Consulting Services Inc. (CSI) is an IT consulting firm that was struggling to manage time and attendance for a staff of over 300 employees who mostly work remotely across the country. The company manages a wide range of contracts with vastly differing time reporting requirements and their process was mostly manual and very labor intensive.

Last week, we attended the CompTIA Annual Member Meeting. The event had a record turnout and we had a great few days of learning and networking. The keynote speaker was Steven M. R. Covey, who did a great presentation on trust. His points really hit home for any service organization. He stated that when you increase trust, you decrease customer churn, reduce employee disengagement, increase efficiency, and much more. Who wouldn’t like to accomplish all of those things?

Forbes published an interesting article declaring The End of ERP. The article contends that more and more companies are moving to a subscription model (think Netflix for movies and Pandora for music), which focuses on recurring customers rather than one-time product customers.  While not every company fits a subscription model, the focus on recurring service revenue should not be lost. Let’s face it, when a company sells a product, that customer relationship is not over. Often there is additional service revenue that can be generated from that customer.

If you joined us for our webinar titled, “2012 Service Delivery Automation Benchmark Results–How to stop revenue leakage & drive more revenue from services,” you heard Bill Pollock, president of Strategies for Growth SM, the official research partner of The Service Council TM, share the results of the Service Delivery Automation Benchmark Report, as well as got a look at some of the key trends and challenges that will likely have the greatest impact on the service industry in 2012. Mr. Pollock also provided a closer view into the future of cloud-based SaaS (software as a service) solutions.
 

When asked about service delivery goals, the preference for cloud-based solutions came out on top, with 60% preferring hosted/cloud solutions.
 

2012

You thought it was the year of the dragon, but it could very well be the year of the customer...
 

What do top performing organizations and best-in-class companies have in common?

 

Can anyone really argue against the importance of training? Regardless of the economy, how can any company afford to hire employees without properly training them?
 

In a recent field service benchmarking study done by WBR, a whopping 61% of all surveyed said they would change or optimize processes in order to scale their knowledge base for an ever-expanding array of products. Optimizing processes beat out Knowledge Management Software and additional resources. So what does this say about a company’s existing business processes?
 

How many different systems do you need to log into to get the critical customer and service data you need? More than one? More than two? More than 5…? When you have disparate databases and systems that don’t talk to each other, that hinders your overall business process. Learn how to resolve customer inquiries, diagnose service issues, and determine the proper resolution steps quickly and effectively.

In over 100 product companies (including hardware and software companies, SaaS providers, large companies, mid-sized companies, etc.) that have been benchmarked with TSIA, data shows that the average revenue mix is roughly 60/40, where 60% of total company revenues are coming from products and 40% are coming from services.
 

Welcome to the fourth installment of our series of blogs based on the Service Revenue Trends joint research report from Technology Services Industry Association (TSIA) and CSDP. The report is based on extensive TSIA research including benchmarking and industry surveys.
 

We hope you got a chance to read our first installment of our series of blogs based on the Service Revenue Trends joint research report from Technology Services Industry Association (TSIA) and CSDP. The report is based on extensive TSIA research including benchmarking and industry surveys related to the revenue trends of product companies.


Today, we’re exploring how the “services pulsar” is impacting technology companies.

In an independent report titled, “The BT Scorecard — Essential Metrics for BT Transformation” published by Forrester Research Inc. on May 24, 2011, the essential metrics for business technology transformation is discussed.

This is the first in a series of blogs based on the Service Revenue Trends, a joint research report from the Technology Services Industry Association (TSIA) and CSDP. The report is based on extensive TSIA research including benchmarking and industry surveys related to the revenue trends of product companies.

Are you in the danger zone? How do you avoid a failed field service solution or service lifecycle management project?

Service people are everywhere. But are you really in the service industry if you care about billable time?

This is a basic mantra, but does it really make sense?

From cloud computing to Fusion to mobile applications, here’s a look at what conversations with industry analysts and recent market data are predicting for 2011 ERP outcomes…

This is the time of year to reflect and be grateful for the good things we have in our lives; friends, family, our job…but when was the last time you were thankful for your health? If you’re anything like me, it was the last time you were sick...It’s funny how so much of the time we never appreciate the things we have until we realize we can lose them.

Would you prefer Scenario A or Scenario B?

So you think you are an old timer? Here as some terms that may bring back some memories:
CE (Customer Engineer), FE (Field Engineer), CSR (Customer Support Representative). All of these terms meant the same thing to a client in need of help. It was that person that came to their rescue when things did not go as planned. These people were the very heart beat of companies that were in the service business.

