Tuesday 11:30 AM - 12:30 PM — Executive Panel on Education Services: Key Challenges and Responses
Tuesday 11:30 AM - 12:30 PM — PS Speed Networking
Tuesday 12:50 PM - 1:30 PM — Accelerating IT Transformation – A Case Study of Commercial BSS Roadmap
Tuesday 12:50 PM - 1:30 PM — Innovate with Emerging Business Models in Enterprise Software Support
Tuesday 1:40 PM - 2:20 PM — The Next Generation of Customer Support
Tuesday 2:30 PM - 3:30 PM — A Process for Relationships, Repeatability and Revenue
Tuesday 2:30 PM - 3:30 PM — Comprehensive Update of the AFSMI and SSPA Benchmark Survey and Database
Tuesday 2:30 PM - 3:30 PM — Customer Service for Profitability
Tuesday 2:30 PM - 3:30 PM — Professional Development: Selling Your Ideas
Tuesday 2:30 PM - 3:30 PM — What Happens with Customers, Stays with Customers
Tuesday 4:30 PM - 5:30 PM — Women in Services: Profiles of Success
Wednesday 8:30 AM - 9:30 AM — P&L or Enabler: Making the Case for Education Services
Wednesday 9:45 AM - 10:45 AM — Growing Education Services Revenues in a Down Economy
Wednesday 9:45 AM - 10:45 AM — The SSPA: The Research Response Team
Wednesday 11:00 AM - 12:00 PM — Driving Services Innovation Upstream
Wednesday 11:00 AM - 12:00 PM — Extending Your Radar through Social Measurement
Tuesday 11:30 AM - 12:30 PMLocation: Montego E
- About the key challenges facing Education Services executives today
- What steps Education Services executives are taking to confront these challenges
- How you can apply the lessons of Education Services from peer organization to your context and situation
Why You Need to Attend This Session:
This panel discussion presents attendees with a unique opportunity to hear from and interact with education services executives who are successfully navigating the challenges of the current economic climate. This session also will provide a preview of the additional sessions on this, TSW’s first, Education Services track. These sessions are targeted at helping those responsible for education services understand optimal business models and revenue growth strategies.
Presentation Abstract:
What are the most common challenges facing education services managers and executives today? What are the responses that have been the most effective in confronting these challenges? This panel discussion, involving a collection of education services executives from several prominent technology companies, will address these questions. The panel also serves as the kick-off session for the education services track that is taking place at TSW for the first time ever.
About Bo Di Muccio, PhD:
Bo Di Muccio is responsible for developing and delivering research and advisory programs that are focused on helping executives build and optimize professional services in many of the world's leading technology companies. He has nearly 10 years of experience in technology industry research, analysis, and consulting, including experience in hardware, software, and services. Prior to TPSA, he was the program manager for consulting services research at International Data Corporation (IDC), had a lengthy tenure at Deloitte Consulting, where he worked in the areas of services strategy and marketing, market research, competitive intelligence, and client service, and held market research roles at AltaVista Company and Compaq Computer Corporation. Bo earned his master’s and doctoral degrees in international political economy from the School of International Relations at the University of Southern California and was a tenure-track faculty member of the University of Florida’s Department of Political Science.
About Roslyn Jones:
Roslyn Jones is vice president of Global Education Services at Informatica Corporation where she is responsible for global strategy, sales, development and delivery solutions for Informatica customers and partners. She has more than 25 years in the Education Industry and is extremely passionate about all aspects of education and training. She has worked for Apple Computer, Amdahl Corporation, VERITAS Software, Salesforce.com and has hardware and software experience and background. She has played a key role in all aspects of education and started from the bottom up (instructor, course developer, sales manager, Regional Manager, and Director and VP).
About Linda Moss:
Linda Moss is vice president of worldwide education services at BMC Software, Inc., where she is responsible for the strategy, selling, development, and delivery of solutions training for BMC customers. Moss has over 20 years of extensive training and development experience in the global IT industry. She has worked at a number of software companies, most recently Brocade Communications Systems, Inc., growing Brocade’s education business 300%. Prior to these positions in the U.S., Moss operated a successful training and management consultancy in Europe for 10 years, providing training at companies such as Deutsche Bank, KPMG, Black and Decker, and the U.S. Federal Government in Europe. Moss holds a BA in English from The University of Gloucester, England, an MBA with a specialization in managerial leadership from City University, and a PhD in gendered learning from The University of Kent, Canterbury, England.
About Shelley A. Olson:
As vice president of Education Services, Shelley Olson, oversees Symantec’s customer, employee and partner education organizations. She leads a team of security, storage and availability product training experts to maximize customer’s value from Symantec products, as well as build and manage resilient infrastructure. Shelley brings over 13 years of industry experience, and a very strong global background in IT education, certification, field training, and curriculum development. Shelley joined Symantec through the company’s merger with VERITAS software. At VERITAS, she was a senior director of America’s Education. Shelley joined VERITAS from PeopleSoft Inc., where she was vice president of PeopleSoft University, providing worldwide education to customers, partners and employees. During her 6 year career, she drove a $125M P&L and managed over 225 employees worldwide. Shelley has been featured in the Wall Street Journal, eLearning and Certification magazines for her thought leadership in technical education. Shelley holds a Master of Business Administration from Golden Gate University, and a bachelor’s degree in finance and economics from Central Washington University.
About Eric Berglund:
Eric Berglund is one of the three directors of the Worldwide Education team at VMware. Worldwide Education is responsible for technical and sales training of VMware customers, partners, and employees. Eric has been a VMware employee for six years, spending much of that time growing the VMware P&L from a team of 7 to a team of 150+ FTEs, and growing its direct-delivered revenue from $1M per quarter to $12M. His current responsibilities include management of the 1000+ lab servers used to deliver VMware hands-on training, the in-house Learning Management and Certification data systems, and VMware’s technical certifications. Prior to VMware, Eric held a series of IT management and consulting positions, including management roles at Netcentives, WebTV, and Synopsys. He holds a Master’s degree in Computer Science from Michigan State University.
Tuesday 11:30 AM - 12:30 PMLocation: Antigua A
- How to automate your services organization, incorporating the experience of PRTM, a global operational strategy consulting firm
- Benefits of an integrated PSA solution
- Services management tips from an operational strategy consultant to the Global 2000
Why You Need to Attend This Session:
Looking for a PSA system to automate your services business or simply want to learn how to operate your services group more efficiently? PRTM is a global management consulting firm that advises Fortune 500 and Global 2000 companies, including leading services companies. Hear straight from the source how they successfully implemented OpenAir’s PSA solution at PRTM and what they learned in the process to help streamline their own internal operations. This session is for those who are looking for the latest in operations science as it is applied to the services world today.
Abstract coming soon!
About Eric Finch:
Eric Finch is a PRTM partner based in Silicon Valley where he leads PRTM’s Software Industry Practice. He has over 20 years experience helping clients achieve breakthrough results from internal operations. His functional experience includes product development, product marketing, customer service and support, and information technology. He also serves as Global CIO, managing PRTM’s internal IT strategy and resources. Prior to joining PRTM, he held senior positions in R&D at Gensym Corporation, a successful software startup where he was responsible for all aspects of product development, launch, and support. Eric has a BS in Chemical Engineering from the University of California, Davis; earned a Ph.D. studying artificial intelligence at MIT; and received his MBA from the Fuqua School at Duke University.
About Morris Panner:
Since 2001, Morris Panner has been CEO of OpenAir, a global provider of SaaS project workflow solutions. OpenAir has been named a Fastest Growing Private Company in New England, a Deloitte & Touche Fast 500 Company, a Finalist for the SIIA CODiE awards, and a Top 25 Global Service Provider by ASP News. Prior to OpenAir, Morris was a Federal prosecutor and spent a year fighting narco-terrorism at the U.S. Embassy in Bogotá, Colombia. Morris is co-chair of the Board of the Software Division of the SIIA and has been featured in The New York Times, Forbes, and Fast Company.
Tuesday 11:30 AM - 12:30 PMLocation: St. Thomas B
- How Cisco manages 250,000 service requests a quarter and meets service delivery requirements in 120 countries
- How Cisco is employing the latest technologies to the service supply chain
- How Cisco drives customer loyalty by capturing and analyzing data
Why You Need to Attend This Session:
Today’s economic and business environment demands increased commitment by leadership to improve, adapt and overcome many obstacles facing customers and partners. In his presentation, Dillard Myers will discuss Cisco’s key service principles for generating revenue, cutting costs and optimizing processes that have made service the leading customer loyalty and customer satisfaction driver at Cisco.
