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Enterprise Support Trends

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Presentation on theme: "Enterprise Support Trends"— Presentation transcript:

1 Support Readiness Planning for Enterprise Software Companies Mike Bourn SSPA Conference 4/7/04

2 Enterprise Support Trends
Complexity and Integration Options Mission-Critical Consolidation – “largeness” Outsourcing, Hosting, Managed Applications Open Source Lowering TCO for Sys Mgmt Security and Accountability Increased troubleshooting discovery, definition, and resolution times

3 Product/Service Exceptions Cost Cycle
Make Sell COST COST Product Sustaining Customer Sustaining Value- Added Svcs Corporate Support Exceptions generated by: Product Defects, Product Incompletes, Customer Owned Issues Costs to the MAKE function: Cust. Satisfaction, Defect Resolution Resources, Time-to-Market, Ability to Execute Costs to the SELL Function: Cust. Loyalty, Lost Sales , Ability to Execute Digital Files EXCEPTIONS Customer

4 Support System Overview Balancing Supply and Demand
Vendor Customer Customer Support Org Sustaining Engineering Product Sustaining Customer Sustaining Support Supply Support Demand

5 Support System Overview
Downward Spiral of Compromises Compromises in Customer Response, Product Quality, Completeness, & Scheduling Increase Demand Customer Support Org Sustaining Engineering Product Sustaining Customer Sustaining Supply Demand More exceptions, interruptions, and escalations … impacting resources, schedules, and quality

6 ? Ready? Readiness Supportability Training Communications
Services Resources Communications Systems Learning Curve Readiness Customer New Product, Release, or Acquisition Support & Services ? Customer can be existing or new. Readiness: is the support org ready? Supportability: is the product ready to be supported? Recommend separation of the two concepts. Supportability Corporate Commitment Impact on Customers Custom Apps Positioning Bugs Upgrades Performance

7 Optional Approaches to Support Readiness Management
Do Too Little Wait to be told Do Too Much Attempt to parallel entire Eng/Mkt effort and be connected to each piece Do The Right Amount Ensure support organization readiness Provide quality feedback and requirements Represent existing customers Ask right question at right time Rest of the presentation assumes that you want to do the right amount and that you may be coming from one of the other categories.

8 Strategy for Launching New Internal SR Process
Determine best internal method for detecting and tracking new products before launch Idea/Requirements Development sequence Marketing management Determine what you want and when you want it from the other organizations Executive commitment Have #1 and #2 figured out before getting exec commitment. The next several slides focus on “know what you want.”

9 What U Want Early Awareness (> 60 days pre-release)
What is it? Specifications/Requirements. What are the issues? Who owns them? What is the plan? Cross Functional Coordination (30-60 days pre-release) Execution of the plan underway. Pre-Release Scheduling (0-30 days pre-release) Readiness deliverables: training, comms, services, systems, etc. Release Everything done!

10 What U Want: 2 Major Concepts: #1 Product Supportability
Supportability Requirements (variable process): Product impact on customers Product supportability assessment Product technology inventory: skills requirements Product boundaries and positioning: corporate commitment Product service models Support and “Services” could be used interchangeably. Initial supportability assessment determines whether is “biggie” or “no biggie”.

11 What U Want: 2 Major Concepts: #2 Support Readiness
Support Readiness Mgmt. (repeatable process): Support ops process coordination / project mgmt Support ops resources Support ops training Support ops communications Support ops readiness management reporting

12 Readiness and Supportability
Response Center READINESS PROCESS Early awareness Cross functional Coordination Pre-release Scheduling Post RRB Coordination / Communication SUPPORT SERVICES SUPPORTABILITY TRAINING SYSTEMS Field Services READINESS PROCESS

13 Supportability Requirements
Sell Make Technology Requirements Features Marketplace Requirements Strategy Product Service Models Product Supportability Existing Customer Requirements Corporate Support

14 Readiness Process: Early Awareness (>60 days)
Supportability review: What is it? What are the issues? What is the support/service model? 3rd party contracting? Embedded technologies? Reselling? Tech Partners? Tech ownership and boundaries (e.g. open source)? Scope training requirements

15 Readiness Process: Early Awareness Typical Issues
Customer consequences for install/upgrade Naming and numbering Superceded releases or products?

16 Readiness Process: Cross-Functional Coord. (30-60 days pre-release)
Lock in the operational readiness game plan Services description Systems plan Training plan Resources plan Necessary pre-release inputs/outputs from other organizations

17 Projected release compatibility
Readiness Process: Cross-Functional Coordination (30-60 days pre-release) Communications plan Projected release compatibility Consequent impact on existing customer base Integration restrictions Compatibility with other products

18 Readiness Process: Pre-Release Scheduling (0-30 days pre-release)
Training dates Early drops of the product Systems readiness Internal readiness communications Customer communications draft Final days Q/A test data review

19 Tips for Exerting Influence Cross-Functionally
Marketing ? Engineering “Mental Models” Customer Support

20 Perspectives and Challenges
Marketing’s View Perspectives and Challenges Pressure from Sales Force Corporate strategy / Executive priorities Competition Announcements / Product Launch Industry Analysts Corporate Support Leverage Points Existing customers / Sales force Product “reality” Development Engineering practices

21 Perspectives and Challenges
Engineering’s View Perspectives and Challenges Schedules Requirements Resources Corporate Support Leverage Points Metrics Contracts: OEM, Reselling, Partner Product knowledge

22 ? Customer Support View Perspectives and Challenges
Technical problem solving Phones Exceptions Corporate Support Leverage Points Enterprise support definition Supportability requirements Service models Management reporting

23 Corporate Support Readiness
Corporate Support is: “All other value delivered to customer.” Every department – Customer Support, Sustaining Eng, Sales, PS, Education needs a Readiness Process. Know what you want and ask the right questions at the right time. Understand other department’s mental models and priorities.

24 Q & A For Additional Information, contact: Mike Bourn
(Dir. Response Center) Teresa Powell (Mgr. Support Readiness)


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