The comments in a recent PC Helps customer satisfaction survey sounded as if they were describing a trusted crisis counselor rather than a software consultant:

“Without PC Helps, it would be like having no air to breathe.”

Sheesh. I think we’re good, but that description of what our consultant accomplished may be a smidge extreme.

What inspires such over-the-top praise? Is it that our techs are software ninjas, or that outsourcers don’t meet service level agreements in general, and, when a help desk treats a customer like a customer, it’s shocking?

I’d say it’s the latter (okay, maybe a combination of the two).

If IT transformation is the entree, then improving service is the parsley sprinkled along the edges for aesthetics — thrown on just because it’s supposed to be there.

Despite the fact that most CIOs agree that strong service levels are vital to a successful outsourcing partnership, few pay attention to them. If IT transformation is the entree, then improving service is the parsley sprinkled along the edges for aesthetics — thrown on just because it’s supposed to be there.

In a recent CIO.com article, Ron Kifer, CIO of Applied Materials, explains how he cut IT costs successfully during an economic downturn. The article states that Applied Materials “maintained high service-level agreements,” but doesn’t divulge the method of measuring.

That’s because many companies have no method. (I cannot speak for Applied Materials, which may indeed have a method in place.) For those that keep their help desk in-house, stats are scarce. IT leaders often cannot even offer a breakdown of call type. Among companies who contract their help desk to outside firms, few require quality assurance surveys as part of the service level agreement.

In PC Helps’ experience, firms that say service is important are commonplace; those that actually measure it and make it a priority are not. The result is a poor overall image of the help desk, and jaded customers who are surprised when service is more than substandard.

What does that say about the customer’s value, not to mention the actual level of cost savings?

PC Helps has an answer to the cost question. Based on data collected for more than 15 years, we can report that, without average to above-average service levels, customers seek IT support elsewhere (for example, from their colleagues), or, even worse, they devise imperfect and time-sapping workarounds.

Both result in lower productivity levels, more underground support and increased customer downtime.

The productivity impact of these “underground” support channels averages three hours per solution at a cost of $48 to $196 per solution (depending on salary). This doesn’t even account for the additional cost of the peer’s time (the colleague in the example above). For comparison, the average solution with a best-of-breeds software application support provider is less than $25. Best-of-breeds throw in stats, too.

If a CIO cannot identify the IT department’s true costs, how can he make his department more efficient? You tell me. (Jen Darr)

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admin Outsourcing, ROI, Worker Productivity CIO.com, Outsourcing, recession, ROI, service level agreements, software support