Presentation Abstract:
How do you manage a nearly $5-billion parts inventory, deliver six hardware replacement options from two-hour to next-business-day delivery in 120 countries, and work 250,000 service requests a quarter, while improving customer satisfaction with demanding customers and complex equipment? That is the challenge facing Cisco every day. This presentation will explore how Cisco is managing the customer experience through the introduction of smart services that can identify equipment problems before the customer is even aware of them. It will cover the use of the latest Web 2.0 technologies, such as video and online collaboration to speed case resolution. Attendees also will learn how Cisco listens to customers in many different ways, analyzes the data, and then converts it into actionable items to drive continuous improvement of the customer experience and generate stronger customer loyalty. This presentation will highlight Cisco’s three-point process for improving productivity and reducing costs to support day-to-day operations and future needs.
About Dillard Myers:
Dillard Myers has more than 30 years of experience providing vision, focus, and development of supply chain strategies. He served 30 years in the U.S. Marine Corps, holding key logistics executive leadership positions. In his final posting he was the senior logistics Colonel on the U.S. west coast responsible for complete logistics support for 45,000 marines and sailors. Dillard joined Cisco in 2000 and implemented leading-edge Global Planning Strategy and Dynamic Sparing initiatives. He holds a bachelor’s degree in business from Pepperdine University, a master’s in management from Webster College, and a master’s in national security and strategic studies from the Naval War College.
Tuesday 11:30 AM - 12:30 PMLocation: Montego A
- What challenges your peers are facing in their PS organizations
- Which one of your industry peers can potentially help you
- As many new names as possible!
Why You Need to Attend This Session:
This is a unique opportunity to rapidly meet many of your industry peers and quickly understand who has similar challenges and who has prior experience with challenges you are facing.
Presentation Abstract:
Our PS speed networking sessions work like "speed dating," but for making professional connections. You’ll make fast first contacts with conference participants to discover colleagues who have experience with problems you are trying to solve. Session attendees will talk with each other for six minutes and then rotate. During each six-minute session, the two attendees will exchange a PS problem they have and will determine if the other person has experience with that problem. At the end of the session, the moderator will reward the attendee who had the most "experience matches." That winner will receive a gift certificate and honorable mention at the awards banquet. Come to this session armed with a list of your current challenges—tightly summarized.
About Thomas Lah:
Since 1996, Thomas Lah has helped a broad range of companies establish or improve their professional services organizations. Prior to TPSA, he was founder and principal of Thomas Lah, Ltd., during which time he became recognized worldwide for his incisive analysis, strategic thinking, and creative solutions. Thomas' recent books include Mastering Professional Services and Building Professional Services: The Sirens' Song, which has been adopted by technology companies throughout the world, including China's Lenovo, which acquired IBM's PC business in early 2005. In 2004, Thomas was invited to Zhejiang University in China to lecture on the topic of building professional services. In his earlier career, he was director of solutions engineering at Silicon Graphics. Thomas received an undergraduate degree in information systems and holds an MBA from the Fisher College of Business at The Ohio State University.
Tuesday 11:30 AM - 12:30 PMLocation: Montego C
- How service and support pricing pressures are affecting the discounting terms companies offer for service contracts, what impact these pricing pressures are having on companies’ service revenues and margins, and what the anticipated impacts are going forward
- What new and creative services companies are adding to their service and support offerings to help forestall maintenance price reductions
- How both hardware and software companies today are pricing multi-tiered service and support contracts, such as basic, premium, bronze, silver, gold, platinum, etc.
Why You Need to Attend This Session:
In this tough economic climate customers are leaning on their hardware and software suppliers to reduce the costs for maintenance and support services. How are these vendors responding to that pressure? And what do executives see as the future growth prospects for their maintenance and support related revenues? You might be surprised at how the respondents to this landmark survey answered these and other service related questions.
Presentation Abstract:
Michael Israel, senior research director for AFSMI and SSPA, will discuss the results and analysis of the survey these associations conducted during the summer on maintenance pricing practices. The associations receive more comments and inquiries on this topic than almost any other. Members and those considering membership will find the results and analysis of this survey extremely informative and very relevant, especially in this economic climate where many maintenance and support organizations are facing increasing pressure from their customers to reduce pricing for maintenance and support services.
About Michael Israel:
Michael Israel is senior director of research and advisory services for AFSMI and SSPA. In this role, Michael is responsible for expanding the research portfolio in the area of field and support services. He works closely with both AFMSI and SSPA members to provide the industry data they need to optimize their services organizations. Michael previously founded igniteService, Inc. and has worked in customer support, field service, and repair operations for more than 30 years. He has significant service operational experience, having spent 15 years—including 12 years with IBM—managing field service, service parts, and technical support operations. He also spent more than 15 years selling and marketing customer service, service management, and service parts management software solutions to manufacturers and service providers in a wide variety of industries. His sales and marketing roles include management and executive-level positions with Oracle, SAP, and other leading software organizations. In addition, Michael was a widely respected research director in the service chain practice at Aberdeen Group, where he researched and reported on customer support, field service, maintenance, and repair topics.
Tuesday 12:50 PM - 1:30 PMLocation: Expo Theater 1
- How to leverage system agnostic industry best practices in practical terms as applied to a service provider’s IT roadmap
- How to use system agnostic industry best practice use cases as a basis for validating requirements and designing business architecture
- How to harness generic business process definitions as a means to design a service oriented architecture
Why You Need to Attend This Session:
By attending this session, you will understand how use cases from previous projects can be abstracted into generic best practice knowledge libraries. Further, you will also see how leveraging such knowledge libraries can significantly accelerate architecture and design for a transformation project. This session also demonstrates an approach to designing a service oriented architecture by mapping business processes to system capabilities that support them.
Presentation Abstract:
This case study demonstrates the value of Knowledge Libraries in reducing the time to market for IT Transformation. Through a real life example, we show how critical architectural decisions can be made quickly, and consensus achieved with business stakeholders while key technology decisions are still outstanding. The case study also demonstrates the use of a set of system agnostic industry best practice use cases and process definitions to create a foundation for a service oriented architecture. This capability based business architecture enabled validating of business requirements and providing a basis for selecting and finalizing the application architecture where there were gaps, while at the same time enabling design to progress in other areas.
About Uday Bhaskar Nandivada:
Mr. Nandivada is an enterprise architect with over 23 years of experience in implementing complex enterprise level solutions for a wide range of industries and business models around the globe for customers including AT&T, Sprint, Comcast, DIRECTV, Telstra, Sprint, FarEastern, etc. He is currently the Global Technology Solutions Lead with Amdocs Consulting. Prior to joining Amdocs, he was a Senior Manager with Capgemini Inc., where he successfully led the implementation of several complex OSS/BSS Integration projects for more than 10 major service providers. Earlier, he was a solution architect for AT&T’s Texas Local Factory.
About Frank Palase:
Frank A. Palase has been with DIRECTV for 13 years. Mr. Palase is currently the vice president of Strategy and Innovation. He has responsibility for strategic planning and working with key executives in order to develop roadmaps that will be executed by the IT organization. He is also responsible for Enterprise Design and Architecture. Mr. Palase also has responsibility for Innovation for the IT department and researches new ways to improve efficiencies and increase revenue opportunities by using new and existing IT assets. He also runs IT security and is the CISO for DIRECTV. During his career at DIRECTV he has held positions in both development and operations at DIRECTV. Prior to joining DIRECTV, Mr. Palase was a consultant at Digital Equipment Corporation for five years. As a consultant, Frank developed and designed infrastructure and application integration models for the real time space. Mr. Palase also served in the United States Air Force for five years. He worked in the area of operational test at Edwards AFB. Mr. Palase holds a law degree from Southwestern University School of Law and received his undergraduate degree in electrical engineering from Polytechnic Institute of New York.
Tuesday 12:50 PM - 1:30 PMLocation: Expo Theater 2
- How to choose the business model that suits your support services and realigns focus
- The right sourcing strategy for enterprise software support―your model for customer success
- How to build a predictive, sustainable, and consistent operational model for gaining efficiency and effectiveness
Why You Need to Attend This Session:
Discover the success mantra of the world’s leading enterprise software companies with KPIT Cummins’ test-proven support services. Our value-added business models help you achieve more for less.
