Hurry! Hurry! Hurry! when a business stand still is logged
By Jan Verlaan on Thursday 18 August 2011, 11:13 - Business Stand Stills - Permalink
Customers really depend on their software to earn their living. When they for example can not send out invoices, they have a major problem. When they can not send invoices they will not receive money from their customers. When they do not receive money they can not pay their own bills. Such a situation could end in bankruptcy.
Do not think such a scenario is exaggerated. It is a nightmare for your customer. He will act accordingly. When you do not respond properly he will strike back furiously. You will go down under with him.Have the customer call a special "Business Standstill" phone number
To make sure business stand stills are addressed quickly and properly have your customer call you. Make sure it is mentioned in your Support and Maintenance contracts how this process has to be started by your customer.
To avoid that it get snowed in with the other reported Support Issues have your customer call a special phone number and not the common support number. Direct the call immediately to a (experienced) Support Analyst. The selection of the Support Analyst should be based on the information the customer is providing you. Asking what he thinks is required, is often enough to select a Support Analyst.
Keep on working on the business standstill
A business stand still ends with a acceptable solution for your customer. Keep on working on it until that is reached even if it means working overtime. When other colleagues are needed they should be made available immediately.
Management Attention
A Business standstill has to be closely followed by Management to make sure enough capacity is made available to work on the issue. A Support Manager is owner of this issue. Support Analysts have to report every few hours to the manager involved so he can help free up capacity and inform the customer about progress.
When a reported Support Issue has to move to Maintenance the Support Manager calls directly the relevant Manager on the Maintenance side. Now two owners are active. The Support Manager is the owner of the reported Support Issue. The Maintenance Manager is the owner of the reported defect.
Maintenance Engineers (or even Development Engineers) have to report every few hours to the manager involved so he can help free up capacity and inform the Support Manager about progress.
Follow the sun
Some companies have the opportunity to follow the sun with their Support and Maintenance Process. Make sure the reported support issue or reported defect is transferred properly to the new Support or Maintenance region. The transfer should always include management to avoid it ends in space.
Return to normal
When, after implementing a, for the customer, acceptable solution, the situation should go directly back to normal. This means that normal Support and Maintenance procedures need to be followed.
Same counts when, after analysis, it is clear that the reported situation is not a business stand still.