Our final day started with 20 breakout sessions, which once again pulled great crowds. The much-anticipated Awards Luncheon followed. The room glittered in gold and the luncheon fare itself was worthy of kudos. Happy recipients from SRII, SSPA, and TPSA took their turns on stage to be aptly honored for their accomplishments. Read award details on our press release page.
Following the awards ceremony, keynote speaker Jeff Howe, contributing editor of Wired Magazine and author of Crowdsourcing: Why the Power of the Crowd Is Driving the Future of Business, took the stage. Jeff was the first to analyze the phenomenon and coin the word “crowdsourcing” for how business is embracing the digital herd by enlisting the masses to help stoke popular trends. He pointed out, however, that perhaps the hardest lesson for businesses to learn is the importance of including people in solving problems with whom they don’t ordinarily work. The crowd, he feels, can lead you down a less-traveled path. Inspired by Howe’s insights and their application to technology service and support, conference attendees left our event on a truly high note.
I checked in with J.B. Wood again and he couldn’t be happier. He said that seeing this type of attendance is tangible evidence that services are needed now more than ever; it validates not only our Associations’ value propositions, but those of our member organizations as well.
In this economy, it’s a true testament to our membership communities that they came out in such high numbers to attend this event. We thank both our members and partners who attended―we couldn’t have done it without you.
View photos of the event on Flickr.
The Tech Expo was a flurry of activity today―from breakfast to Innovation Tours to Expo Theater presentations to our end-of-day reception and prize drawing. My impression from both the member and partner perspective was one of great success.
I talked to an exhibitor over bagels this morning who extolled the virtues of our conference due to the caliber of our attendees. We have the top-level executives and decision makers, he said, which places this event at the top of his list.
With regard to our members, I talked to a 13-year member this afternoon who expressed is pleasure at having all the Associations at one conference. We discussed the symbiotic relationship that now exists between all areas of services and support, and how this conference responds to that by offering cross-Association content to its members.
And so, I’m looking forward to another inspiring day…
The breakouts have started, with 29 concurrent sessions covering 12 different tracks—and that’s just today. There was something for absolutely everyone as evidenced by the crowded session rooms.
Meanwhile, down in the Tech Expo, John Ragsdale played host to two Innovation Tours that visited the booths of the finalists and winners of the Spring Innovator Awards. Both tours drew a sizeable crowd, allowing each partner to present their solutions, field questions, and engage in commentary provided by John.
I stopped J.B. Wood in the Expo Hall to ask him about the highlights of the conference. We ended up talking about his book, due to be released in September. J.B. said a number of notable things, one being that now is a watershed moment for technology services, with the pressure on the economy and the financial models, and that new financial and value models were needed. He went on to state that we have to take the services part of the technology world more seriously than we have in the past, and that we need to figure out what this means for the customer, the shareholder and the value of the products. J.B. is convinced that we’ve ridden the technology service model as far as it can go, and now need to work more efficiently—and cutting cost is an inadequate answer for service strategy.
We’ll keep you posted about his book, the foundation of which is the growing recognition that service is becoming a science, and that companies should embrace the idea that service research and innovation is becoming something they can invest in with confidence.
Oh, to be two places at once! In the theater was the “2009 Technology Trends: Spring 2009 Recognized Innovator Awards,” with John Ragsdale, our vice president of technology research, while Hall B hosted a “CIO Perspectives Panel,” moderated by Thomas Lah, TPSA’s co-founder and executive director.
Prior to the presentation of the awards, John shared the results from the annual member technology survey. We heard how spending on service and support technology has been impacted by the recession, including technology areas with the highest satisfaction, spending, and member adoption. With the economy as a backdrop, John presented case studies on how companies are leveraging innovative technology to lower operating expenses and increase service revenues. Quite enlightening. For the details on the Recognized Innovator Awards, presented to partners of the AFSMI, SSPA, and TPSA for outstanding innovation, visit John’s Eye on Service blog, where he offers a rundown on the winners, the categories, and the criteria.
Tom’s panel of ex-CIOs offered their perspectives in a number of areas, including what enterprises need from their services providers in an economic downturn, what motivates organizations to spend money when funding is tight, and how technology buying behaviors are changing.
The next set of keynotes included “Consumer Support in a Down Economy: Recession-Proofing Customer Loyalty,” geared toward AFSMI and SSPA members and presented by Tara Bunch, vice president of global customer support operations, Imaging and Printing Group, Hewlett-Packard, and “The Art of Aligning Professional Services for Sustained Productivity Improvement within an Enterprise Software Vendor,” that had a TPSA focus, from David Lavanty, vice president global services, BMC Software.
Tara shared HP’s strategy for building customer loyalty amid the economic downturn and the industry-wide trends impacting all of us. In a time when many companies are cutting spending on service and support, customer expectations are often increasing, which poses the conundrum of how to keep front lines of service strong and maintain customer loyalty in a recession. Smart companies, Tara revealed, maintain spends and investment, trim costs through greater efficiencies and operational excellence, and monetize opportunities for value-added services.
In Dave’s presentation, he discussed how to use a balanced scorecard and stakeholder’s assessment to drive aligned productivity improvement during economically challenging times. He shared practical approaches to managing the myriad of expectations and priorities of stakeholders―corporate executives, product development, support, sales and marketing, partners, and employees―while ensuring customer value realization and delivering bottom line results.