Presentation Abstract:
We all have witnessed the catastrophic effects of global economic turmoil across industries. The upside is that it has compelled organizations to turn leaner for the better. The constant decline in the IT spending of customers is posing a serious threat for enterprise software companies who bank on maintenance revenues as their strategy for sustainability. Here again, they are pressurized by the high cost of operations constantly eroding their margins. The emergence of innovative business models in such a scenario comes as a sigh of relief. However, the effectiveness of these models is still a question for many. KPIT Cummins invites you to explore the various business models and their transformational benefits while building a superior customer experience. Specific examples will exhibit the right strategy of adoption for each model, the key success factors, and the modus operandi, thereby attaining business agility.
About Pawan Sharma:
Pawan sits on the Executive Management Panel of KPIT Cummins and leads businesses at GBS (Global Business Solutions) and DFS (Diversified Financial Services). A “thought leader in enterprise software support,” Pawan has established multiple global support centers for technology leaders and helped them surpass customer expectations. Pawan has over 19 years of experience, working with companies including HP, IBM, HCL, and KPIT with a passion to “wow” his customers’ customer through operational excellence. Pawan has been a member on the Standard Boards of JD Powers and the Service & Support Professionals Association (SSPA) certification program. He is on the board of the Strategic Outsourcing SIG of PMI in the United States. He is also the CEO and president of PMI North India Chapter.
Tuesday 1:40 PM - 2:20 PMLocation: Expo Theater 1
Presentation Abstract:
Customer support has entered the next generation with customer needs increasing due to the more advanced and mobile technologies available. Customer support operations face a tough mission – to support new consumer technologies while securing and optimizing their support operations as consumer demand continually increases.
Join Bomgar, the leader in next-generation enterprise remote support solutions, and PlumChoice, the leader in next-generation online customer support, at the Technology Services World Expo Theater #1 Tuesday Oct 20th @ 1:40PM-2:20PM for an exploratory voyage into the new frontier of customer support.
Learn strategies for:
- Controlling customer support costs
- Maximizing security in supporting mobile customers
- Optimizing processes and staff in the face of new technologies
- Supporting multiple OS & different devices
May your business live long and prosper well into the next generation.
Jeff Johnson joined Bomgar in 2005 and brings over a decade of experience in technology sales and partnership development. Johnson is chartered with leading the company's new customer relations group in support establishing relationships with the over 5,000 companies in Bomgar’s commercial and enterprise customer base. Prior, Johnson held executive positions within Diversified Technology, where he was responsible for managing relationships within the federal, telecommunications and gaming markets. He holds a bachelor of business administration in marketing from the University of Mississippi.
Joe Rappa joined PlumChoice in April of 2009 and brings over 25 years of experience in technology sales and engineering. Joe is a leader in the sales organization and directs the strategy for partnerships within the Telco, Retail, and OEM sectors. Prior to joining PlumChoice, Joe has held executive positions within IBM and Sun Microsystems, where he was responsible for driving growth in the Financial Industry. He holds a Masters in Business and Policy Studies from the State University of New York.
Tuesday 1:40 PM - 2:20 PMLocation: Expo Theater 2
- Best practices for integrating intelligent search-based applications into their customer service environment, including strategies to ensure broad adoption of the technology by both customers and call center personnel
- Which KPIs are most supported by intelligent, enterprise search- based customer service solutions and how to measure their effectiveness
- Strategies for leveraging enterprise search technologies to increase customer community participation and encourage cross-customer issue resolution as customers begin to rely on experts in the community to provide direction and information critical to the success of their solutions
Presentation Abstract:
Knowledge access technologies enable greater levels of self service for technology customers, even when dealing with complex solutions and large implementations; such technologies also enable higher levels of contact center efficiencies, including higher rates of first call resolution and shorter overall call duration. Both results increase levels of customer satisfaction and trust, which in turn lead to increased up-sells and cross-sells, as customers understand their provider’s commitment to ensuring success with its products and services. At the same time, intelligent search solutions enable the convergence of disparate knowledge management systems, product information repositories, customer service solutions, email and desktop content, through unified access via a single, faceted search interface. This session will trace the evolution of a leading technology provider’s use of enterprise search from a single departmental implementation to supporting all call center and extranet content, and present Key Performance Indicators which will help participants to develop their own business cases to support such implementations.
About Louis Tetu:
Louis Tetu is the Executive Chairman of Coveo, a leading provider of advanced enterprise search technology and information access solutions. By enabling real-time access to relevant business information, Coveo search solutions optimize business processes for customer service, information publishing, ecommerce, collaboration, investigations and litigation support. Prior to Coveo, Mr. Tetu co-founded Taleo Corporation, the leading international provider of on-demand Internet software for talent and human capital management, where he held the position of Chief Executive Officer and Chairman of the Board of Directors from the company’s inception in 1999 through 2007. In 2006, he received the Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of The Year award in the Technology and Communication category.
Tuesday 2:30 PM - 3:30 PMLocation: St. Thomas B
- How a balanced and used process for development and deployment of service solutions enables better predictability in quality, execution and ROI
- How a process for discovering and harvesting some of the work completed for one customer can grow to repeatable solutions and reduce cost and time
- How engaging cross-functional teams to develop and validate the service concept leads to a more robust, globally accepted offering that is ready to be sold
Why You Need to Attend This Session:
For services strategist and marketers who aspire to create innovative offerings with a small investment, Genesys will host an interactive discussion on how to drive repeatable, revenue-generating services that align with product, solution, and go-to-market strategies.
Presentation Abstract:
Demonstrating business value from a services group doesn’t need to come after a deployment has been successful. By empowering a small team to develop a services portfolio and lifecycle process that intimately link the service, product, and marketing teams – business value is provided before the first customer meeting. With this, driving a service portfolio with repeatable offerings and solutions to market provides predictability, higher utilization and ultimately healthier margins. We will discuss the process we have developed and the success that Genesys has embarked on with this new initiative.
About Jodie Paxton:
Jodie Paxton is the director of Services Business Planning at Genesys and is focused on driving service offerings and assets to market that are aligned with corporate and product strategies. Prior to joining Genesys, Ms. Paxton held several positions within the technical support and professional services product marketing groups at Sun Microsystems and other start up ventures.
Tuesday 2:30 PM - 3:30 PMLocation: St. Thomas A
- The progress and purpose of the new survey
- The anticipated resulting database of information
- The approximate availability date for the updated benchmark survey
Why You Need to Attend This Session:
The AFSMI and SSPA benchmark survey yields an extraordinary amount of financial, operational, and customer satisfaction data about our members maintenance and support operations. Member companies use this data to compare themselves to other organizations of similar size in similar industries. It’s been a while since the questions in this survey were updated. This breakout session will outline the steps that are underway to update the benchmark survey and survey tool to bring it completely up-to-date to include the data that is most important today to both hardware and software support organizations.
Presentation Abstract:
The status of the comprehensive refresh, redesign, and update of the AFSMI and SSPA benchmark survey, database, and survey tool will be reviewed. The benchmark database is in the process of undergoing a significant redesign and upgrade. We will also discuss the new survey tools being considered for this purpose.
About Michael Israel:
Michael Israel is senior director of research and advisory services for AFSMI and SSPA. In his role, Michael is responsible for expanding the research portfolio in the area of field and support services. He works closely with both AFMSI and SSPA members to provide the industry data they need to optimize their services organizations. Michael previously had founded igniteService, Inc. and has worked in customer support, field service, and repair operations for more than 30 years. He has significant service operational experience, having spent 15 years—including 12 years with IBM—managing field service, service parts, and technical support operations. He also spent more than 15 years selling and marketing customer service, service management, and service parts management software solutions to manufacturers and service providers in a wide variety of industries. His sales and marketing roles include management and executive-level positions with Oracle, SAP, and other leading software organizations. In addition, Michael was a widely respected research director in the service chain practice at Aberdeen Group, where he researched and reported on customer support, field service, maintenance, and repair topics.
About Greg Burnett:
Greg Burnett is director of operations for AFSMI, SSPA, and TPSA, focused on enhancing the customer experience and general management of the business. Prior to launching TPSA, he worked for five years as a Senior Consultant and Consultant for IBM Global Services and PricewaterhouseCoopers respectively. As a management consultant he advised clients on the strategy and implementation of best practice customer relationship management (CRM) initiatives including measurable performance improvement, business process re-engineering, business requirements development, and quality assurance. He holds a MBA from the UCLA Anderson School of Management and a BS in Business Management from North Carolina State University.
Tuesday 2:30 PM - 3:30 PMLocation: Montego B
- Service is a process
- Service starts at product conception and follows until the product is no longer used
- How to think of service in terms of profits not costs
Why You Need to Attend This Session:
In today’s economy, old ways of doing business must be changed, and there is no area more vital to focus on than customer service. Customer service is a strategic system; it is not a cost center. The strategy starts as the product is being developed and continues until the product is no longer used. The profitability of the product will be negatively impacted if any part of the “total system” is omitted, or if it is not understood that service is a profit center and should be added or subtracted from the business profit center.