Send some (or all!) of your people home. They can work from there and save you money and themselves time and money (no gas, a tax write off for their home office space, etc.). Today technology has made it possible for employees to home report. The key here is to have responsible high character folks in your organization. If you do trust them, then there are many jobs that can be performed at home just as easily if not more easily than going to an office every day. Your staff can be more effective if they don’t have to get ready and drive to work. You may even find that you’re getting more hours from salaried people than ever before.

I read recently that one of the top 3 frustrations about dealing with service providers is being transferred to multiple representatives to get a problem solved. This has happened to each of us, and it can be very tedious and trying on your patience. So, service companies, why don’t you become the expert of your own product!

The top 5 major bad habits to break and tools for transformation.

“Become your customer for a day to better understand what they want."
--Aaron Kwittken, CEO of Kwittken & Co.

I recently attended an Improv show featuring Orny Adams, and he joked about calling a company, tediously entering your lengthy account number, only to have a person pick up the phone a couple minutes later and say, “What’s your account number?”

A couple of months ago, I was on an airplane watching the flight attendant go through the pantomime of safety instructions and reading the accompanying illustrated safety card when something captured my thoughts. They instruct you to put your own oxygen mask on before you go on to help anyone else. This is an extreme example, but what better way to point out that you cannot care for anyone else effectively if you don’t care for yourself first and foremost.

Last week, I ate a Chinese restaurant in my area. I’ve been eating there on and off for years, but because of the great food. Their service was always kind of bland and they’re out of the way from my house, so I’d only go there if I was in the area. They’ve recently gotten new management and my experience last week was completely different.

Being of the younger generation (I just graduated from college in '09), I am very much engulfed with the advent of new technology. My peers were among the first to buy CD players back in elementary school, and then were the first to buy ipods/iphones/ipads when they came out. And there were several malfunctions of these Apple products upon their release. Each version seems to have several problems before they work out the kinks, and it doesn’t matter to us—we just need to get our hands on it—be the firsts to have that. That’s the thing with my generation—everyone’s looking for the newest technology.

The advent of automation has had some casualties…human interaction and customer service are, sad to say, two prime examples.

The Customer Puzzle…it won’t work if one piece is missing!

Service is a touchy topic. Everyone’s views and expectations of it are different. Not to mention, you’ll get different service everywhere you go.

Since I began working for a service company, I’ve been paying a lot more attention to how companies can improve their customer service.

Instead of finding real solutions to their problems, do you treat your customers like dollar signs and push unnecessary products on them? Did you ever think that by doing this, you may actually be losing money?

I recently read an article that discussed a great new trend in progressive companies...

The only constant is change. It’s inevitable, especially in the year 2010. New technologies are coming out every day. New businesses emerge, new processes are created, and if you’re not up to speed, you’re going to get left behind. There’s no excuse to have an outdated company. If you stick to your old ways and aren’t at least flexible about changing them, you’re going to get broken.

Want some great ideas about how to better your business and corporate culture? Ask your employees!
You would be hard pressed to find people with more knowledge of the ins and outs of your daily business than your own employees, and yet they are so regularly an untapped source of knowledge.

This may sound like a refresher course on a subject we all learned in kindergarten, but it bears repeating because I see this rule broken every day both in business and social interactions. Be kind to others!

Customer Service is ultimately more important than sales. We’ll state that right from the beginning because we truly believe that. Why is it more important? Because you need to retain customers, of course! It costs less to retain a customer (utilizing the services of customer service reps) than to acquire a new one (services from salespeople)...

As a company, as a manager, or even just as a human being, you desire respect.  You want to be treated fairly and correctly by those around you in personal and in business relationships. But how does one earn this elusive respect?  There is definitely a right way and a wrong way to go about it.

So what is the right way...?

Reactive service—we all do it. It’s an integral part of what a good service company has to offer. For example, a customer calls in with a complaint, and you take care of it. Job done. However, fixing problems once they happen doesn’t always prevent the problem from reoccurring...

Ever wonder how you could be the best service representative you could be? Or would you like to know how to train your service people to be the best they could be? I’ve compiled a list of the top five characteristics of a great service representative. Incorporate them as soon as possible!

External brand experiences are just the tip of the iceberg...

