No More Tiers: Is Intelligent Swarming a Better Way to Solve Customer Issues?

Intelligent swarming is a dramatically different way to organize the support organization, challenging thirty years of accepted practice and structure in support. Let’s examine what is driving this change, how it works, where it applies, and why it can be a more efficient and effective way to...
Date Published June 12, 2012 - Last Updated May 11, 2016

Embracing the Consumerization of IT

In 2008, Citrix launched a BYOD (“bring your own device”) program for its worldwide employee base. Already a leading provider of virtualization, networking, collaboration, and cloud technologies, Citrix set the stage for their IT support teams to begin embracing the transformation taking place...
Date Published June 12, 2012 - Last Updated May 11, 2016

From SaaS to SaaC: True "Software as a Service" Is About Choice

While it certainly appears that many organizations are demanding the benefits offered by SaaS, evidence indicates many organizations are confused about what SaaS truly entails, and whether or not it is the best choice for their software needs. Consider the following question recently posted on a...
Date Published May 25, 2012 - Last Updated May 11, 2016

A Vision of Your Service Desk

Do more with less. This has become a common refrain in our industry, given the state of the economy. As new technology emerges that can propel the business forward, the expectations on IT continue to grow, while IT spending continues to be constrained. In a time when acquisitions and mergers...
Date Published May 25, 2012 - Last Updated May 11, 2016

Doing the Right Things, the Right Way, Is No Longer Enough

With the rapid adoption of the ITIL framework, a growing number of organizations are now doing the right things, the right way, when it comes to IT service delivery and support processes. If you belong to one of those organizations, you’ve probably established your service desk as the single...
Date Published May 25, 2012 - Last Updated May 11, 2016

Best Practices for Chat Support

As consumers continue to seek customer support online, there is tremendous opportunity for companies to enhance their customer service in real time. While social media as a platform for CRM takes the spotlight these days, consider the value more traditional service channels offer to connect with...
Date Published May 23, 2012 - Last Updated May 11, 2016

The Practicalities of Adding Chat to Your Support Center's Contact Channels

According to the 2010 HDI Support Center Practices & Salary Report, only 19.9% of all centers are offering chat as a contact channel. With adding value and reducing costs at the front of most IT leaders’ minds, is this the right time to increase your support capacity by adding chat? And are the...
Date Published May 23, 2012 - Last Updated May 11, 2016

Service Innovation: A Creative Approach to Service Delivery

Most businesses claim to use their customer service organizations as key differentiators in creating competitive advantage in the marketplace, but this claim does not withstand closer analysis. The service the vast majority of these companies provide is actually the same as their competitors, so...
Date Published May 23, 2012 - Last Updated May 11, 2016

Metrics, Measures, and Madness

If there’s one thing service desks are good at, it is collecting information and reporting on it. If there is one thing they are terrible at, it is being able to focus on the few instead of the many. But one way to find out if anyone is actually reading the reports you spend so much time...
Date Published May 23, 2012 - Last Updated May 11, 2016

Customer Service in the Era of Social Support

Once upon a time, customers relied on advertising to shape their perception of an organization. Certainly, some money was poured into customer service, but only enough to keep things moving. If customers had problems, their complaints were usually isolated to a strongly worded letter to the company.
Date Published May 23, 2012 - Last Updated May 11, 2016