Presentation Abstract:
Customer Service starts at product concept and continues trough development, production, delivery, customer training, use - until it is no longer used. Profits are effected if the process is not followed. This is a great chess game!! Those who play the best game will satisfy the customer, have greatest profits, have happy customers and will truly enjoy the game.
About Larry Swaton:
Larry Swaton is the owner of Swaton and Associates. He has worked in the Automotive, Defense, Aerospace and Healthcare industries. He has also consulted for many fortune 500 companies. He is an ASQ Fellow, was professional service manager of the year for AFSMI, as well as received their lifetime achievement award. He has run a world wide service organization and served on several boards. Larry has a B.S Degree and an MBA.
Tuesday 2:30 PM - 3:30 PMLocation: Antigua A
- How an SMB product company can deliver world-class technical support for enterprise-class products under tight budgets
- The right ingredients for enhancing quality of support
- How to deliver support 2.0
Why You Need to Attend This Session:
This case study debunks the myth that world-class partnered technical support is only for large companies with hundreds of customers. Mirapoint will talk about how they have successfully debunked this myth and leveraged MindTree’s framework in cost-effectively supporting their customers without sacrificing their core activity of developing innovative solutions.
Presentation Abstract:
Building and growing a competent technical support team for complex products in the face of an ever-growing customer base is a daunting task for any product company―more so for SMBs. At the same time, handing off customer-facing activities to a partner is a difficult decision fraught with significant risks. A few questions SMBs battle with are:
- Does the partner understand and have the capability to support my savvy customers who are using technically complex products?
- Can the partner help transform the technical support function with the latest trends, such as collapsing layers of support and adoption of Web 2.0 technologies?
- Can the partner help the SMB through the journey of support maturity levels of Reactive -> Organized -> Demand Reduction -> Value Added Support?
Can an SMB achieve this support nirvana by retaining focus on its core business and on a shoe-string budget? Most of the SMBs do not think about these questions, as they feel they do not need and/or cannot afford a full-time tech support arm. Engaging a partner is not an easy choice for an SMB, as the partner always wants volume business to provide affordable services. This is not true anymore. Tech support is not just for large companies. This case study debunks the myth that world-class partnered technical support is only for large companies with hundreds of customers, large budgets, and high call volumes. In fact, it is often more productive for SMBs to look at partners to offload their support requirements. Mirapoint will talk about how they have successfully debunked this myth and leveraged MindTree’s framework to cost effectively support their customers without sacrificing their core activity of developing innovative solutions.
Vanessa has 23 years of experience in leading global support organizations at technology companies. She had built and managed highly competent support teams spreading across multiple time zones serving technologically savvy end customers. She has extensive experience in leveraging partners in delivering high-quality support services. Prior to Mirapoint, Vanessa was the director of sustaining engineering at Attachmate Corporation, and prior to that she was the director of sustaining engineering at The Wollongong Group. Vanessa has a degree in computer science from Kingston University, UK.
Srinivas has 20 years experience in the IT industry and currently heads the technical support practice at MindTree. He started his career as a design and manufacturing consultant for CAD/CAM. With core expertise in Unix system administration, he supported fault-tolerant HP NonStop-UX systems and Mirapoint’s enterprise secure messaging appliance servers. He led teams that developed test suites for fault-tolerant features of NonStop-UX. In his current role he is responsible for technical support service delivery excellence, building world-class support teams, technology learning initiatives, and customer relationship management. Srinivas has a master’s degree in machine dynamics and robotics from the Indian Institute of Technology, Kharagpur.
Tuesday 2:30 PM - 3:30 PMLocation: Jamaica A
- How to effectively communicate key techniques, strategies, and approaches when presenting your ideas to senior management and business leaders
- 3-5 key lessons learned by top business leaders
- Specific advice from over 15 top business leaders how they have succeeded in their careers
Why You Need to Attend This Session:
How many times in your career, have you been able to hear first hand specific tips on how to effectively sell your ideas to all levels within your company from over 15 top leaders in our field. Roslyn had a rare opportunity to interview some of our top woman leaders and found out what makes them tick! You are going to walk away from this session with a couple ideas that could make the difference in your next communication.
Presentation Abstract:
We are all sales people regardless of our role in our corporation and no matter how much experience and knowledge I think you would agree we can always benefit from learning from others in our field. Roslyn Jones, Vice President of Global Education Services for Informatica Corporation has personally interviewed some of the top Services leaders from Cisco, HP, salesforce.com, BMC, and more to find out what they have learned in their many years in the business world. Roslyn has taken this assignment very seriously and is excited to share trends and unique examples to help us effectively communicate at all levels.
About Roslyn Jones:
Roslyn Jones is vice president of Global Education Services at Informatica Corporation where she is responsible for global strategy, sales, development and delivery solutions for Informatica customers and partners. She has more than 25 years in the Education Industry and is extremely passionate about all aspects of education and training. She has worked for Apple Computer, Amdahl Corporation, VERITAS Software, Salesforce.com and has hardware and software experience and background. She has played a key role in all aspects of education and started from the bottom up (instructor, course developer, sales manager, Regional Manager, and Director and VP).
Tuesday 2:30 PM - 3:30 PMLocation: Antigua B
- Key measurements and metrics for knowledge-focused organizations and key implementation lessons learned
- 2010 strategic initiatives and current investments in social media
- How to motivate and incent knowledge workers
Why You Need to Attend This Session:
The twist on this Las Vegas slogan has never been truer with the pressures of today’s market demands. Every interaction you have with your customer becomes part of a total experience that either helps build or destroy your brand.
Presentation Abstract:
Learn from industry-leading experts how they have implemented and utilized knowledge to significantly improve the customer service experience. Whether you’re providing technical support for mission-critical networks, or assisting field technicians in the repair and maintenance of complex gaming machinery, the requirement for fast access to accurate answers is becoming increasingly important.
InQuira customers, Juniper Networks and IGT along with industry partner DB Kay and Associates join forces in an interactive panel discussion. Join us to learn the trade secrets and best practices.
Chris Hall brings over twenty years of business experience as a senior marketing and product strategy professional in the enterprise software industry. Prior to joining InQuira, Chris was the vice president in charge of the global product strategy initiatives at KANA Software. Chris has been vice president of Worldwide Marketing for Chordiant where he pioneered the company’s customer experience (Cx) branding and was senior director of Product Management for Silknet Software which launched a successful IPO in 1999.
Keith Redfield joined Juniper Networks in 2005 as the director of eSupport and Global Support Technology and has over 25 years in the high tech industry including over 15 years designing and implementing assisted and self service strategies for complex networking products. Keith is responsible for customer self-service and collaborative-service initiatives and the infrastructure supporting Juniper’s award-winning global support operations. Keith has previous experience across a wide range of the networking industry – from a “garage” startup to one of the largest companies in the industry.
Shawn Derifield has led various support organizations in his 13 years with IGT, including Product Training and the Global Support Center, and is currently leading the Sales and Service readiness organization. Shawn was the sponsor and business leader for IGT’s recent Knowledge Base initiative and is responsible for training and supporting IGT’s Global Support and Sales workforce.
David Kay is principal of DB Kay & Associates, a firm that offers support organizations strategic consulting on knowledge management, self-service, and social media. Customers include Microsoft, IBM, Intel, Research In Motion, Sun, Alcatel-Lucent, Intuit, and Cisco. David is co-author of Collective Wisdom: Transforming Support with Knowledge, the first book on knowledge management for technical support. He is an award-winning contributor to best practices in customer support, holds five patents on support technology, and speaks frequently at industry events.
Tuesday 4:30 PM - 5:30 PMLocation: Antigua A
- How to better meet the needs of the customer
- How to make a good decision in the election of a service package
- How to run a project for new customer applications successfully
Why You Need to Attend This Session:
Companies engaged in a Service Implementation can learn from others who navigated turbulent waters. This presentation from Coherent, a Hi-Tech Laser manufacturer in Silicon Valley, describes their service transformation plan with the 'Top Ten' tips and tricks to help extract maximum value from their implementation. Learn from the industry leaders who have successfully made the transition and bring back a few secrets of success for yourself.
Presentation Abstract:
Most companies today are struggling to hold revenues and margins in the down market. Some leaders in manufacturing, however, have resorted to bolstering their in-house and field service delivery to their installed base and competitors' base to be able to better monitor the customer user experience. Selecting the right or best application software package to address this strategy can often be a daunting and harrowing experience. This case study will cover the service transformation from product emphasis to service focus and the decision process adopted by this market leader with a "10-step process" to ensure their success. Attend this session and learn how your company can also benefit from owning the end customer user experience with the right tools in place.
