With the development of cloud computing, the software sector has seen a rapid increase in the uptake of Software as a Service (SaaS). Under this system customers can access new software online via a browser without worrying about sourcing or maintaining in house systems. Over the next few posts I will take some time to explain how SaaS is changing software support and how we at HP are using it to help deliver better results on to you, the customer. 

For these posts I have asked some of my colleagues to talk about how HP is using SaaS to improve itsPremier Support services. In this first post, Jim Gardner, Head of Marketing for HP SaaS, talks about why more and more organisations are opting for SaaS. Over to you Jim:-  

Everyone loves a good chat. At HP Software Support, listening to our customers is our version of a team talk – the best way to help us Exceed Expectations. Most recently you indicated you like using chat to interact with us on non-technical requests for assistance. You’ve said you’re much more likely to contact us with these requests when chat is available, mainly due to the ease and speed of establishing a connection with a resource who can assist you. 

We are now taking the next step in giving HP Software Support customers another communication option thanks to some hard work from Tyson Neidig, who is part of our Delivery Model Optimization team. Tyson is managing our technical chat pilot project which will test the use of chat for quick-hit problem resolution. Here is some background and details of what we’re doing.

WATCH HERE: LINK TO SPRINT'S CUSOTMER JOURNEY 

As the above video shows, HP Software Premier Support works tirelessly to achieve outstanding results for its customers. You can read more about our journey with Sprint in a previous blog post, but we felt it was worth using this case as an example of the outcomes Premier Support can deliver.

With 40,000 employees and over 53 million customers, Sprint is the second largest telecommunications company in North America...

These days it can seem we all spend too much time online. But the quality of customer experience obviously varies. Time spent firing Angry Birds into pigs in buildings seems to ‘fly’ by, while time navigating through pages of comparison sites for car insurance can seem life-sapping. A team headed by my colleagues Amy Galvis and Bill Groot is working hard to make sure future customer interactions for HP Software Support takes on board the latest lessons in customer experience.  We are now ready to give you more access to enhanced Support forums, as a part of our next generation offering.

Following our North American and EMEA Regions ‘Outstanding’ ratings by the Technology Services Industry Association (TSIA), the world-leading work being done in our Support Centres based in Asia Pacific & Japan (APJ) has now also achieved its own Outstanding rating.

As HP now has the same outstanding level of Support across the globe, I asked Bruce Gow, Director Software Support Delivery APJ, and Katsuji Deguchi, Software Support Global Software Delivery APJ Supersite Manager, to talk a bit more about the Support Services that HP offer in the APJ region. Here are their thoughts:-

LINK: HP Software Support rated 'Outstanding'

In the above video, Paul Maher, Positive Marketing, and I talk about HP Software Support’s rating of ‘outstanding’ from the Technology Services Industry Association (TSIA). We at HP Software Support are delighted to receive this rating from the TSIA that focuses on the field services, support services and professional services in the technology industry. 

I am glad to say our North American offices passed the review with flying colours. It was an intensive process that required us to...

The last year saw unprecedented interest in Social Business. Most of our children and virtually all of our Gen Y employees willingly give up time to update their statuses on social media like Facebook, FourSquare and even a recently rejuvenated MySpace which is now owned by singer and movie star, Justin Timberlake. However, the business world remains unsure of the applicability of these media in fulfilling business objectives.

Easy-to-use social businesses tools like Quora, LinkedIn, Google+ and Twitter promised much and have found a place in the world of work. However, this year’s Initial Public Offering (IPO) of Facebook will see the spotlight fall once again on the difference between how freely information is shared at work verses outside of it. ...

The challenges our customers face are myriad. Some need to sell more goods and services, some to spend less on IT and others to exploit innovations they have developed. Some, like US Telco, Sprint, need to do all of the above, but most of all they need to get to market, fast. My hope is that all our customers will be able to tell similar tales at some point. 

With over 40,000 employees, a highly demanding 53 million strong customer base looking for the latest devices combined with customised call plans and formidable world-class innovations, Sprint relies on world-class technology from HP. 

Sports lovers among you will know that the Premiership is widely regarded as the best soccer league in the world. While the English national side is not threatening to hoist a World Cup any time soon, the competition in the Premier League is intense. Just 20 years after its formation, the Premier League attracts the best players in the world and draws global television audiences beyond anything seen previously. Truly it is a platform where supporters expect excellence. 

Our Exceed Expectations plan though bold, is much more about evolution from a now globally recognized level of outstanding customer service, than revolution. The team is constantly making lots of

little changes which add up to a significant uplift in our services. For this post, I asked Greg Zlatunich,

Program Manager, HP Software Support, to explain important upcoming enhancements which we hope our customers will see as positively as they did last year at Discover Building Bridges Article. Over to Greg...

Until recently in the UK there was a saying which meant ‘never ending’, ‘eternal’ and ‘a thankless task’. Thanks to new technology, ‘Painting the Forth Bridge’ has now changed its meaning forever. Using a new paint formulation, the job of protecting this remarkable 220 year old engineering marvel from the Scottish wind and rain, will need no more applications (of paint) for the next quarter of a century.

At November’s HP Discover in Vienna, I also noticed a real difference compared to previous years. It was a very good event, the venue looked great and once again I got to meet with a lot of attending software customers. However, the feedback from the customers I met with this time was very different.  

Early signs, from the day that US retailers call Black Friday, are that this year will see bumper sales of hot gadgets such as the iPad, Kindle Fire and Galaxy S. Some of these devices will inevitably stay on the shelf for most of 2012, unappreciated and under-used. Importantly though, many will be brought to work. 

For those of us supporting enterprise applications, the amazing usability of these products will have several knock-on effects as the world of consumerism becomes a growing part of the world of enterprise IT. Sometimes our role is not to ask why, our role is just to support.

In a previous blog I mentioned how proud we were as a team to achieve an ‘Outstanding’ accreditation from the TSIA. But behind any accolade worth having is a lot of hard work and dedication.

Having acknowledged experts from the world of customer service pore over your procedures, processes, tools and then evaluate your people too can be a nerve-wracking experience, but of course it is also a chance to learn from the best. 

None of us in the Software support community take any pleasure from outages – even to competitors. As a profession, we are all diminished a little when a team of fellow professionals is hit by unforeseen events whether a tsunami or a hardware failure and the spotlight falls on the difficulties of our profession.

However, being support engineers at heart, we all do have a detached professional interest, in fact a duty, to learn what we can from the travails of others. The technical details of the two day outage for some Blackberry services are not something I could or would comment on.

Part of HP Software Support’s Exceed Expectations philosophy is to quietly and continuously improve the way we support you. We hope the effect is that customers will realise, almost without noticing, that our service levels have risen to be the best in the industry.

One of the key process improvements we introduced in the last 12 months though was a working practice for our support engineers that we call ‘Touch and Hold’...

There are few things I find as useful as catching up live with customers. As a wise man once said ‘Sunlight is the best disinfectant’ and there is nothing quite like undiluted customer feedback to concentrate the mind.

Earlier this year, HP Software Support achieved “TSIA RATED OUTSTANDING” rating. This certification is one of the highest forms of recognition available in the service industry, but what does it mean to you?

For those of you who I have not yet met, I’m Aileen Allkins and I head up HP Software Support. Today I want to welcome you to Exceeding Expectations, the first of several new channels of communication with the HP Software Support team I am introducing to help us maintain a dialogue, even if you have never had to call on our services.