We often get calls from prospective clients looking for the best deal they can get for IT support for their businesses. They interview several IT shops, and either we are the best match for them because they are looking for that smaller IT shop who can provided personalized service where they are not a number or they go with the larger IT shops because for a certain price they get “all you can eat” for each workstation and server per month and think in the end they will save a lot of time and money.
There is only one way to make this work financially. Don’t spend too much on your front line techs.
I had an experience today after an hour and a half of frustration and I thought… “This is why, we will never change our model to one that requires all support calls to filter through low wage, 1st tier support.”
We recently purchased new Windows 8 phones. Figuring with our move to Office 365, Windows 8 and Office 2013 and our moving a ton of data to OneNote. Now is the time to try the new phone platform. We’ve been very pleased!
After the 3rd week of getting used to the phone, getting all my setting where I want them, downloading all the apps I wanted (except for my beloved Kagloom which is not available on this new phone). My new phone goes kaput. So after an hour of tech support from our un-named cell service provider they decide they need to send me a new phone. So I wait three days because of course, it dies over a holiday (just my luck) and I finally get my new phone.
Today, less than a week later, I have no sound on my phone. I can’t hear a ring, a vibrate is not felt and I can’t retrieve any voicemail. I check my settings. Everything is turned on. So I call our un-named cell service provider and get level one support. She has no clue about this new phone!! After struggling through this with her, she send me to level 2, While a little smarter with this HTC phone, he still has very little training on the OS admittedly, decides it is a software problem, and they need to send me a new phone.
What???? Days of waiting, hours of resetting? No!! I want to speak to someone in management! If I have to keep getting new phones sent to me, this phone is obviously not for me. This is unacceptable! So I get someone in a supervisor role on the phone. Another 15 minutes of explaining what is going on to the supervisor, all she offers is to send me a new phone. Then I want to speak to someone else who can do something other than send me another defective phone! So I get someone in retail services. Again – 20 minutes, no options from her. So I get sent to customer loyalty. Another 15 minute conversation. This one offers me the higher tiered support. She just wants me to try this. At this point I have been on the phone with this un-named cell service provider company for an hour and a half. I have ignored my kids, ignored the work I could have been doing while they did their homework and now dinner will be late on the table. FINE! I say – one last chance.
I get the 3rd tier support guy after my hour and a half wait. He is fantastic, completely knowledgeable. I explain to him what was happening. Guess what he had me do? A hard reboot. A basic hard reboot. All of a sudden my phone came back to life. It had sound, it had vibrate, and I could retrieve my voicemail. Halleluiah!!
But here is the thing. I asked my wonderful person on the phone. Why? Why did the 1st or level 2nd tiered support person not ask me to do this or ask if I had tried this before calling? His answer? Well the 1st and 2nd tiered support people have different steps and suggestions to follow then we do up here at 3rd level. Really???? A basic trouble shooting solution had to take an hour and a half and a lot of frustration on my part to get to because level one and two had different steps to offer? This was basic stuff and I needed level 3 and an hour and a half of my time. Wow.
This is why, we will never do this model. Simple as that. Our clients don’t have time for it. They want someone trained and familiar with their account off the bat. Time is money.
Written by Rachel Erickson of Passkey Computer Services
http://www.passkeyinc.com @passkeycs
Tech for Thought 
Bret,
This sounds like a training issue. It sounds the cell provider needs to put some controls and training in place that give them visibility into service issue like this.
The fact that a “hard reset” required a tier 3 tech is a good indication they have a training problem.
I hold some of the same thoughts about “all-you-can-eat” programs my reasoning is very different.
These types of programs are not necessarily synonymous with inexperienced, low paid staff. Quite the opposite! The key is to find very skilled staff that can solve problems quickly and efficiently.
Both of us know finding skilled staff can be hard. Even if you find a skill person it is safe to assume in 18 to 24 months their current training will be yesterday’s technology. So we have to put in place strict training and process development programs to keep the level of support effective.
Where I see most IT service providers go wrong (especially with all you can eat programs) is that they do not hold the client to a minimal standard or commitment to keep technology current, hence transferring the risk to the IT provider. Because the IT provider has assumed this risk, they get inadated with client problems that should never exist. They then react by hiring entry level staff to react and simply answer phone.
All you can eat programs require commitment and maturity on both the client and the provider. This will ensure a sucessful and strong relationship,
Thought provoking post. Would love to talk with more about this.
Thank you Leif for my first ever comment on a blog!! Big moment! Perhaps another lunch? This one on me.
I didn’t write this one. Rachel was so into it after that experience, I was like, “put it on paper”! It’s a debate I’ve been watching faithfully for 8+ years. We monitor well over 70% of our clients 24×7 and most are on a maintenance plan. We have 3 year planning meetings, use BDR backup and self imposed SLAs. About the only thing we don’t do is unlimited help desk and all you can eat. Quite honestly, we get so much business coming back off that model that I haven’t felt the need to change. Though I have to admit the pros are tempting. The cons always stop us. I think we had this conversation 4 years ago. Not much has changed:)