About Ron Zielinski:
Ron Zielinski is a leader in customer support services with more than 20 years of designing and implementing capital equipment support and customer service programs. He believes that enabling the success of your customers today enables the success of your business tomorrow. Ron earned a BSEET from DeVry Institute of Technology in 1985. He leads a global service operation for a market-leading organization in diverse Photonics markets. His experience includes achieving CSAT rates of greater than 95%, instituting global support methodologies, sponsoring vast improvements in service parts fulfillment rates, improving a multimillion dollar service P&L, and leveraging CRM tools to fullest effects.
About Stephen Slade:
Stephen Slade is senior director, supply chain management marketing, at Oracle. He is responsible for the product messaging and marketing direction of Oracle’s asset life cycle management, service, and manufacturing products. Slade has spent 25 years working in logistics, service, operations, and program management. Prior to Oracle, he held senior marketing and sales positions at Siebel and was vice president of global account management at RTS/Viryanet Software. Slade was also director of field service at Siemens-Oce USA, vice president of operations at Cordura, and operations manager at ITT Avionics Industries. He has extensive experience working with firms engaged in Lean, Six Sigma, ISO 9000, CRM programs, and quality compliance initiatives. Slade received an MBA and a BS in mechanical engineering from Farleigh Dickinson University. He also completed his doctoral studies from New York’s Pace University in the fields of finance and international business.
Tuesday 4:30 PM - 5:30 PMLocation: Montego D
- How to maximize knowledge management participation through effective measurement
- How to define a strategy for customized KM metrics gathering
- How to apply value to every KM interaction
Why You Need to Attend This Session:
If you’ve struggled with how to analyze knowledge management user data from many different sources and translate that into something valuable, come see how Avaya is developing an aggregated approach to track, report, and support the effectiveness of each KM user through use of an innovative scoring methodology.
Presentation Abstract:
Through a partnership with eVergence, Avaya has teamed up to define and implement an innovative approach for measuring participation in its knowledge management program. By normalizing across eight key data points similar to a passer rating or football "quarterback rating," they have created an aggregated approach to defining the value of each and every KM user. This has aided in enhancing the overall value of each user by supporting not only contribution of content, but also peer feedback and harvesting of the most valuable content possible. This presentation will look at the algorithm methodology, how it was created, and how it was implemented into an on-demand report for an organization of over 6,000 associates. It also will discuss communication to the end-user community and the resulting impacts on their KM participation as well as how this can be customized for nearly any size implementation.
About Jeff Harling:
Jeff Harling is the global process manager for knowledge management at Avaya, a global provider of communications systems for most of the Fortune 100 corporations. Harling has implemented the knowledge management practice for the company’s services division consisting of over 6,000 engineers and technicians internally and serving several hundred thousand customers on the Web. Jeff has over 12 years of experience in the field of knowledge management.
About John Ragsdale:
John Ragsdale is vice president of technology research for the AFSMI, SSPA and TPSA, where he drives the research agenda for tools, technology and best practices for service and support, delivering insightful, thought-leadership research and analysis on the most pressing business issues facing technology services leaders. John has an extensive understanding of the technology and vendor landscape for IT services. He leverages those insights to help guide association members in making informed technology, business and investment decisions. Prior to joining the SSPA, John was vice president and research director for Forrester Research.
Tuesday 4:30 PM - 5:30 PMLocation: St. Thomas B
- Whether a real-time video solution is a practical system for service application
- What the main advantages or problems are to implement such a technology
- What the potential is to exploit this technology on a world-wide basis
Presentation Abstract:
SAV NETWORK is implementing a brand new technology to support technical teams across the world under a concept known as VAM (Video Assisted Maintenance) - a high definition video system. The new system will allow an on-site technician to link with maintenance experts to obtain technical support using WiFi or 3G or satellite telecoms.
About Laurent Mellah:
Laurent Mellah is the CEO and co-founder of SAV NETWORK, a European after-sales service network dedicated to industrial machine manufacturers. He has been working with worldwide companies offering high technology solutions or services for over 15 years, on different industrial markets such as machine vision, embedded electronics, artificial intelligence, or 3D modelling.
Tuesday 4:30 PM - 5:30 PMLocation: Montego A
- Strategic career decisions these leading women made to enhance their skills and capabilities
- Actions these women took to overcome hurdles in their corporation and in their professional development
- How women service leaders are helping others in the industry develop their capability, visibility, and promotability
Why You Need to Attend This Session:
This session will give attendees a unique insight into the career paths and career decisions made by these women service leaders. Some of these professionals came up through the services ranks, while others are cross-discipline trained. Each has a distinctive and compelling story regarding services and advancement within their respective companies.
Presentation Abstract:
Ever wonder “what did that person do to become a leader in their company?” And then wonder “what are the critical things I need to do to develop my professional skills and visibility within my company and my industry?” Or “how do I meet other women leaders in services?” "Women in Services: Profiles of Success" features leading women in services who have achieved leadership positions with some of the industry’s leading companies. Sharing their success factors and the path they took is invaluable to others looking to expand their areas of responsibility and leadership within their organization. This panel also provides the unique opportunity for women in the industry to meet other women leaders.
About Diane Brundage:
Diane Brundage is the senior vice president, membership development for AFSMI, SSPA, and TPSA. In that capacity, she is responsible for all recruiting and retaining members as well as ensuring members take advantage of the various programs the Associations offer. Diane has over 25 years experience in service, sales and marketing in the technology sector. Prior positions include sales and marketing leadership for Rainmaker Systems, Inc., an outsource service focused on service contracts for technology companies as well general manager of Compaq Computer/Digital Equipment Corp.'s Customer Service Business Unit. She has an MBA from Loyola University of Chicago and a BS in finance from the University of Illinois.
About Mary Cay Kosten:
As vice president for Sun Microsystems' Global Customer Service organization, Mary Cay is responsible for delivering key strategic and operational services for Sun customers in over 160 countries. Prior to her current role, Mary Cay served as vice president of Customer Services-Americas, where she oversaw service delivery in the U.S., Canada, and Latin America. Mary Cay is a 2008 recipient of the Denver Business Journal's Outstanding Women in Business (High-Tech and Telecommunications) award and a 2006 recipient of the Silicon Valley YWCA Tribute to Women and Industry (TWIN) award. Mary Cay holds a MS in systems management and a BS in marketing.
About Patricia Rash:
Biography coming soon!
About Charlotte Baker:
Charlotte Baker co-founded Digital Hands in 2001 to provide onshore IT outsourcing through managed and professional services. Digital Hands provides its partners with private-label, custom service support for IT infrastructure and end-user help desk requirements. Prior to Digital Hands, Baker co-founded 2nd Century Communications, a competitive local exchange carrier. During her tenure, she worked to secure four capital rounds totaling $155 million. Baker's career has included strategic planning, product management, and sales at Intermedia, Microsoft, Raymond James, and GTE. She received an MBA from Darden and a BS in commerce with dual concentrations in management information systems and marketing from the University of Virginia.
Judith Platz brings 15 years of experience driving customer satisfaction for complex global accounts to Approva. Prior to Approva, she spent six years at Oracle in a number of critical customer service positions. Platz led a team at Oracle that developed and implemented customer confidence programs focused on increasing customer satisfaction and retention for highly complex global accounts. Platz also brings significant systems integration and operations experience to Approva. Prior to her tenure at Oracle, Platz worked at the International Monetary Fund (IMF) where she supervised support operations across three continents and developed and implemented information technology standards to achieve quality improvements. Platz also has extensive experience in computerized learning in both the public and commercial sectors. Platz is a member of the Service and Support Professionals Association Small Medium Business Advisory Board. The SSPA SMB Advisory Board members give the association insight and guidance on programs to help SMB members navigate the numerous challenges they face.
About Carolyn Pineda:
Carolyn Pineda is currently vice president of services at Intergraph, where her focus is on establishing methodologies, service metrics, service packaging, and fixed-price offerings. One of her goals at Intergraph is to evolve the organization from services for point solutions to integrated enterprise solutions. Carolyn joined the company six months ago from the airline industry, where she spent 16 years at Sabre establishing their first service organization. Pineda started her career as a programmer, but found that she liked working with customers in addition to shaping organizations and establishing service components. Carolyn is also responsible for founding the nonprofit Empowering Women as Leaders, which gives women ages 23 and above the opportunity to get a college degree. The organization pairs the women it supports with professional women as mentors.
