Outsourced tech support... saga continues

This will be a bit short but I thought I had a need to post something on this. I have been working with our new tech support trying to smooth out the bumps, providing better tech support to our customers. Well I am finding a few things out along the way.

First, we are the first Wireless ISP this support company has ever had. Now that is really not a bad thing it just introduces a bit more complexity into the equation. We get to introduce new terminology to them so that they talk with intelligence to the customers. Another part to that is we had to decide to what level their tech support went to and when they then escalated to us. Now that is some fun. We were looking to provide good tech support and cut our cost. Cutting our cost came in the form of cutting a few employees and they were replaced by this service. You might say well how did that work out cost wise. Actually, it worked out well. With the old way, we provided tech support from 8 to 8 and voice mail after that. With the new way, we provide tech support 24/7 and by cutting a couple of people we covered the cost. Not too shabby.

Now the interesting part. I knew there were tech support issues in the past but I didn't realize how much of an issue it was. You might ask why. Well I was not directly involved in that part of the business but kept hearing we were having "network" issues. With this new system/company, I kinda became the head honcho in directing and establishing procedures etc. Low and behold it seems our old tech support/service call methods were not good. Items got dropped, lost in the reschedule, service calls not made and no one really knew and so on and so on. I am now finding that out, just how bad our keeping track of calls and our methods are in handling these things.

So not only do we deal with the new tech support company, we also get to review and change our procedures. One of the main issues is lack of records and accountability. Awfully hard to know what is done or not if no one enters their notes on these calls. So we end up with mud on our face because we appear, and actually can't, take care of business as we should.

Well, we will muddle through hopefully. I think some folks will have to change their attitude to make it.