James Cowie
Global S-Business Director
February 2006
Bringing the Chickens Home to Roost
Citect is the World’s Largest Independent Industrial
Automation Software Company…
Founded in 1973
Listed on Australian Stock Exchange in 1997 (CTL)
8% share of growing SCADA / HMI market
70% share in Australia
20% share in Asia-Pacific
100,000+ licenses sold
Debt free and profitable
Emerging player in global MES market
Strong professional services capabilities
Expanding support & training annuity revenues
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Citect Corporation
A top 5 Australian multinational technology company
Work with >85% of leading Australian manufacturers
Global partners distributing products in >50 countries
HQ in Sydney, Australia
Offices in Australia, USA, Europe, China Singapore,
NZ, Middle East & Africa
http://www.citect.com
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…with a strong presence in 14 industry
verticals…
Water & Wastewater
Metals
Pharmaceutical
Mining & Minerals Processing
Petrochemical
Pulp & Paper
Telecommunication
Food & Beverage
Power Generation
Manufacturing
Building Automation
Automotive
Facilities
Management
Energy Transmission &
Distribution
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…and a strong blue-chip client base which is…
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Major Decision Point
Raise support quality
Establish Support Philosophy
Establish models & standards
Adopt Business Structure
Introduce standardization
Reduce Support Cost
Deliver consistent support
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Citect Support Pre-Consolidation
We had 48 support staff & 150+ Partners supporting
100,000 licenses / 6,500 customers
Customer calls taken by phone, sent to voicemail,
logged via email & response poor
Customer satisfaction not as good as desired
Support a liability providing inconsistent service
Support morale was low
Support organization viewed as a place to send
problem staff & a place to get away from
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Pre-Centralization
Netherlands
UK
Germany
Atlanta
France
China
Johannesburg
Japan
Sydney
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S-Business Improvement
The problem: Needed quantum improvement
Solutions: Global Customer Support Centre & SCP
Benefits: Quality, consistent, cost-effective support
Advice for others: Have a vision and follow it!
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The Core Areas of Focus
Standards
People
Customers
Processes
Place
Technology
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Approach
Build vision
Identify existing practices
List Best Practice
Create new models
Customer handling
People
Processes
Place
Technology
Standards
Do Business Case
Create Project Plan
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Anton’s Hierarchy
Needs
Incorporated
HierarchyofofCaller
Customer
Needs
Source: Dr Jon Anton
Unique
Advice
Partner
Know Me
Follow-Up
Accurate Answer
Fast Access
Choice of Channels
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Customer Communications
Customer Communication Strategy
Clear Communications about Change
Provide customers details on using Support
Local Sales staff promote Central Support
Address any incorrect perceptions
Incorporate Culture requirements
Regular scheduled Conference Calls
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Structure of Global support team
Global S-Business
Director
Technical
Services Manager
7 Technical
Specialists
Global Customer
Support Centre
Manager
S-Business
Marketing
Specialist
Educational
Services Manager
Geo-based
S-Business
Directors
Shift 1
Shift 2
35 Engineers
Shift 3
Shift 4
Geo-based
Trainers &
CATCs
Geo-based
Platinum
Support
Specialists
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Best Practice in Customer Support
SELF SERVICE
Citect
Partners &
Customers
EMAIL
WEB PORTAL
TELEPHONE
Knowledgebase and
Customer
History &
Case
Management
AI / BI
Tools
Multi
Channel
Mgment
VIRTUAL ENGINEER
Proactive Outbound Calls
Customer
Champions and
Platinum Support
Specialists
Esc
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Tools & Technology
Capitalized of existing tools and technologies
Case Management System
Knowledge Base
Test Lab
Telephony & e-Mail
Reporting
Customer Interface
Tools
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Processes
Call Handling
Escalation
Staff Development
Knowledge Management
Support Management
Reporting
Contract Management
Performance Management
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How the Global CSC Works
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Place: The High Wire Balancing Act
Considered many options
Decided on GCSC
Picked Sydney as location
Identified area
Decided to “hot-desk”
Designed around limitations
Approvals took time
Crazy regulations (First Aid etc)
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Post Centralization
France
Germany
Japan
Sydney
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Citect Support Post Phase 1 Consolidation
We have 42 support staff & 150+ Partners supporting
100,000 licenses / 6,500 customers
Customer calls taken predominantly by phone, or via
email or web-portal & response sub 30 seconds
Customer satisfaction improving
Support has become a showcase providing consistent
high quality service
Support morale is great and increasing daily
Support organization viewed as a place to be, with
staff wanting to return or join
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People: the heart of success
Built on expanded existing team (less people overall)
Built model & justification
Recruited Globally for GCSC
Transferred interested & suitable staff
Recruited through:
Web-Site
Adverts in Australian papers
Universities
Inundated with recruiters
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People
Established new salary benchmark
Very selective:
Specific backgrounds
Fluent English
Second language desirable
Business experience
Stuck to desired standards
Specialists employed
Huge volume of applicants
Many competitor staff keen to join us
New work contract
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Staffing considerations
Reviewed shift package
Careful market assessment of salaries
Minimal relocation assistance
Flexible employment contract was vital
Assisted with internal work permits
Designed specific advertisements
Tight recruiting model
Position Description
Screening questions
Tests
Team interviews
Fundamental skills essential
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Bringing New Team Online
Structured Induction Program
Missed details cause grief
Action plan for each new engineer
Mentor and Buddy
Competency based training program
Individual training plans
Full Product Training
Team building including Cultural
Awareness
Problem Solving skills
Customer Relationship skills
S-Business Tools
Procedures and Business Rules
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Operations
Create CSR
Attempt problem resolution
Engineer
Senior Engineer / Specialist
If not resolved escalate to
next level
Support Programmers
Field Specialist
Development
Resolve, update & close
CSR
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Support Operations
English Language Support Center
Call Registration
Call Escalation
Call Resolution
Deliver standardized support services in English to all
customers / partners
Real-time 7x24x365 Support with live engineer
Accountable for customer satisfaction
Engineers own all open CSRs regardless of
escalation level
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Global CSC
Delivers consistent CSR handling
Built on solid Processes
Single point for Support contact
Local Language via Partners
French, German & Japanese exceptions
Use consistent processes & procedures
Instant access to real Engineers
Increased Customer Satisfaction
Increased Support Productivity
Decreased Support Cost
Increased Engineer Satisfaction
No local language Support issues
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Do Metrics Support Change?
Call Resolution
≈ 40% cases resolved at 1st GCSC contact
# of escalations decreased
Fewer repeat calls but more complex calls
being resolved properly
Customer Satisfaction
Increased
Faster response and better 1st time fix
Looking at customer profitability
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Lessons Learnt
Pretty well everything has another side
Spend time getting the core team prepared
“Yes”, sometimes means something else
Lock down dates
Verify all data & details: or suffer
Don’t accept compromise
Global infrastructure is a myth
Be ready for anything
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Operational Lessons
World has big differences
Cultures: need to be considered
Languages: must be managed
Office Hours: where’s the coffee
Know your Time Zones: key to load balancing
Holidays: know them
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Questions?
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