Breakout Session Bio's and Abstracts

Customer Support/Professional Services

Using Metrics for Continual Improvement

Jeffrey Brooks
Senior Manager of Support Services
Peak 10

In this session you will learn how to use the metrics triangle: productivity, customer satisfaction, effectiveness. The metrics triangle draws its power in the same way the Project Management triangle works. If you focus only on one side, the other sides may be compromised. This is where many companies find problems. Jeff’s topic provides insights and best practices into how to achieve a structured and balanced approach to metrics and thus achieve balance in service delivery.

About Jeffrey Brooks:
Jeffrey Brooks is a veteran of both small and large enterprise Help Desks. Currently, Jeffrey serves as Director of Support Services for Peak 10, Jeffrey is ITIL Help Desk certified; his speaking engagements include numerous software user groups, HDI Meetings, HDI World Conference, HDI LCO Summit, itSMF Panel Discussions, HDI UK, Spin Webinars and AFSMI’s World Conference and Expo. Jeffrey also serves on the AFSMI Atlanta Board of Directors. Jeffrey has a Masters Degree in Computer Information Systems and an MBA.

Quality Case Management Processes Zelda

Garrison Desany
Global Director
EMC

In this session, we will review the fundamentals and benefits of instituiting a Quality Case Management process within a service organization. This process was instituted by EMC corporation in an effort to drive 'quality' of service request data, compliance, and ultimately global consistency in our 'customers' view of service requests. Secondly, this initiative was put in place to assist drive customer viewable text, as EMC evolves further with higher percentatge of Web based cases as the case origination of choice. During this session we will focus on the the fundamental pillars that need to be factored in as part of the Quality Case Management process, that ultimately drive the quality, compliance and consistency to became reality. Secondly, we will share EMC’s approach taken, and other elements of People, Process and Technology changes, that allowed the optimization of a consistent customer experience when they interacted with the technical support organization. At the end of the session, attendees will further understand the benefits of the process, importance of 'inspecting what you expect' and how to drive the consistent and compliant behaviours within the support team, that allows one to better serve the customer in the future.

About Zelda Garrison-Desany
Zelda Garrison-Desany is Global Director for EMC’s technology Technical Support Infrastructure and Environment Support organization, with teams based in Hopkinton, MA, Duluth, GA, Cork, Ireland, Sydney, Australia and Bangalore India. She is responsible for EMC Corporation's Technical Support ISG Replication and Recovery, Connectivity and Local Language Support global teams, with direct focus on Replication, Backup, Recovery and Data Mobility Software application support, Operating System/Host support, and Connectivity/Networks which represent over 100+ products, and OEM relationships. Zelda has over 20+ years of experience in the high technology field, 4+ specifically with EMC Corporation in Technical Support. Zelda has held various positions, both technical and management in scope in her career. Prior to EMC Zelda held Technical Management positions at Storage Networks Inc, Lucent Technology Director of Critical Accounts and Customer Advocacy as well as Management roles in Engineering Support and Program Management roles at Stratus Computer. Zelda has a B.S. from State University of New York at Geneseo.

The Hidden Force Behind Customer Satisfaction

Chris Farnath
Senior Director, Customer Support Europe & Africa
Aspect Software

Research shows a strong link between customer satisfaction and your service employees' satisfaction. When morale is low, performance is usually not far behind. Learn about the steps taken to turnaround a low performing customer support operation and turn it into an high morale team delivering highest levels of customer satisfaction in four years.

About Chris Farnath: At Aspect Software, Chris heads a department of 50 and is responsible for protecting annual services revenue of $100M. His operation comprises direct support personnel, augmented by a multitude of channel partners including Siemens, KPN & British Telecom and provide mission critical support to over 2,000 customer sites across thirty countries in Europe & Africa. Chris is also Immediate Past President of the Association for Services Management UK.

Why do we have Professional Services?

Thomas Lah
Executive Director
TPSA

For the past seven years, product companies have been expanding their service portfolios and increasing their service revenues. AFSMI’s sister association, TPSA, has been tracking this significant shift in revenue mix. Enhanced support offerings, new managed services, and expanded professional services have all contributed to this market trend. However, not all service endeavors have been successful. In fact, the business case for broadening the professional service portfolio has been questionable, at best. In this breakout session, TPSA Executive Director Thomas Lah will review the industry trends in product/service mix. He will also overview the typical business case product companies create when deciding to expand their professional service offerings and identify the failure points of the standard approach. Finally, Thomas will introduce a recommended framework and set of metrics to more accurately evaluate the costs, benefits, and risks of investing in your professional service business. Ultimately, every product company must be in a position to confidently answer the question, “Why do we have Professional Services?”

About Thomas Lah
Thomas Lah co-founded and currently serves as the Executive Director for the Technology Professional Services Association (TPSA).

Since 1996, Thomas Lah has helped a broad range of companies establish or improve their professional services organizations. Prior to TPSA, as founder and principal of Thomas Lah, Ltd. he became known worldwide for his incisive analysis, strategic thinking, and creative solutions. His recent books include Mastering Professional Services (Professional Services Press, 2005), and Building Professional Services: The Sirens’ Song (Prentice Hall, 2002). Mastering Professional Services (Professional Services Press, 2005), is the first complete guide to designing a viable services strategy that complements a broader company portfolio. Building Professional Services: The Sirens’ Song (Prentice Hall, 2002), has been adopted by technology companies throughout the world, including China’s Lenovo, which acquired IBM’s PC business in early 2005.

In 2004, he 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. Previously, he worked with several other companies in related roles, including Director of Solutions Engineering, Business Development Director, Regional Sales Director, and Senior I/T Development Manager.

He received an undergraduate degree in Information Systems and holds an MBA from the Fisher College of Business at The Ohio State University.