About Susan McKay:
Susan McKay is the director of strategy and alliance development for EMC's $2-billion global services organization. Susan is responsible for EMC's services partnership strategy as well as providing cross-organizational direction and consultation in the development of market requirements, business plans, and solution roadmaps. She has been with EMC for seven years. Previously, she held a number of leadership positions in EMC's Telecom, Media & Entertainment field sales division. Prior to EMC she was vice president at Cap Gemini Ernst & Young's Telecom Media & Networks division. A technology industry veteran, Susan has held various sales, sales management, marketing, and business operations positions at AT&T, Unisys, and NCR.
About Jodi Schilling:
Jodi Schilling is currently the vice president of the America’s Customer Support Operations team within Hewlett Packard’s Imaging and Printing business. She is responsible for delivering customer support services across all of HP’s consumer products in Canada, the U.S., and Latin America. She also has responsibility for working with the commercial and enterprise service delivery organization in the Americas on behalf of the Imaging and Printing business. Jodi joined HP in 1985 and has held a variety of positions in finance, manufacturing, customer satisfaction, and quality, and most recently in the America’s operations team. She has been in various management positions for the last 18 years, including executive-level positions for the past eight years. Jodi holds a bachelors in business administration from Chadron State College.
About Roslyn Jones:
Roslyn Jones is vice president of Global Education Services at Informatica Corporation where she is responsible for global strategy, sales, development and delivery solutions for Informatica customers and partners. She has more than 25 years in the Education Industry and is extremely passionate about all aspects of education and training. She has worked for Apple Computer, Amdahl Corporation, VERITAS Software, Salesforce.com and has hardware and software experience and background. She has played a key role in all aspects of education and started from the bottom up (instructor, course developer, sales manager, Regional Manager, and Director and VP).
Wednesday 8:30 AM - 9:30 AMLocation: Montego A
- How three organizations maximized their operational excellence using SSPA’s Organizational Development Program
- How the ODP program can boost employee morale, deepen the internal value and visibility of technical support, and provide sales and marketing with a market differentiator
- The ups, the downs, and the final rewards of using the ODP as a blueprint for achieving support excellence
Why You Need to Attend This Session:
In these tough economic times, having the endorsement of a third party can make a significant difference when renewing service contracts, competing for new business, and delivering on SLAs. SSPA’s Organizational Development Program provides a unique opportunity to demonstrate your commitment to customer support excellence and gain a competitive advantage. Get all your questions answered and hear directly from Symantec, Taleo, and HP as they describe how the program’s best-practice criteria, methodology, and structure, coupled with SSPA industry experts, helped them drive toward top-quality support services.
Presentation Abstract:
Three industry-leading organizations—HP, Symantec, and Taleo—moved closer to their goals of delivering support excellence in 2009. Leveraging the SSPA Organizational Development Program best practices and feedback from independent support experts, they enhanced their organizations’ operational efficiency, quality, and consistency. These three executives provide an open view into how they have developed a leg up on the competition and differentiated their customers’ support experience.
Joanne Weigel is the director of the Organization Certification Program for AFSMI and SSPA. In this capacity, Joanne drives all aspects of the program content, manages the partnership with J. D. Power and Associates, and ensures the quality and customer satisfaction of members engaged in the program. Weigel has over 20 years of experience in product and project management in the technology and software sector. She has worked for several organizations as director of product/project management including, Ariba, Rainmaker, iSearch, and Experian/TRW.
About John Blakeman:
John Blakeman is the vice president of customer support for Taleo. He has led customer support organizations for JDA, eTimeCapital, Baan, Auspex, and Amdahl. John's experience in the IT services arena spans more decades than he wants to admit (think mainframes with core memory), and he has earned every gray hair left standing. John holds an MBA from Santa Clara's Leavy School of Business and a BA in management from St. Mary's College.
Ron Van Wagenen is business planning manager within HP’s Global Consumer Support Organization. Ron is responsible for leading certification programs, best-practice research, and strategic planning for support operations. Ron has 20 years of experience working in the IT industry. He began his career at HP in 1998 and has held a variety of managerial and program leadership positions in business intelligence, forecasting and planning, customer experience research, competitive analysis, and product development. Prior to working at HP, Ron worked for ProModel Corporation, Case International Harvester, and IBM in operations consulting and product quality roles. Ron holds degrees in engineering and an MBA from Brigham Young University.
Jim Wilson has over 32 years of customer support experience and has been with Symantec for almost three years. His career at Symantec has been in enterprise support services leading the program management office. Prior to joining Symantec, Jim was a vice president of technical support for Sage Software, Healthcare Division. Jim was responsible for the delivery of remote support to Sage customers throughout North America. He has also served as the vice president of customer services for Equitrac Corporation and the vice president of customer care for General Fiber Communications. He has worked in the customer support field since 1977.
Wednesday 8:30 AM - 9:30 AMLocation: Montego C
- How to manage your customer's experiences through a CEM strategy at all touch points within your organization
- What the 12 key elements are of a CEM strategy and how to get started
- To develop the best practices to transform your customer's experience into success
Why You Need to Attend This Session:
This session will cover the elements of a customer experience management (CEM) strategy and its value proposition. Attendees will learn how to develop satisfied, loyal customers, how to reduce customer churn, how to discover the “voice of the customer,” and how to maximize life-time customer value with a customer-centric culture. Presented will be the knowledge and tools necessary to position an organization to be synonymous with customer service excellence, as well as information on how to retain and grow the customer base.
Presentation Abstract:
This session will define customer experience management (CEM). It will look at the identification, design, management, and measurement of all the interactions a business has with its customers to ensure that they continue to buy from and recommend the organization to others. It will cover the challenges your business faces today, why CEM is important to these areas, how a CEM strategy is part of the enterprise strategic plan, how implementing a CEM strategy yields major benefits, the elements of a CEM strategy, and the roadmap for getting there. As a part of this session, Netezza, a global leader in data warehouse appliances who has revolutionized and simplified analytics for companies drowning in data, will provide a case study in building customers for life. Netezza has won, for the second consecutive year, the prestigious NorthFace ScoreBoard Award from Omega Management Group Corp. The award recognizes those companies who by vote of their customers have achieved a 4.0+ on a 5 point scale for the given calendar year. The rating (4.0+) is clear evidence of continuously exceeding their customers expectations. Participants will be able to determine strengths and weaknesses at customer touch points, and understand how to leverage the strengths and address areas of weakness, reduce customer churn, discover the “voice of the customer,” maximize lifetime customer value, establish a customer-centric culture throughout the company, and motivate employees to “go the extra mile” for customers.
About Dennis Gershowitz:
Dennis Gershowitz is vice president, client services, for Anthony & Alexander, Omega Management Group, and principal of DG Associates. In both capacities he provides consulting services to companies seeking to enhance their customer loyalty programs and develop improved tools in meeting customer expectations. Dennis has held key executive positions with Alfa Wassermann, Inc., Timbrel Systems, Olympus America Endoscopy Service Group, and Medical Laboratory Automation. He holds an MBA in business administration from Case Western Reserve University, has attended the Center for Creative Leadership, Wharton, and AMA, is a member of AFSMI President’s Club, and is a fellow at UNCW’s Cameron School of Business.
Jim Coleman is the Principal Operations Analyst at Netezza. Jim developed and maintains the Netezza Operations Metrics ScoreCard and analyzes and reports on customer issues, support costs, CSAT and loyalty data, benchmarking, and quality trends. Prior to Netezza, Jim worked at Digital/Compaq/HP where he program managed the first ever 64bit large memory qualification, worked extensively with most of Digital’s major customers, managed teams that resolved some of Digital’s largest customer and technical problems, and introduced and pioneered the use of Highly Accelerated Life Testing (HALT) and Highly Accelerated Stress Screening (HASS).
Wednesday 8:30 AM - 9:30 AMLocation: St. Thomas B
- Which technology companies are most successful at using social media for customer service
- The benefits and ROI of using social media in your organization
- Which people, processes, and technologies will make your social media program a success
Why You Need to Attend This Session:
If you believe that “change” is the only constant in technology, then you’ll want to be in the driver’s seat when it comes to understanding how social media—the biggest change agent for culture and communication since the advent of the Internet—will impact your services business. Organizations who can respond quickly to this shifting landscape by leveraging agile business models and dynamic business processes are uniquely positioned to win.
