Where the rubber meets the road: Putting innovative technology to work
Our Spring 2009 Technology Services World conference is just a week away, beginning Monday, May 4th at the Santa Clara Convention Center here in Silicon Valley. Recession be damned, we will have near 500 attendees at the event, and registrations are still coming in! Historically, many of our top attended sessions come from the “Innovative Service Technology” track, in which members present case studies of how they have leveraged innovative technology to achieve measurable business results. Members tell me they love these sessions because there is so much hype out there about ROI, and it great to hear real-world stories of how technology, wedded successfully with people and process, are driving improved service levels, lower costs and higher revenues.
To me, these sessions are so popular because they prove how taking a chance with leading-edge (and sometimes bleeding-edge) technology pays off. It is the ultimate example of where the rubber meets the road, and something positive happens.
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Here are some of the sessions featured in this track for TSW:
- Measuring the Self Service Experience. I’m betting this panel discussion with support execs from InQuira, Symantec, Verisign and Blue Coat Systems will be standing room only. Here’s the topic: Smart companies know that an exceptional self service experience can shape a customer’s perception of the company, instill loyalty, and increase the propensity to recommend the company’s products or services to others all of which are particularly important in today’s economy. While these things are essential how do you measure the self service experience, determine if users are getting their answers, if users are successful or unsuccessful, and are cases being deflected? How do you measure the effectiveness of the content and recognize those internal or external users who have created the most valuable content for your organization. Join us for this roundtable discussion to hear first hand their thoughts on this debate.
- Using Innovative Technology to Drive Service and Support Results to the Bottom Line. For IT service providers, serving customers better, faster, and strategically is what sets them apart from competitors. It takes more than adding headcount to provide such outstanding service affordably—it requires embracing new technology to really take your business to new heights. Eric Foote, Chief Technical Architect, CareTech Solutions, will relate how using innovative technology and pointing functionalities to align with business goals can achieve home runs for the bottom line and create a competitive edge. He will discuss how IT service and support companies can use new tools to win and keep business, proactively identify a problem before it impacts a customer, cut the time it takes to get a new customer up and running from a week to mere hours, maintain valuable historical records on a customer’s infrastructure, virtually eliminate downtime, and solve client problems faster. Mike Cush, Chief Technology Officer of ISOdx, will be onhand to provide insight as to how the unique technology works.
- Winning in Today’s Economy with Multi-Channel Service. Kerrigan Hodnett, Director of Web Management/Customer Service for NewEgg.com, and Kristina Alvarez, Regional Sales Manager, nGenera CIM, will talk about how, with the world in the midst of a global recession and consumer confidence at its lowest point in years, organizations are under enormous pressure to cut costs and improve efficiency. Additionally, reduced consumer spending requires organizations to have an even stronger focus on customer acquisition and retention (something you’ve heard from the SSP. This session will present a case study on how a service organization’s multi-channel service strategy is helping them win and retain customers in today’s economic climate.
- Growing a Profitable International Services Business in a Down Economy. In the recent credit crunch, MetricStream was able to transform its business model for its services organization from a break-even cost center to a profitable, high growth business unit. Hear from Joe Longo, Vice President of Professional Services, MetricStream, how their PS organization has focused on generating profits and growth for the long run, with 30% of the top-line growth from international accounts and 80% of its services delivered by off shore resources. Also presenting will be the CEO of OpenAir, Joe Longo.
For all of you attending, I still have some open slots for 1:1 meetings. When you pick up your badge at the registration desk, ask for the signup sheet! Thanks for reading, and I look forward to seeing all of you on Monday, May 4th!
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