creating customer self sufficiency

Creating Customer Self SufficiencyNeeti Seth

Sr. Manager, Customer Support, Mercury

Mercury Confidential & Proprietary 2

Introduction

• Mercury continues to set the benchmark for online service excellence

• Leverage the online service experience to build stronger relationships (rather than distance ourselves by avoiding service requests)

• Benefits:– Scalability– Deeper understanding of customer needs– Real time understanding of customer sentiment– Broader knowledge of customer product feedback– Stronger communication channel with customers


Self Sufficiency Goal 1

Bring Customers and Partners Together

Encourage Community Participation

Monitor Community Activity

Respond to Customer Sentiment

Create and Manage a Community



On-line Knowledgebase– CSO Knowledgebase

– Customer Populated Knowledgebase

– Dedicated Subject Matter Experts

– Dedicated Technical Knowledgebase Architect

– ‘Solution of the Week’

User Discussion Forums

Real Time Access to Call Management System

“Ask the expert” sessions

Provide a range of Service Choices and Self help alternatives



Communication of Product Alerts & Announcements– The latest product news, information about product releases and

upgrades, known product issues, and more are posted on the Support Web Site

– Subscribe to “Support Updates”, a biweekly email

Download & Patches– Product Patches

– User Populated Samples/Download Repository

Provide regular Alerts and Announcements


Feedback

Customer Research Analyst– We survey and poll our customers to learn more about how our customers are

using our products and services and what their current and future needs may be, trends, sentiment,…

Strategic Support Delivery Team– Provide feedback of the market by proactively reaching out to customers asking

for their feedback

Customer Surveys– In addition to quantitative results, we ask customers “What one thing could we

do better?”

Support Website Feedback

Make Customer Focused Decisions

Thousands of customers have responded, impacting corporate strategy, product strategy, go to market plans, mergers & acquisition, and customer service.


User Suggestion for Upcoming ‘Ask the Expert’ Events


CSO Knowledgebase – User Rating System

Customers can rate the article, indicate

whether or not it solved the problem

and provide any other comments

Customers have access to our well written descriptive

articles


Awareness

Awareness and promotion of electronic services is paramount to our success

Create awareness through cross section of customer touch points– Customer Support

– Marketing

– Product & Documentation

– Training

– Sales

– Improved E-Support Response

– Customer Incentives


Adoption Strategies

Quality information and Relationships with other customers

We offer a wide variety of innovative, useful, and easy-to-use Web-based services including the frequent flier-like Customer Reward Program, Community membership, online company store, and much more– Customer Reward Program (“Frequent Flier Program”)

• The program rewards community members with “Customer Reward Points” each time they participate in an activity such as: log in, search knowledgebase, post question or answer on discussion forums, post knowledge base article, etc...

• On-line Company Store - Members can save up their customer reward points to buy merchandise from the On-line Company Store located on the Support Web Site

– Promotions places on CSO Web Site• Some examples are “Free Load Test”, “3-for-free” performance monitoring

profiles, “Refer A Friend” program for Topaz


Adoption Success

Online User Growth vs. End Users Supported (Americas)

2,000

4,000

6,000

8,000

10,000

12,000

Q1

-00

Q2

-00

Q3

-00

Q4

-00

Q1

-01

Q2

-01

Q3

-01

Q4

-01

Q1

-02

Q2

-02

Q3

-02

Q4

-02

Q1

-03

Q2

-03

Q3

-03

Q4

-03

# Unique Web Users # End Users Contacting CSO

"We have recently switched to Mercury products from a competitor of yours. Your Knowledge Base is an incredible asset and I mention it often to other groups within my company who are still using the other product. Thanks for all of your hard work on it! It makes my job so much easier!"


Call AvoidanceMetric Total Source/Calculation

Number of instances customers indicated “yes” that a problem was solved by Mercury Knowledge Base in Q1 2004

4,922 Mercury Interactive KnowledgeBase data report

Number of “4” (helpful) and “5” (very helpful) votes received for User Knowledge Base articles in Q1 2004

930 Mercury Cognos statistics

Number of Articles Read in Mercury KnowledgeBase that resulted in resolved issue

3,186Number of articles read multiplied by .01

(318,563 x .01 = 3,186)

Number of Posts Read in Discussion Forum that resulted in resolved issue 2,014

Number of forum posts read multiplied by .01

(201,417 x .01 = 2,014)

Number of Articles Read in User KnowledgeBase that resulted in resolved issue

799

Number of User KB articles read multiplied by .01

(79,861 x .01 = 799)

Users resolving customer support issues by reading and rating content on Mercury support site in Q1 2004.

11,851Number of call avoidance events

(4,922 + 930 + 3,186 + 2,014 + 799) = 11,851


Call Avoidance

• Formula for Calculation of Call Avoidance:

Total # of instances where customer resolves issue (User votes “Yes” on KB article, “4” or “5” in User KB, 1% of searches in forums, KB, and User KB)

• Number of Cases Avoided– 2003 Total: 34,885 Service Request

– Q1 2003: 8,837 Service Request

– Q1 2004: 11,851 Service Request

– 34% Increase


Impact

Estimated Case Load Reduction due to KB and CSO Web (Americas)

10,000

15,000

20,000

25,000

30,000

35,000

Q1-0

0

Q2-0

0

Q3-0

0

Q4-0

0

Q1-0

1

Q2-0

1

Q3-0

1

Q4-0

1

Q1-0

2

Q2-0

2

Q3-0

2

Q4-0

2

Q1-0

3

Q2-0

3

Q3-0

3

Q4-0

3

Service Requests Know ledgebase Discussion Forums

Our self sufficiency strategy has been a huge success. Customer adoption of our online services (KB, Discussion forums...) has grown tremendously

Questions?

Thank You

creating customer self sufficiency

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