A customer only wants you to build his requested functional fchanges and not those of other customers. A functional change, especially an unexpected one, could severely upset the customer system or his systematics.
You have to decide how you will coop with such requests. Keep in mind that there will always be a big grey area. An area under the influences of threats of contracts breaches or lawsuits.Tag - Enhancement Request
Tuesday 16 August 2011
Customers only want their own functional changes
By Jan Verlaan on Tuesday 16 August 2011, 13:12 - Maintenance Policies
Friday 8 July 2011
Many possible closures require skilled Support Analysts
By Jan Verlaan on Friday 8 July 2011, 11:01 - Second Line Support
Reported Support Issues end in different ways. Here is an overview of the several options:
- Answer to a question
- Explanation about the functionality
- Data correction
- Workaround
- Reference to the Customization Department
- Enhancement request for future usage
- Software fix
What ever the end may be, a customer has to agree, else the ping-pong between you and the customer will go from bad to worse. A clear Support and Maintenance policy as well as a well considered Support and Maintenance contracts will help you. But what the most will help is to act consistently. The role of the Support Analyst is the most important role when the company wants to increase net income from the Support and Maintenance contracts.
Train your Support analysts well. Not only on the product but mentally as well. They have to face difficult and demanding customers. The more the Support Analyst can stop from going to Maintenance the more money can be earned for the company. The more money the company can invest in creating (new) products your customers want, the better your company can compete with the competition.
Reported Support Issue turns out to be an Enhancement Request
By Esther Verlaan on Friday 8 July 2011, 10:25 - Second Line Support
Frequently in Second Line Support a reported support issue turns out to be an Enhancement Request. Of course the customer will state it is a defect. It depends on the policy of your company how to act upon it. From an economic point of view you should not give in unless you will loose the Support and Maintenance contract with this customer and thus income. Of course the customer could threaten you but he can not do this every time he does not get what he wants. So your customer will pick his fight carefully.
By not giving in you could help your company earning more money by sending the customer to your customization department.What you should do any way is to log an Enhancement Request for future usage. Such enhancements requests are very nice sources to improve your product further. When on the same area several enhancements requests are logged it is wise to consider it for future releases of your product.
An Enhancement request requires a bit of different approach than a defect. It has to explain the missing functionality in detail as well as the impact on the customer. Explain what the customer is capable of when the functionality is provided. Describe how much could saved by the customer within his business.