Like many accredited certification programs, HDI Support Center Certification is an exhaustive process. After months of rigorous preparation by the Vertex support team, the official week-long certification review would culminate in March 2020. Then came the COVID-19 shutdown.
With an onsite visit no longer viable, both parties remained steadfast and went virtual to complete the certification.
Vertex was a bit apprehensive about the remote audit. All other certifications had been done in-person at their office—and their support team had just finished scrambling to get themselves set up to work from home (along with most of the company’s staff).
The virtual consulting and certification process began in earnest, and immediately the apprehension faded. In the end, not only did Vertex earn their official HDI certification, but the undiminished virtual experience actually enhanced the process.
According to Vertex’s Director of Customer Support, Ray Proska, conducting the HDI Support Center Certification virtually removed the usual distractions of the office, allowed vital members of their leadership team to become more focused and engaged, and offered more flexibility than other certification audits they’ve had in the past.
“Virtually is the wave of the future as we continue with HDI certifications and consulting services,” Ray said. “As we expand our global footprint from a support perspective, being able to do it virtually is going to be key.”
Vertex's HDI Certification Will Serve as a Springboard to Continued Success
“HDI was great to work with,” said Ray. “It was a challenging process to go through, made us look in the mirror and understand our business...coming out with a new perspective on what it takes to be successful.”
And with lofty goals, success for the Vertex support team is more important than ever. Setting their sights on combining and streamlining their operations as they look to develop and implement a cloud-first “support 2.0” that oversees the entire global organization will be their next herculean task. To accomplish this, they plan to anchor their rebuild and expansion in the tenets of HDI and the essential direction they received as part of the Support Center Certification process.
“What HDI has done is helping us shape what we’re building,” says Ray.
Now, as the only indirect tax technology company that’s HDI certified, Vertex is already reaping the rewards. The support team is more integral than ever to the organization’s overall mission, and their sales team sees the influential certification as a big differentiator when going after new business.
“It’s awesome, a big feather in our cap. We’re very prideful of that,” concludes Ray.
Is your support center ready for the HDI Support Center Certification process? Take the HDI Support Center Self-Assessment to understand your current state!