Achieving recognition as a “Top Quality” service provider starts at the top. At one time or another we have all probably heard about the necessity for having well documented processes, qualified people, responsiveness, fast resolution times, and detailed metrics in order to identify root causes of process and product failures. Even all of this is not enough!
SophosTalk, the company’s online community was launched in November 2009 and complements traditional phone and email support channels for customers. It is structured around the Sophos product lines such as Endpoint, Gateway, Data Protection and Mobile Security. In addition, there are discussion boards for specialist topics such as the small business versions of our products, and issues relating to data loss protection. There are boards for notifications from us, and for comments and feedback from community members. In this post, Dave Jobling of Sophos discusses community metrics, including a compelling indication of return on investment (ROI).
Q. At a recent services industry conference, one of the speakers indicated that only 1 to 2% of product salespeople can successfully make the transition to selling professional services. Is this true? A. Baloney! Unless you are trying to sell rocket science using anvil salespeople, this is completely false! Yes, it is true that successfully selling services is dramatically different from selling products, but the gap can be closed. It is our experience that 7 out of 10 product salespeople can successfully make the transition to selling professional services if the appropriate time is allocated (plan on a year) and the following systematic approach is followed:
You’ve just hired a new front line support rep. To decrease ramp up time, you assign one of your experienced people to mentor the new employee. Now you can relax, knowing that things will go smoothly in bringing the new person up to speed. However, a few months later you become concerned when it appears that the new person is struggling still with what could be considered basic skills and seems to be frustrated, almost to the point of being negative.
Customer service today requires more than the ability to communicate professionally. In today’s competitive market a new role, that of cross selling, is becoming an integral part of the customer service function. It is a natural function if done professionally with the customer’s needs in mind. Many customer service professionals resist the role of cross selling because they are uncomfortable with it. It feels like sales rather than support. It feels as if they are forcing something on the customer that he or she did not ask for. It feels like telemarketing. It doesn’t have to.
he latest fads and trends seem to blast onto the scene with a focus on the upside but often there are delayed downsides lurking. In the world of software development there always seems to be a creative way to mess up or miss-interpret a great new practice. There are many articles about Agile Development’s positives and negatives from a development perspective. Google is all about Agile and it seems that every development organization will at least tinker around with Agile trying to emulate Google’s success. But let’s face it, replicating Google’s culture, bank account and stranglehold on a cash cow service (search) is nigh impossible.
One of the most powerful relationship-building tools available to services organizations comes from a situation most of us dread — screw ups — the installation that never worked or the problem fix that never stuck. These very things that result in a hassle for you and a headache for the customer are marvelous opportunities to turn lemons into lemonade. Yet, even services execs with a lifetime of dealing with (and solving) tough customer problems often blow their chance.
Do you know the skills and knowledge staff members require to meet and exceed your customers’ support expectations? Do you know the skill level of each member of your staff? Have you defined a skill attainment process that ensures skill levels have been reached by your staff before advancing them or placing them on the front line with customers? Well you’re not alone. Many support centers lack a clearly defined skill attainment and certification process. Some centers have a list of skills but they are frequently just a list of product names or modules leaving the details up for interpretation.
Are you experiencing escalating case volumes, 24×7 demand for support, and needing to do “more with less”? What about Knowledge-Centered Support, Web 2.0, and online communities? These days, you must have an effective eServices offering – your company and your customers need it. What’s that? You haven’t really gotten traction yet? If you are just getting started in launching your eServices offering (or in some cases, relaunching), now is the time to ask yourself and your organization some key questions. I’m not talking about technology platforms, knowledge bases, or ROI calculations, you’ll get to those soon enough. I’m talking about some “gut check” questions that will help shape your strategy and ultimately determine the success of your execution.
The impact of the economic downturn on your customers could quickly turn their attention to questioning the value they receive from your service contracts. They may have already cut back internal staff that support your products, which may result is higher service demand, loss of local advocates and product expertise within your accounts. Now what?? [...]
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