I’ve found that the presentations so far have really zeroed in on the reality of what we are facing in the industry and the economy right now, offering a great deal of food for thought on how to approach the future.
One of the great things about this conference is the crossover of sessions available to attendees. Whether your affiliation is with AFSMI, SSPA, or TPSA there is a tremendous amount of educational opportunities to choose from, and our attendees are encouraged to attend any session they wish.
Our keynote sessions, however, are tagged by Association to help guide our members toward what might be most useful to them. This morning, on the TPSA side, we heard from Ruth Fornell, vice president of professional services for NCR. In her presentation, “Managing Professional Services in an Economic Downturn,” Ruth shared the tactics her services organization has pursued to preserve and increase services profitability. She also discussed emerging tactics that services executives need to consider in a prolonged economic downturn.
Focused toward the needs of AFSMI and SSPA members was “Maximizing the Value of Your Customers’ Software Investments,” by Leo Annab, corporate senior vice president of CA Support, CA. Leo highlighted ways that vendors can better position the services they provide to help them develop, sustain, and maximize value. He discussed the future of customer success in the IT industry, and how software vendors can provide valuable programs to ensure business success.
Both Ruth and David covered vital subjects in today’s challenging times.
The Technology Services Expo opened with a Welcome Reception from 5 to 7 p.m. Thirty-six companies filled the Technology Services Expo―services and solutions providers from Adobe to Zebra.
One of my favorite areas is the Cyber Lounge and Wi-Fi Hot Spot. Cool white couches, relaxing palm trees, and wireless Internet access, all compliments of Salesforce.com.
I also attended a Solutions Session at our Media Center (Booth 27) presented by remote support provider Bomgar. This informal presentation was highly informative and created a comfortable atmosphere for Q&A. Other partners will be presenting at our Solutions Stage throughout the event.
Also at our Media Center you’ll find Suzanne Hite ready to harvest comments about your conference experience. We’d love to hear what you have to say, so stop by during Expo hours and share your stories of how you’ve engaged with our Associations.
At 3 p.m., attendees converged in the main theater where J.B. Wood, president and CEO of AFSMI, SSPA, and TPSA, provided a compelling opening keynote address on “Breakthroughs in Service Economics.” J.B. laid out a solid framework for breaking down existing barriers in services delivery and provided a roadmap that services organizations can follow for navigating today’s challenging times.
William Steenburgh, senior vice president of Xerox Services, followed with his keynote presentation on “Differentiation through Systemic Innovation in Services.” Bill shared how Xerox Services has been looking systemically at bringing innovation throughout the technology adoption life cycle to create differentiation. He also provided an overview of a unique virtual BS degree program for services personnel at the Rochester Institute of Technology, as well as some emerging collaborations with other leading academic institutions.
Both sessions were held in the conference center’s amphitheater. The tiered seating and curtained stage provided a unique ambiance for attendees, with few seats left vacant.
Next stop? The opening of the Technology Services Expo!
The wait is over! Today is the first day of our conference. Services leaders from across the country and around the globe stared arriving as early as 7:00 a.m. to claim their badges and bags. Attendees could choose either traditional check-in or self check-in, making for a streamlined and efficient process. Although the vast majority of attendees registered early for the three-day event, we also welcomed a number of late arrivals and one-day pass holders, surpassing registration expectations.
First on our agenda were two pre-conference professional development courses, designed to offer in-depth content on topics important to our members. The sessions were led by Mark Sloan, COO of RTM Consulting, and David Kay, principal of DB Kay and Associates.
Mark’s presentation on “Global Resource Management” provided eager listeners with an understanding of the global resource management (GRM) process, a comprehensive review of GRM principles, and a foundation on which they can develop a GRM adoption/execution plan for their own organizations. Mark is considered an industry pioneer with respect to defining and deploying global resource management processes.
In David’s session on “Implementing Knowledge-Centered Support,” attendees discovered how to implement a proven best practice for knowledge management, maintain knowledge without slow and expensive review queues, and increase internal efficiency and self-service effectiveness. To help illustrate points in this talk, David’s group left the classroom setting for some experiential learning. David is an expert in the areas of knowledge management, self-service, feedback management, and collaboration.
Check back soon, as I’m off to the opening keynotes, and I’m sure they’ll be a lot to share.
Technology Services World 2009 commences tomorrow at the Santa Clara Convention Center in Silicon Valley. Our event runs May 4-6 and is co-hosted by AFSMI, SSPA, and TPSA—the three leading associations of the technology services and support industry. The conference agenda features over 50 sessions presented by experienced practitioners and industry thought leaders, offering a unique opportunity for services professionals to gain new ideas, network with peers, and challenge current business and strategic assumptions.
More than 550 services professionals representing over 180 of the industry’s leading companies will be attending―an outstanding turnout in today’s challenging economy. Our event also features a Technology Services Expo showcasing the latest services and solutions from many of the industry’s foremost providers.
As staff busily prepares for the coming excitement, members, partners and speakers begin to arrive. The registration and expo areas are coming together quickly and soon will welcome crowds to what has become known as the premier event for services professionals.
We will be blogging live throughout the event to keep you up to date on the latest insights and key takeaways from industry leaders from around the world as well as excerpts from key one-on-one interviews with industry leaders and partners. Stay tuned…
