Customer Support Business Process Optimization

Initial Processing

• Customers can initiate new requests for support in many ways - the telephone still works pretty well, and in most cases, the Sales rep initiates a case on behalf of their customer. Now they also have options that don’t necessarily require contact with a company representative. The customer can easily initiate a case via email or in a web request. This service extends the Customer Support System to their customers and partners on a 24x7 basis.
• The next step is to determine what level of support to which the customer is entitled based on contractual agreements. Many companies offer multiple service plans that specify the speed and depth of response.  Companies often differentiate their service offerings based on Warranty status as well.  

Assign and Research

• Once a support request has been entered into the system and the service level determined, the Customer Service Representative (CSR) is assigned to the case. The CSR must understand the customer’s issue/request and access options necessary to resolve the issue. Many Knowledge Base systems help document and catalog historic case resolutions which are easily available through a system query. If the first level CSR cannot reach a resolution, they engage the help of a second-level CSR.

Communicate/Resolution

• Once a preliminary solution to the customer’s problem is identified, the CSR communicates with the customer - by calling them, sending an email or a web posting. The customer indicates whether the solution effectively resolved their issue; if it does, the case is closed. If it doesn’t, the case is escalated to the next level until a solution is identified. This process may be repeated several times until the customer’s issue is finally resolved.

Case Close and Reporting

• Once the case is closed, the CSR must document the case solution. The information gathered during the case resolution process becomes valuable information companywide - Marketing, Design/QA, Service/Support and Sales - will all benefit.

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