Presentation Abstract:
Even six months ago, hearing “Twitter” and “customer service” in the same sentence would make most technology service executives grimace. Today, there is more shrugging than grimacing—it seems that everyone is talking about social media, but few of us understand how it fits into a business model. When you consider that two-thirds of the global Internet population visits social networks, time spent on these sites is growing at 10 times the rate of the global Internet, and that social networking is now more popular than e-mail, one thing is clear: being in social media means being where your customers are. Being in the social media space is all about engagement. In fact, for some companies, it's the number one initiative that cultivates the company's most valuable asset: customers. This session will explore leading examples of technology companies that use social media to great effect in servicing and engaging their customers. We’ll delve into the ROI of social media and give you compelling data to help advance your customer experience initiatives. Finally, we’ll outline a simple how-to guide that will get you started down the path of least resistance in structuring your social media tools, people, and processes.
About Shawn Santos:
As director of programs and community for the SSPA, Shawn focuses on social media strategy for technology companies, program portfolio management, market research, enhancing online communication channels, and producing insightful content for the technology services industry. Previously, Shawn worked as product marketing manager for Agilent Technologies and has held several management roles in the wine industry, including product manager for Enologix and general manager for Global Vintage Research. He also has held several notable consulting engagements in the wine, technology, and marketing agency industries as well as winemaking positions in California and France. Shawn has a BS degree in molecular biology from the University of California, and currently acts as managing director for the Hope Animal Network, a non-profit organization powered by social media.
Wednesday 8:30 AM - 9:30 AMLocation: Montego B
- The definition of Profit and Loss (P&L) versus Enabler as it relates to running an education business
- Why it is important to support both of these strategies to achieve and ensure customer satisfaction and revenue and margin expectations
- How to effectively communicate realistic margin expectations to your CEO and CFO within your company
Why You Need to Attend This Session:
So often in the Services business C-level executives have unrealistic expectations about Education revenue growth and margin attainment and this session will share a few examples how to set expectations that are based on your companies goals and objectives. When determining margin targets it is important to know how to compare apples-to-apples and not be set up for failure and compare yourself to other companies when it may not be a true comparison.
Presentation Abstract:
Roslyn has been in the Education business for over 25 years and participated on a board of Education professionals consisting of over 70 companies. She is going to share with you some key take-a-ways to help plan for 2010 and to set clear and realistic expectations to senior management and your team. Predicting and forecasting the education business during these macroeconomic times is a challenge and Roslyn will share some recent information that could assist in your planning processes.
About Roslyn Jones:
Roslyn Jones is vice president of Global Education Services at Informatica Corporation where she is responsible for global strategy, sales, development and delivery solutions for Informatica customers and partners. She has more than 25 years in the Education Industry and is extremely passionate about all aspects of education and training. She has worked for Apple Computer, Amdahl Corporation, VERITAS Software, Salesforce.com and has hardware and software experience and background. She has played a key role in all aspects of education and started from the bottom up (instructor, course developer, sales manager, Regional Manager, and Director and VP).
Wednesday 8:30 AM - 9:30 AMLocation: Jamaica A
- How to identify the value-added services offered by hardware vendors in the telecom industry
- How these value-added services are leveraged to generate product revenue
- Measures of effectiveness used for these value-added services
Why You Need to Attend This Session:
Complexity in the networks deployed today starts with the decisions network designers make with regard to physical layer infrastructure (e.g., fiber and copper cable management). This session will cover the value-added services that hardware product vendors deliver to assist their customers with designing, deploying, and optimizing their cable management solutions.
Presentation Abstract:
This session will provide information about the types of value-added services offered by hardware vendors in the telecom industry as well as how these services are leveraged to generate product revenues.
Bob Guski has served in leadership roles in systems engineering at ADC for five years. Prior to this, he served as an application engineer in ADC's Technical Assistance Center. Bob also served for 20 years in the U.S. Navy. He has an MS in telecommunications and information systems from the Johns Hopkins University and holds bachelor’s degrees from Southern Illinois University and Eastern Connecticut State University.
Wednesday 9:45 AM - 10:45 AMLocation: Montego B
- How having the right people and programs can enhance the sale of education
- Why a market segmentation model for education is critical
- What content and delivery options for education are resonating in the current economic climate
Why You Need to Attend This Session:
Revenue from educational services―as a discretionary spend―is typically one of the first to be impacted when tough economic climates occur. Attend this session to learn some of the strategies that have been deployed at one organization to assist not only in stemming falling education revenues, but also have resulted in growing the business.
Presentation Abstract:
The last 18 months have been a tough one for education organizations as the economy has shrunk and training has seen its revenues fall or flat at best. Some Education organizations, however, have continued to thrive and grow despite this. In this session Linda Moss, VP of WW Educational Services will share some of the strategies implemented at BMC as the Education department has gone about reinventing itself. The session will share experiences of how addressing Sales and Marketing strategies, re-evaluating Education Offerings as well as working more holistically with other elements of the Services organization can contribute to ensuring that Education is seen as providing value and can assist in continuing growth and success for training for ‘for fee’ Education organizations.
About Linda Moss:
Linda Moss is vice president of worldwide education services at BMC Software, Inc., where she is responsible for the strategy, selling, development, and delivery of solutions training for BMC customers. Moss has over 20 years of extensive training and development experience in the global IT industry. She has worked at a number of software companies, most recently Brocade Communications Systems, Inc., growing Brocade’s education business 300%. Prior to these positions in the U.S., Moss operated a successful training and management consultancy in Europe for 10 years, providing training at companies such as Deutsche Bank, KPMG, Black and Decker, and the U.S. Federal Government in Europe. Moss holds a BA in English from The University of Gloucester, England, an MBA with a specialization in managerial leadership from City University, and a PhD in gendered learning from The University of Kent, Canterbury, England.
Wednesday 9:45 AM - 10:45 AMLocation: Montego A
- What the research team does and how they do it
- How to get the most from the research team as part of your membership
- About the benchmarking and certification programs offered through the Associations
Why You Need to Attend This Session:
There has never been a better time for SSPA members to take full advantage of the knowledge and experience contained within our research response team. But first, everyone needs to understand what the research team offers and the best methods to access this information. Improve service efficiencies, reduce trial-and-error, and shorten your learning curve by using the research team to help solve complex service management issues.
Presentation Abstract:
This panel discussion comprised of the SSPA research team will provide an overview of all research services offered through the Association membership and then allow the audience to fire-off questions about current industry issues and trends.
About Bill Rose:
For almost two decades, Bill Rose has served as an energetic and articulate advocate for the service and support industry. The founder of SSPA in 1989 and its chief executive for 15 years, Rose is a global expert on best practices within the industry and a leading authority on ways to heighten efficiencies while building customer loyalty. Perhaps more than any other individual, he is responsible for service and support becoming a highly valued, mission-critical department within the structure of Global 2000 enterprises. Rose is a widely acclaimed international speaker and has authored hundreds of industry articles and a number of influential guides, including Managing Software Support, Automating Your Support Center, and Taking Charge of Your Support Center. He has been recognized as an Industry Champion by the CRM industry and as a Call Center Pioneer by Call Center magazine. Rose continues to help drive the mission of SSPA and is the force behind the recent creation of SSPA’s groundbreaking J.D. Power and Associates Certified Technology Service & Support program.
About John Ragsdale:
John Ragsdale is vice president of technology research for the AFSMI, SSPA and TPSA, where he drives the research agenda for tools, technology and best practices for service and support, delivering insightful, thought-leadership research and analysis on the most pressing business issues facing technology services leaders. John has an extensive understanding of the technology and vendor landscape for IT services. He leverages those insights to help guide association members in making informed technology, business and investment decisions. Prior to joining the SSPA, John was vice president and research director for Forrester Research.
About Michael Israel:
Michael Israel is senior director of research and advisory services for AFSMI and SSPA. In his role, Michael is responsible for expanding the research portfolio in the area of field and support services. He works closely with both AFMSI and SSPA members to provide the industry data they need to optimize their services organizations. Michael previously had founded igniteService, Inc. and has worked in customer support, field service, and repair operations for more than 30 years. He has significant service operational experience, having spent 15 years—including 12 years with IBM—managing field service, service parts, and technical support operations. He also spent more than 15 years selling and marketing customer service, service management, and service parts management software solutions to manufacturers and service providers in a wide variety of industries. His sales and marketing roles include management and executive-level positions with Oracle, SAP, and other leading software organizations. In addition, Michael was a widely respected research director in the service chain practice at Aberdeen Group, where he researched and reported on customer support, field service, maintenance, and repair topics.
