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    The Ultimate Customer Support Executive

     
    3/20/2006

    Many books have been written about customer support, but few have considered the particular needs and challenges of customer support executives.

    Some of this book is generic Management 101 but it speaks the language of CS in a direct, easy-to-read manner. Want the respect of higher-ups? Go beyond cost cutting and contribute to the bottom line—advice well heeded by any manager. The book is best when tending to customer support issues as in a chapter devoted to CS myths. Is the customer always right? No—some actually lie and cheat! Do all customers expect perfect service? No—and you would likely be in the poorhouse if you showered exceptional service on all customers indiscriminately. Are your best customers the ones who bring in the most revenue? Not if they have negotiated steep discounts that squeeze your profit margin.

    Other topics addressed include global support, offshoring, best practices, and theories on the future of CS.

    Verghis draws upon his own experience to good effect. While advocating for companies to create consumer advisory boards—essentially high-level boards comprised of customers and company executives—the author warns that it will be difficult to recruit executives to the board, and, once established, other inside groups will try to take over the board’s management given its contact with key customers. That's the voice of someone who’s been there.

    Verghis is a consultant and former vice president of infrastructure and support at Akamai Technologies. He also chaired the Strategic Advisory Board of the Help Desk Institute, an IT association.

    - Sean Silverthorne

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