Global Shop Solutions has always striven to deliver timely technical support, a goal that most of our customers agree we deliver on. But when we released our latest system update in early 2015, the number of service calls dramatically escalated due to the number of customers upgrading the various products included in the release (as always, upgrades and new versions are always free from Global Shop Solutions). This drove up our backlog of open calls each day. Average time to resolve a service call climbed, and difficult issues took even longer. Clearly we needed a new approach.

So last August we pulled together a multi-departmental team composed of experienced employees from the front desk, R&D and technical support departments. Led by technical support specialist Doug Johnson, this newly created Service Team began working hard on a process for handling service calls faster and more efficiently.

So far, the results have been impressive – and customers have noticed.

When customers call in to the Service Team, 40% of issues are solved within minutes. When customers log into our ServiceWeb, average resolution time is about 90 minutes. Combined, nearly half of all service calls we receive now get resolved in two hours or less.

Here’s what our customers are saying:

• Your new customer service process far exceeds the old way of calling in and speaking with the receptionist. -Corry Micronics, Inc.
• Immediate results; very professional and courteous! -H. & S. Swansons’ Tool Company
• Lightning fast!! -Bristol Machine Works, Ltd.
• The request and response were within the same hour. Great effort and correction of the issue! -Sector Microwave Industries, Inc.

Coordinated Approach Reduces Call Backlog
What are we doing differently?

First, we trained Service Team members to quickly identify and define each issue as it comes in. This includes gathering logs, data extracts and screen shots from customers in a timely manner. Next, we developed a more efficient process for prioritizing issues. Every team member works off a dashboard that displays a variety of data, including the number of calls, which customer each team member is talking to, and more.

After identifying and prioritizing an issue, we then compare it to our checklist of known issues to see if we already have a resolution. If so, we can usually get it to the customer in minutes. If we don’t have an existing solution, the Service Team then assigns a level to the issue.

Tier One issues are resolved by Service Team technical support members. More complex Tier Two issues are passed on to our most experienced consultants, along with all the information initially gathered by the Service Team. This helps to speed up the issue transfer and resolution process.

Finally, any time we encounter a recurring issue, it immediately gets escalated to the R&D team so they can create a resolution for it. This results in faster fixes for customers experiencing common problems, while enabling our service technicians to focus on the more complex issues. Meanwhile, Service Team members are getting a well-rounded education by working on many different issues that will further improve their ability to provide technical support in a timely manner.

At Global Shop Solutions, “simplifying your manufacturing” is more than just a marketing slogan; it’s a way of life. With our Service Team, we’re taking better care of our customers so they can do a better job of taking care of theirs.