The Benefits of Service Level Agreement Accountability
Last week we talked about the benefits of setting Service Level Agreements - even if they are only for internal management. We at Novo Solutions have found this very beneficial for measuring success in IT Support operations. In a time when many companies are considering outsourcing their in-house IT departments, it is very helpful to know just how well your IT department is performing. Having data in hand such as average response time and average time [...]
Do you have an SLA in place?
You may think SLA's (Service Level Agreements) are just for large companies who service a lot of customers, but even smaller organizations who are only providing internal support can benefit from enacting a SLA. Service Level Agreements (SLA) measure your support department's response and resolution times. It is certainly very beneficial to be able to promise your end users (clients) excellent customer support. Whether you choose to publish your SLA to your end users or [...]
How Flexible is Your Support Software?
So what ‘business' shape are you in these days? The economy is stretching us all in many ways; we are stretching our dollars, bending over backwards to satisfy customers, extending the life cycle of equipment, and broadening our horizons for new sales prospects. Do you have the same expectations of your support software? One of the features that our customers like best about the Novo software is its flexibility and adaptability. This makes it a [...]
Tame Support Issues with a Knowledge Tracking System | Novo Solutions
Tame, Herd, and Coral with a Knowledge Tracking System You know what they say about March - in like a lion...out like a lamb. This reminds me of some of our customers and the problems that we help them solve with our knowledge tracking system. Because poor tracking leads to chaos and wholly ineffective management practices. How can you possibly expect to show gains, improvements, and productivity without tracking? Novo customers call us to tame the [...]
Providing a Gold Medal Customer Support System
Haven't the Olympics been wonderful this year? Perhaps it is because the economic climate has been so wearisome that the simple joys of the Olympic Games have seemed so bright. To pause and watch all of these skilled athletes perform in the beautiful Canadian landscape has been truly refreshing. Like the athletes, we all have goals to achieve success and train for them day-in and day-out in our own workplace. Providing first-class customer support is [...]
Gearing up for 2010
Well, here we are - another Christmas passed and making plans for 2010. This last year and decade have certainly passed quickly. Seems like we were just working our way through Y2K concerns - now we have seen the rise of a new expression of relating (Social Media), phones that can do amazing things (and virtually everybody has a cell phone now), affordable electronics boasting incredible advances, and the ability to find most anything on [...]
The Benefits of Web Self Service in a Downturn Economy
Here we go again - another post about the importance of customer service. The reports keep coming in, but do we really believe them? When businesses are being forced to run leaner than ever it is difficult NOT to make cuts in all areas, including customer support. After all, will people really notice? Maybe just a little cut won't be noticed...will it? In their recent Customer Experience Index Report, Forrester Research reminds us that "Your [...]
Management Software Cures Audit Phobia
Who doesn't dread the time of year when internal audits are done. There is the pre-audit scramble to pull everything together. The actual audit when normal work days come to a halt as you are at the beck and call of the auditor to produce documents. Then comes the waiting for the final reports. Not only does this process result in stress and frustration, but in lost time as you are pulled from normal duties [...]
Customer Service Software- more important now than ever
In an effort to secure revenues businesses are going to great lengths to acquire new clients, but now more than ever is the time to ensure you are providing superior customer service to keep the clients you have. Customer Service Software is no longer a 'nice to have', it is a 'need to have'. Keeping up with the Jone's as they say, means establishing the best customer service policy around. With staff limitations and manpower [...]
Internal Shared Services
Organizations everywhere are having to find new ways to save money. Consolidating internal support into a internal shared services environment is a great way to streamline processes and optimize manpower. You may have a dedicated support department that handles your company's IT requests. HR may have their own system to store and serve important policies and procedures, as well as managing essential employee processes. And your finance department may have their own support and tracking [...]