. More than six in 10 (61 percent) say their companies have reduced or suspended bonuses, while only 35 percent agree their employers reward top employees for performance. Additionally, 43 percent of top performers said individual performance expectations have increased since last year, while one-third (32 percent) say their company's financial performance goals have increased.
Other findings from the survey include:
*Regardless of whether companies downsized, 89 percent of employers report taking at least one or two actions to minimize the extent of workforce downsizing. On average, survey participants report taking 3.5 different actions.
*Nearly three out of four (72 percent) employers have gone through a restructuring or made layoffs since the economic downturn began last year.
More...
Contact Center Agents: Training To Survive
Training contact center staff/agents in soft skills such as empathy, and hard ones like selling and support, and supervisors in getting the most out of their agents, is arguably the best set of tools available to help companies survive and grow. Superior training can shorten calls and eliminate repeat ones, thereby lowering call expenses, shrink staff attrition and boost sales and customer retention. However, companies in these challenging times are cutting investments in training.
Full Article...
Managing in an Upturn: Focus on Customers and Keep Expectations Low
Many experts agree that the decision-making challenges facing corporate CEOs and their top strategists are in some ways more difficult in the second half of 2009 than they were during nearly two years of unmitigated recessionary times. That is because managers must make risky decisions on issues like increasing production back to pre-recession levels: Do it too soon and a company could waste millions on unsold inventory, while inaction could lead to significant lost revenue opportunities if the U.S. economic recovery is strong and takes place quickly. But management experts say the current month-to-month economic uncertainty has an advantage, too, by making it a good time to focus less on short term goals and more on the big picture.
Full Article...
Call Center Outsourcing: A Reasoned Approach
Many companies think of outsourcing as a perfect way to lower both costs and headaches. Yet, many times, outsourcing relationships bring disappointment and frustration. Most of the time, the main issue is a poor match between the company and the outsourcing vendor, something that could have been prevented through a better selection process. This article presents tips on selecting the right outsourcer.
Full Article...
UC Bringing The Enterprise Closer To The Contact Center
Unified communications (UC) in the contact center has been said to be part of the process of drawing the contact center closer into the enterprise. However, that process can be viewed in reverse, as the process of bringing the enterprise closer to the contact center. This may seem like semantics but the picture is important when you consider the implication of greater and more open collaboration between contact center agents and subject matter experts.
Full Article...
Culture management critical to ITSM and ITIL implementation
Succeeding with an ITSM or ITIL implementation often means changing processes and the way people do, and think about, their jobs -- in short, changing the organizational culture. And culture management, like any type of change management, has several big obstacles. The three biggest obstacles CIOs face when addressing organizational culture issues are executive support, old school mentality and understanding that IT Service Management and the IT Infrastructure Library (ITIL) are not projects, but journeys, according to ITSM practitioners and consultants.
Full Article...
Separated at Birth: Tech Honchos and Their Famous Lookalikes
Tech titans are often one of a kind characters. But some Silicon Valley kingpins have virtual twins lurking in Hollywood and Washington, D.C. Who might play Marc Benioff or Carly Fiorina? Here's a look.
Full Article...
The Manager's Guide to Maximizing Employee Potential: Quick and Easy Strategies to Develop Talent Every Day
by William J. Rothwell
Many books have been written about talent management and succession planning -- but few have focused on how busy managers can incorporate the important task of finding, developing, and keeping the best people into their daily routine. The Manager's Guide to Maximizing Employee Potential takes readers step-by-step through simple and effective strategies they can use to:
-- Assess individual potential
-- Recruit and select the right people
-- Train and develop talent
-- Offer career advice and mentoring
-- Appraise current skills and provide daily feedback
-- Excel at performance coaching
-- Transfer knowledge and professional contacts
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2009 Service & Support Metrics Survey: The Results
Supportindustry.com conducts an annual survey designed to explore the state of enterprise service and support -- technology adoption rates and deployment plans, financial challenges, workforce issues, performance metrics and other industry trends. This year's survey highlights support organizations' continued adoption of better-integrated and responsive technologies, efforts to improve processes, and growing recognition of the strategic role of service delivery in corporate growth. At the same time, however, these organizations continue to battle the ongoing challenges that have come to characterize the service function. Key metrics to benchmark your support operation were also captured and discussed.
Get your copy of the results today!
2009 Service and Support Technology Showcase Now Available
SupportIndustry.com has released the 2009 version of our Service & Support Technology Showcase. This in-depth buyer's guide features the latest tools and technologies in the support services industry that enable support operations to deliver superior customer service.
To view the listings, click here.
Visit the SupportIndustry.com Blog
The SupportIndustry.com Blog is another way stay on top of the service and support industry. Our blog, updated at least once a week, is dedicated to covering the latest topics related to service and support, call center management, customer experience management, web-based support, help desks, workforce optimization and more.
Check it out today
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