Technological advances have made relationship building easier than ever. Nonetheless, it’s crucial to remember that although these advances provide us with tools to assist us in what we call Relationship Architecture™, these tools, in and of themselves, are not what building a business...
Tag(s): people, customer service
For this issue, HDI invited influential members from across all segments of our community to provide a snapshot of key imperatives that will guide 2013 initiatives. This unique collection of essays offers a rare glimpse inside technical service and support organizations, spanning healthcare,...
Tag(s): business of support, desktop support, customer service, practices and processes, service management, trends, IT service management, outsourcing, byod
Today, outsourced service providers live in a world where customers call the shots. As a customer, you’ve come to expect more than a standard set of services. Instead of one model in one color, you want outsourced services that can be customized to your needs, uniquely branded and themed for...
Tag(s): practices and processes, outsourcing, process management, business of support, sourcing
It’s no secret that customers really want just two things from their interactions with the service desk: speed and accuracy. They want someone to answer the phone quickly, someone who can help them with their problems, and someone who can provide solutions that are correct and helpful. So, if...
Tag(s): customer experience, service desk, staffing
Support center analysts have a tough job. Maybe a customer (whether internal or external) has just received a new product and can’t understand the installation directions. Maybe the customer’s network connection is not working properly and it’s just one week over the computer’s warranty. Or...
Tag(s): people, customer service, practices and processes
One of the biggest challenges managers face is hiring new team members. It’s like placing a bet on red at the roulette table in Vegas: Sometimes you get lucky, sometimes you don’t. Sometimes a new member picks up the job functions quickly but never acclimates to the team concept, and thus never...
Tag(s): people, professional development, team building, teamwork, employee engagement, leadership
Some of the most effective techniques for doing more with less come from lean management. Using these techniques, I’ve been able to mobilize my teams while maintaining or improving morale and customer satisfaction. But where do you start? How do you identify the areas that will have the biggest...
Tag(s): continual service improvement, leadership, organizational change management, process-improvement, support center
We asked Fancy Mills, author of “Workforce Management: Underutilized Metrics for Success,” to share a list of the resources, tools, and software she recommends to her clients. If you’ve used or worked with any of the following, we invite you to share your feedback in the HDI Buyer’s Guide.
Tag(s): workforce enablement, tools
With all of the changes and innovations happening in the technical service and support industry, it can be difficult to stay ahead of potential issues, problems, and challenges. But today’s monitoring tools can give technical service and support organizations the edge they need to respond...
Tag(s): monitoring, tools
The technical support staff is the voice, and often the face, of IT. Over the past couple of years, HDI has conducted several studies on staffing in the technical service and support industry, focusing on topics like hiring, retention, staffing structure, salaries, skills, and the future. By...
Tag(s): staffing, human resources