Leading edge companies regard their support organization as a strategic enabler, empowering support agents and focusing on impacting customer satisfaction. In doing so they are adopting a cross-channel support strategy, which includes remote support technologies. The results are real boosts in customer satisfaction and reduced support costs.

1. InfoWorld QuickPulse
* Service and Support
Service and Support
as a Strategic Imperative
Focus on customer experience yields tangible business benefits
Customer service has evolved from a reactive How do they know? Fifty-seven percent ac-
activity viewed largely as a cost center-based tac- tively track and correlate the success of their ser-
tical necessity, to a proactive management task vice and support operations to the achievement of
that can in many ways set a company apart from broader business goals.
the competition. One example: A leading games-on-demand
At the same time, the channels by which cus- provider has embraced advanced chat services
tomers receive support are growing and fragment- that drastically cut problem resolution time, in-
ing very rapidly. The telephone is still the primary crease customer retention and boost support staff
mode of support, but is steadily declining as text, productivity, resulting in cost reduction of more
social media, chat, knowledge bases, email and than 30 percent.
online communities provide new avenues for cus- The chat services used by the gaming compa-
tomers to get the help they need. ny go beyond the basics and include click-to-call
Some organizations are embracing this evolu- technology, and a tool that lets customer service
SPONSORED BY:
tion by implementing technologies that enable representatives connect to a consumer’s mobile
them to interact with customers regardless of the device (with permission) to remotely diagnose and
channel or the device they’re using. This approach fix technical problems.
not only improves customer service, but also
boosts the brand image and helps companies
achieve broader business goals. In a September 2012 guest column in The
Simply put, great products are not nearly Wall Street Journal, Forrester Research
enough to maintain a competitive edge. In a analysts wrote that, in the age of the
September 2012 guest column in The Wall Street customer, “past sources of competitive
Journal, Forrester Research analysts wrote that, in advantage have been commoditized …
the age of the customer, “past sources of compet- in this age the only source of competitive
itive advantage have been commoditized … in this advantage is the one that can survive
age the only source of competitive advantage is technology-fueled disruption: an obsession
the one that can survive technology-fueled disrup- with customer experience.”
tion: an obsession with customer experience.” 1
Customer Service is Job 1 Best-of-breed chat technologies enable
Businesses are heeding the call. According to a support staffs to manage simultaneous chats,
recent survey of IT managers conducted by IDG servicing more customers faster. Further, organi-
Research, 47 percent view service and sup- zations can use chat technologies to boost sales;
port desk operations as a strategic enabler to for example, by promoting services that convert
achieving broader business goals. Further, an customers to a paid service.
overwhelming majority of respondents say that,
among other things, improving customer service The Evolution of Remote PC Support
increases customer loyalty, raises customer life- Despite the torrid growth of everything mobile,
time value and improves customer acquisition. many organizations have not deployed tools that
1
“How CIOs Can Help Companies Survive the Age of the Customer,”
The Wall Street Journal, September 18, 2012