I have recently participated in a lot of discussions on what extraordinary customer service means. To one person, it could mean bending the rules to satisfy their needs, and to the next it could be greeting them, but not pestering too much while shopping. Here is a list of some of the things that make up “extraordinary service…”

Does anyone else hate automated phone services as much as I do? I recently had to call into a certain company’s customer support line and my experience confirmed—once again—that automated support can be the most frustrating time-waster ever...

The one rule all companies should adhere to...

We were taught at a very young age to work together in teams. Quotes like, “There’s no ‘I’ in ‘Teamwork’!”, “TEAM = Together Everyone Achieves More”, and, “A job worth doing is worth doing together,” lined the halls in my elementary school. We learned this alongside sportsmanship, commitment, and respect.

I recently started a discussion on LinkedIn where I asked if anyone had a recipe for building great customer relationships, and the results were pretty impressive. But what struck me as amazing, was the strong common theme amongst most of the responses...

There is one key ingredient in providing extraordinary service that can never faked or replaced, and that is…having the right attitude!

The terms flexibility and consistency may sound contradictory, but when combined in the workplace, they are very powerful tools.

We've all heard the Golden Rule: treat others as you want to be treated. Have you heard of the Platinum rule? Treat others the way THEY want to be treated...

I recently started a discussion about trust and building more solid customer relationships on LinkedIn, and the results were overwhelming. Every person said that there is a definite connection.

Take our quiz to see if you're a Service Hero, Apathetic Agent, or Service Zero...

There are few things in life that I can say with as much absolute certainty as I can say this: I LOVE MY DOGS!!!

Service organizations have many things in common, while each also has very unique approaches. We all share the same final goal of giving / providing a solution to our customer’s request. We live in a world that ultimately is very subjective, in that what we want (need) is not only a solution to the problem, but also a happy customer. We are constantly proving our worth through our dedication, commitment, abilities and responsiveness to our customer. We do ask from the person or group of people we serve to trust in us. We spend our lives proving that the trust put in us is earned and deserved. We earn this trust by listening.

On a recent discussion on LinkedIn, a Strativity Group study was brought to my attention. I had never seen the results of the 2009 Customer Experience Consumer Study which was conducted from April to May of 2009 and surveyed 1994 consumers from North America. The results are definitely worth a look...

Service Relationship Management (SRM) is the unique bridge between Customer Relationship Management (CRM) and Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP). This hybrid approach to service focuses on the end-to-end service delivery life-cycle and embraces the concept of service as a relationship and a revenue generator, rather than a cost center.

There are several ways to improve your business, which could be anything from automation to business processes. The better you become at your process, the faster you will see your return on investment...

One of the most important concepts in the service industry is to retain valued repeat customers while pursuing new opportunities. The current customers can and will help you gain new business. The key is to make sure you know what your clientele will think and say about you. Simple word of mouth can be just as effective as advertisements, networking and a go-getter sales staff. A reference is good to have, but a true believer will also be proactive in their simple day to day communications with others. People that find a good thing will talk about it. If you find a good doctor, attorney, or plumber, don’t you tell your friends about it? The opposite is also true. If the service you provided to a customer was inadequate, that will also be talked about...

If any of these sound like you, it's time to rethink your customer service methods...

It might be a wonder why CSDP’s logo is tiger eyes. Perhaps this will make some sense of it…

When faced with this burning question, most people believe that you should forget about your weaknesses and focus on making your strengths even stronger. However, as the expression goes, “If it’s not broke, don’t fix it.” We believe that you should tend to your weaknesses in order to better your general skill set rather than only focusing on your strengths. In order to be the best at what you do, we believe you must be strong in every area, not just in one. After all, a ship with expensive, state-of-the-art sails is useless if there are holes in its hull.

Send some or all of your people home. They can work from there and save you money and themselves time and money (no gas, a tax write off for their home office space, etc..). Today technology has made it possible for employees to home report. The key here is to have responsible high character folks in your organization. If you do trust them, then there are many jobs that can be performed at home just as easily if not more easily than going to an office every day. Your staff can be more effective if they don’t have to get ready and drive to work. You may even find that you’re getting more hours from salaried people than ever before...

We, as service organizations, seem to have many things in common despite our very unique approaches to service. No matter how different our approaches may be, we all seem to share the same ultimate goal: Providing a solution to our customer’s request. But as service driven individuals, we can’t stop there...

Knowledge base technology is centered on the idea that a system can warehouse and deliver information to an end user. This type of information is similar to a question/answer platform. The kinds of delivered information can be...