Joanne Weigel is the director of the Organization Certification Program for AFSMI and SSPA. In this capacity, Joanne drives all aspects of the program content, manages the partnership with J. D. Power and Associates, and ensures the quality and customer satisfaction of members engaged in the program. Ms. Weigel has over 20 years of experience in product and project management in the technology and software sector. She has worked for several organizations as director of product/project management including, Ariba, Rainmaker, iSearch, and Experian/TRW.
About Bo Di Muccio, PhD,:
Bo Di Muccio is responsible for developing and delivering research and advisory programs that are focused on helping executives build and optimize professional services in many of the world's leading technology companies. He has nearly 10 years of experience in technology industry research, analysis, and consulting, including experience in hardware, software, and services. Prior to TPSA, he was the program manager for consulting services research at International Data Corporation (IDC), had a lengthy tenure at Deloitte Consulting, where he worked in the areas of services strategy and marketing, market research, competitive intelligence, and client service, and held market research roles at AltaVista Company and Compaq Computer Corporation. Bo earned his master’s and doctoral degrees in international political economy from the School of International Relations at the University of Southern California and was a tenure-track faculty member of the University of Florida’s Department of Political Science.
Wednesday 11:00 AM - 12:00 PMLocation: Montego D
Presentation Abstract:
This panel will discuss the details of the Service Research & Innovation Institute's (www.thesrii.org) key strategy / road map for driving "Service Innovations" by focussing on major service industry verticals (health care, financial, energy, telecom, government, education, retail, etc.) as well as major horizontal domains (technology platforms, business process/tools/models, service operations, etc.).
This panel will include speakers from IBM Research, HP Labs and other key Service Research organizations around the world.
About Kris Singh:
Kris Singh is the president of Service Research & Innovation Institute (www.thesrii.org). Kris has over 25 years of experience in the high technology industry as well as in academia. Currently Kris is the Strategic Programs Director for Service Research at IBM Almaden Research Center in San Jose, CA. Before IBM Research, he worked with Intel, AMD and National Semiconductor in various technology development roles such as Director of Server Architecture & Planning and Data Center Technology at Intel, Director in the CTO Office at AMD and senior technical management roles at National Semiconductor. Kris is an Industry Fellow in the College of Engineering at UC Berkeley and has also been an adjunct professor in the Electrical Engineering & Computer Science department at Santa Clara University. He is a member of the Advisory Board for Informatics Research at the University of Manchester, UK. Kris has been an invited speaker at various technology conferences around the world.
About Martha Lyons:
Martha Lyons is a Distinguished Technologist at Hewlett Packard Laboratories Strategy and Innovation Office and previously in the HP Services CTO office. She has over 20 years of experience driving services innovation. Martha also manages the HP Labs research alignment and transfer with HP Enterprise Services and Software focused on incubating and delivering innovative service offerings and capabilities to HP’s customers. In the past, Martha led the HP Services Innovation Program while advising customers on innovation best practices within corporate environments. She also led the development of a number of solutions which introduced and extended HP’s electronic and automated service capabilities over the web. Martha has held a variety of technical, management, and strategy positions in HP services and Global Operations.
Wednesday 11:00 AM - 12:00 PMLocation: St. Thomas A
- How the AFSMI and SSPA plan to support and help advance the medical device community’s maintenance and customer support organizations
- What plans the AFSMI has for gathering financial and operational benchmark data that is specifically relevant to the medical device industry
- What key performance indicators and trends top executives in the medical device community are most concerned about
Why You Need to Attend This Session:
This roundtable event provides attendees with an opportunity to interact with fellow med tech services executives and AFSMI experts to learn about common challenges and discuss possible solutions. In this working session, attendees will help develop the upcoming AFSMI research agenda so that timely, comprehensive, and actionable information is made available for med tech services members.
Presentation Abstract:
This important session is for the growing community of medical device manufacturers and software member companies within AFSMI. The goals of this critical session are:
- Set the AFSMI med services research priorities for 2010 by discussing key issues for management.
- Review planned upgrades to the 2010 Benchmark and ensure they map to key performance data requirements.
- Discuss the objectives, mode and frequency of meetings for the AFSMI Medical Industry Group for the next 12 months.
- Review target companies for inclusion in the Group.
Agenda
11:00 – 11:05 Welcome and Introductions - J.B. Wood
11:05 – 11:25 Management discussion of top industry issues - Michael Israel
11:25 – 11:35 Review and input on 2010 Benchmark Data changes - Michael Israel
11:35 – 11:55 Meeting and activity strategy for 2009-2010 - Michael Israel
11:55 – 12:00 Identify target companies - Mark Kasperowicz, John South
About J.B. Wood:
J.B. Wood is the president and CEO of the technology service industry's three largest trade associations— the Association for Services Management International (AFSMI), the Service & Support Professionals Association (SSPA), and the Technology Professional Services Association (TPSA). Over the course of his career, Wood has counseled hundreds of leading companies, including Cisco, Microsoft, Oracle, and IBM, on leveraging quantitative, verifiable metrics and improving products and services through a more concise understanding of their customer bases. A frequent speaker at key industry events, J.B. has been quoted in the business and technology press, including The Wall Street Journal, Fortune, Business Week, CNET, Computerworld, and CRM Magazine. Previously, Wood was a co-founder of InsightExpress, which pioneered the use of the Internet in market research applications. Prior to InsightExpress, he was president and CEO of Prognostics, one of the largest research and consulting companies in the IT industry.
About Michael Israel:
Michael Israel is senior director of research and advisory services for AFSMI and SSPA. In this role, Michael is responsible for expanding the research portfolio in the area of field and support services. He works closely with both AFMSI and SSPA members to provide the industry data they need to optimize their services organizations. Michael previously founded igniteService, Inc. and has worked in customer support, field service, and repair operations for more than 30 years. He has significant service operational experience, having spent 15 years—including 12 years with IBM—managing field service, service parts, and technical support operations. He also spent more than 15 years selling and marketing customer service, service management, and service parts management software solutions to manufacturers and service providers in a wide variety of industries. His sales and marketing roles include management and executive-level positions with Oracle, SAP, and other leading software organizations. In addition, Michael was a widely respected research director in the service chain practice at Aberdeen Group, where he researched and reported on customer support, field service, maintenance, and repair topics.
Wednesday 11:00 AM - 12:00 PMLocation: St. Thomas B
- How to integrate social media within service operations
- Expanding the scope of conversation
- Turning your organization into a preemptive one, opposed to reactive
Why You Need to Attend This Session:
Customer adoption is difficult at best. The rise in popularity and use of social channels― from Twitter to Facebook to YouTube―has turned the one-way road connecting you to your customers into a series of multi-way highways with numerous intersections. As service providers, you need to be able to identify and participate in conversations related to your products and brands wherever and whenever they occur on the social Web. In this session, you will learn how Webtrends’ services department has proactively, and reactively, engaged with their customers through the implementation of specific monitoring techniques across various social media channels.
Presentation Abstract:
Web 2.0 technologies continue to become more ingrained in people's everyday activities, and the scope of conversation that occurs among consumers and businesses will only increase with that growth. We are currently at a juncture in the business world that presents a whole new outlet to monitor and field customer feedback, and organizations who are not actively participating in some sort of social monitoring/outreach and measurement within their service operations will be at an extreme disadvantage. Service operations need to begin utilizing the innovative social technologies available to transform their organizations from a reactive one to preemptive one. When the service arm of any organization, big, medium or small, is actively participating in this type of outreach, teams are better equipped to prioritize efforts on specific areas of concern; effectively reducing costs and increasing customer satisfaction. Webtrends began implementing social media within their service operations early in 2009, and have been on the bleeding edge of adopting web 2.0 solutions to effectively monitor conversations which occur about and around their product offerings and services group. In this presentation, Dave Canelis, vice president, Global Services, Webtrends, will outline the benefits to picking up the chatter occurring outside traditional conversations, and show how this form of monitoring can be adopted within both SMBs and larger enterprises.
About Dave Canelis:
As vice president of Global Services, Dave Canelis drives the industry-leading client services team at Webtrends. Under Canelis' guidance, this seasoned team uses proven methodologies to provide web analytics services at every stage of the customer partnership, from professional services and consulting, to technical support, education and training. Canelis brings more than 25 years of services leadership experience to Webtrends. Throughout his career, he has created best-in-class professional services, customer support and training programs for many of the nation's top enterprise software companies. Prior to joining Webtrends, Canelis served as vice president of professional services at Serena Software, a leading provider of enterprise application lifecycle software. He also has held senior leadership positions at Oracle, Gupta Corp. and Oblix. Canelis holds an MBA from Santa Clara University and a bachelor's degree in computer science and mathematics from California State University at Hayward.