2. InfoWorld QuickPulse
* Service and Support
Customer Satisfaction’s Effect on Taking it a step further, some leading device
Key Business Outcomes makers are bundling remote control software on
Dramatic/ their devices, enabling support staffs to remotely
Dramatic positive impact Moderate positive impact Moderate positive
impact incidence configure, diagnose and troubleshoot problems
Increased customer loyality 71% 20% 91% wherever the customer has a data connection.
This technology also lets technicians collabo-
Increased customer lifetime value 55% 35% 90% rate on a remote session to solve more complex
Improved customer acquisition 39% 49% 88% problems. Collectively, these tools help solve
problems in a way that leaves the customer with a
Higher employee satisfaction 35% 55% 90% very positive brand experience.
Workflow sustainability 29% 55% 84%
Time for a Strategic Approach
Source: IDG Research, November2012 More than half of the organizations in the IDG
survey cite high customer satisfaction as the most
critical goal for their service operations. However
that is getting more challenging as customer
would enable them to most effectively support service fragments and becomes multidimensional.
their mobile customers. Customers are communicating with vendors in
Only 24 percent of respondents to the IDG sur- different ways depending on who they are, where
vey have a remote support solution enabling them they are and what device they are using.
to connect to a customer’s mobile device. At the “Customers will choose which channels to
same time, more than 60 percent say that such engage with you whether you like it or not,” says
a solution would positively impact their customer John Purcell, director of products at LogMeIn Inc.
service and satisfaction metrics. “The question is, will you be there to meet them?”
That disconnect suggests that many organiza- The multichannel aspect of modern customer
tions might not be supporting their customers service may make some organizations feel a loss
most effectively. of control, particularly in social media, but tech-
Support solutions like Rescue from LogMeIn nology provides an important way for organiza-
let technicians remotely support a user’s Android, tions to have at least an equal voice in controlling
BlackBerry, iOS, Windows Mobile or Symbian perceptions about the brand.
device, and quickly resolve issues.
It is the logical evolution of remote PC support.
Indeed, when Telenor Group, one of the world’s “Customers will choose which channels to
largest wireless carriers, wanted to change the engage with you whether you like it or not,”
way its mobile customers receive and experience says John Purcell, director of products at
support, the company deployed technology for LogMeIn Inc. “The question is, will you be
remotely supporting smartphones. there to meet them?”
With permission, Telenor’s support staff can
remotely control a smartphone, helping custom-
ers set up wireless networks, manage security “Customers may not want to engage with you
settings, transfer files and install software, even on the phone, but that doesn’t mean you have to
rebooting the phone if needed. surrender your influence over their experience,”
“The remote capability allows us to provide a says Purcell.
far more satisfactory customer experience and Tools that help organizations engage custom-
one that you’d expect from a leading mobile oper- ers on all levels, particularly mobile, will be key to
ator,” says Lars-Erik Monsvik, product manager in satisfying needs in an on-demand world. Busi-
Telenor’s premium support services department. nesses need to understand why customers are

3. InfoWorld QuickPulse
* Service and Support
Propensity for Organizations to Correlate adds value to the business in ways that no other
Service/Support Desk Operations to discipline can, which makes them a strategic part
Business Outcomes of the organization.
12%
Don’t know Conclusion
In an exhaustive 2011 report2, Accenture surveyed
10,000 consumers and found that, not surprising-
ly, expectations of customer service were higher
57% than ever. At the same time, Accenture found, the
31% Yes
No digital age has made relationships between cus-
tomers and providers more personal because it
provides myriad ways to understand what matters
to and motivates customers.
SOURCE: IDG Research Services, November 2012
“If you do not have a customer-centric view of
the world you are denying yourself the opportunity
to drive lifetime value,” says Purcell.
That’s surely true. It’s also true that simply
engaging with them, who their customers are and measuring customer satisfaction through surveys
how they are engaging. is not enough. Organizations must collect, evalu-
When service providers have a better under- ate and act on customer feedback, using all tools
standing of these elements, they extend brand available. Doing so is a proactive management
influence and drive more positive outcomes with discipline that has a quantitative, demonstrable
customer interactions. Forrester Research has a impact on business results.
model showing the three ways in which revenue is The number of organizations that view cus-
impacted by positive customer experience: incre- tomer support (and more importantly, customer
mental revenue from existing customers, revenue experience) as a strategic imperative will continue
saved by lower churn and new sales driven by to grow. The companies that recognize and
word of mouth. embrace the evolution and importance of the
Considering their daily interactions with cus- customer experience will be more likely to achieve
tomers, there is likely no department closer to broader business goals.
customers, no group that understands customer
behavior better, than customer service.
Their critical and unique insight into customers Visit www.LogMeIn.com
2
Accenture 2011 Global Consumer Research Study