Service Strategies Corporation (Company Profile, Past Stories, Case Studies), administrator of the Support Center Practices (SCP) Certification program, the internationally recognized service quality standard, today announced results of certification showcase events held in Sydney, Australia, Boston, MA, and Wokingham, UK during the first half of 2005. Also announced were specifics of the upcoming event to be held November 7 - 10, 2005 in San Francisco, CA.
 
The certification showcase events offer a unique opportunity for technology service professionals to share best practices. They include presentations from SCP certified organizations, roundtable discussions on industry standards, and networking among the technology services community. “Evolving customer expectations, emerging technologies, and other factors continually change the face of the services business.” said Greg Coleman, vice president of certification for Service Strategies. “The showcase events bring the technology services community together to share their insights and to ensure that industry standards continue to evolve to meet market demands.”
 
The Boston showcase in June included best practice presentations from BEA Systems, EMC Corporation, Lawson Software, McKesson Corporation, and Network Appliance Incorporated. Industry standards discussions on topics such as customer satisfaction measurements, product lifecycle management, and others will influence future editions of the Support Center Practices (SCP) Certification program.
 
Showcase events held internationally in 2005 included sessions in Sydney, Australia and Wokingham, UK. These events provided an opportunity for technology service professionals from across the Asia Pacific and European regions to share best practices. The events included presentations from Computer Associates, FileNet Corporation, HP, Mercury (UK) Ltd, Rockwell Automation, and Xerox Corporation among others. Topics included customer loyalty, corporate culture, training and development, offshore outsourcing, and others.
 
The next Certification Showcase event will be held at the Hyatt Regency - San Francisco November 7 - 10, 2005. Industry luminaries and SCP certified organizations including Aspen Technology, Software AG, Mentor Graphics, and others will share their insights into delivering world-class services. Topics will include:

• Strategic Planning for Support Operations
• Developing an ROI for Customer Loyalty Programs
• Examining the Latest Research into Self Service Practices
• Meeting today’s Technical Account Management Challenges