Focus Book Series

Do you need more information on current trends? Do details on how to implement common support center initiatives like measuring customer satisfaction and selecting outsourcers escape you? HDI focuses on hot topics in must-read mini-books you can download immediately.

HDI members receive a hard copy of the current Focus Book each quarter but may downloaded the books as well. Non-members can purchase a Focus Book from the HDI eStore.

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The Professional Association: Cultivating Leaders and Harnessing the Power of Community

By: Rich Hand

Since the founding of our country, Americans have understood the value of being able to associate and assemble. Our founders understood and believed the concept of forming “associations” as important to the future of our country, so much so, that they wrote it into the United States Constitution.

The First Amendment (Freedom of Religion, Press, Expression) reads: “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.”1

The Support Center in 2011: A Report on the Future Trends Facing the Support Industry

By: The HDI Support Center Leadership Forum, HDI Executive Forum and HDI Strategic Advisory Board

“In this, the first Focus Book of 2008, the HDI Support Center Leadership Forum, the HDI Executive Forum and the HDI Strategic Advisory Board met, discussed and identified the most prominent trends support managers and IT executives will encounter in the next three years. These groups identified 14 trends that will transform the way IT support is delivered and managed and made some policy-setting predictions that will impact everyone from the Tier 1 analyst to the CIO.”

Building a Web Self-Service Portal: Keys to Success

By: Paul M. Dooley

The trend today is toward globalization, 24x7 coverage, and multichannel support. Customers want choices, flexibility, and support—when they want it, how they want it, and where they want it. Our customer base is asking for: • Choices—to get support how and when they want it • Convenience—the right reporting tool for the problem, question, or request • Availability—to avoid problems in the first place • Empowerment—to be informed • Return on Investment—to get the most from their system

Understanding the Business Value of Customer Service Skills in Technical Support

By: Robert S. Last

In this focus book we will discuss the value of soft skills training and how it can provide a positive Return on Investment (ROI) to an organization providing technical support. Service success in the technical support arena does not appear by magic; it is hard work, burdened by the myth that it is too expensive, and thought of as a necessary evil. These factors help explain why service in technical support is so often problematic and even poor.

Translating IT Metrics into Business Benefits

By: Rae Ann Bruno

To better communicate alignment with business goals, IT must embrace the overall goals and objectives of the organization and clearly show value in business terms. In Translating IT Metrics into Business Benefits, Rae Ann Bruno explains how to align IT goals with organizational goals and how to translate support center metrics into business benefits. Also, she explores ways to communicate this new set of metrics that highlight specific advantages to the organizations.

How to Establish and Maintain Service Level Agreements

By: Char LaBounty

How do you establish and maintain service level agreements (SLAs) with your customers? First, you must have a commitment to a customer service culture, then you must have a commitment to an ongoing SLA process. In How to Establish and Maintain Service Level Agreements, Char LaBounty presents her step-by-step process, based on twenty years of experience, for determing service elements, negotiating service quality goals, and measuring your service against your SLAs.

Glossary of Support Center and Help Desk Terms

By: Robert S. Last

What's the difference between escalating and elevating a service request? How does case-based reasoning compare to a decision-tree structure? And how do the terms call, problem, and service request differ?

The Glossary of Support Center and Help Desk Terms is the definitive guide to understanding the unique language of customer service and support. This glossary will help you communicate more effectively with professionals from all corners of the service and support industry.

Using Service Goals and Metrics to Improve Help Desk Performance

By: Mark W. Ellis

A good program of performance measurement is an essential management tool. A poor one does more harm than good. How can you tell the difference? In Using Service Goals and Metrics to Improve Help Desk Performance, support center consultant Mark Ellis shows you how to build a world-class measurement program by focusing on specific service goals and metrics. You'll learn how to select goals and metrics that will keep your support center on a path of continual improvement.

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