Transcript Customer Support -They Are, We Are Susan M. Johns Pittsburg State University Pittsburg, KS Our Expectations of Support  Know who we are  Acknowledge and respond.

Customer Support -They Are, We Are
Susan M. Johns
Pittsburg State University
Pittsburg, KS
Our Expectations of Support
 Know
who we are
 Acknowledge and respond to
logs, problems, and concerns
 Address needs in a timely and
professional manner
Our Expectations of Support
 Troubleshoot
correctly : get it
right the first time
 Help us manage our systems
proactively
The message sent is not
necessarily the message
received.
You can’t NOT communicate.
-- John Gall, Systemantics
The Quality Axiom:
Doing things well usually costs
less than doing them poorly.
-- Karl Albrecht
The machine itself makes no
demands and holds out no
promises; it is the human spirit
that makes demands and
keeps promises.
-- Lewis Mumford, 1934
Quality: a measure of the
extent to which a thing
or experience meets a
need, solves a problem, or
adds value for someone.
-- Karl Albrecht, 1992
Customer Feedback :
On the whole,
knowing is better
than not knowing.
-- Karl Albrecht
Customer Value Model
 Price
Confidence
 “Can-do” Attitude
 Personalized and Individualized
Treatment
 Error-free “Mechanics”
Customer Value Model
 Agent
Continuity
 Information Support
 Proactive Safeguarding of the
Customer’s Interests
 Recovery When Things Go
Wrong
It’s supposed to do that!
-- Anonymous help-line response, 1982 - present
Support Expectations of Us
 Know
who they are
 Provide accurate information
and testing on logged problems
 Provide timely feedback in a
professional manner
Support Expectations of Us
 Convey
when we are unhappy
AND when we are pleased
 Clarify what we need to deliver
information services to our
patrons
Not everything that counts
can be counted;
and not everything that
can be counted counts.
-- Albert Einstein
Error Message Guidelines
 Be
specific and precise
 Be constructive: indicate what
needs to be done
 Use a positive tone: don’t accuse
 Choose user-centered phrasing
Error Message Guidelines
 Consider
multiple levels of
messages
 Be consistent in grammar,
terminology, abbreviations,
visual format and
placement
Expectations of Partnership
 Respect
individual expertise,
needs, time, and value to the
organization as a whole
 Train and assist one another
relentlessly
Expectations of Partnership
 Test
and improve the product;
provide a superior R&D resource
 Provide quality services and
automation excellence in any
way possible
Three helping one another
will do as much as
six working singly.
--Spanish Proverb
My software never has bugs;
it just develops
random features.
-- Anonymous
Even error has its uses.
-- Alvin Toffler, 1970
Cherish your bugs.
Study them.
-
- John Gall, Systemantics
Definition of an Upgrade:
Take old bugs out,
put new ones in.
An omlette, promised in two minutes,
may appear to be progressing nicely.
But when it has not set in two minutes,
the customer has two choices -- wait,
or eat it raw. Software customers have
had the same choice.
-- Frederick P. Brooks, Jr., 1975
What is really important in
education is. . .that the
mind is matured,
that energy is aroused.
-- Soren Kierkegaard
An individual without
information cannot take
responsibility;
an individual who is given
information cannot help
but take responsibility.
-- Jan Carlzon
-
Strengths of the Customer Base
 Personal
Dedication
 Resource Sharing
 Regional and Global Contact