ALTADENA, California, Dec. 20, 2004 – Lockheed Martin (NYSE: LMT) has again achieved a prestigious industry certification for its contract desktop and network support provided to the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL).
The company’s Desktop and Network Services (DNS) contract unit recently underwent an extensive Support Center Practices (SCP) audit at its Altadena support center. As a result of the review, the organization achieved certification, quantifying the effectiveness of customer support based upon a stringent set of performance standards and best practices in the industry.
“We are very proud to achieve this certification two years in a row,” said Sandy Dixon, DNS Deputy Program Manager for Lockheed Martin Information Technology. “The quality of support we provide our customers is our number one priority. Earning this certification against the highest of industry standards is a confirmation of the high quality of support we are providing our customers.
“Along with the achievement we also gain an understanding of the areas for continuous process improvement so we can be of even more value to our customers. The DNS team, a very talented and dedicated group, is the key reason for us achieving this prestigious certification,” Dixon said.
SCP Certification, an internationally recognized standard created by the Service and Support Professionals Association (SSPA), a consortium of leading technology companies, and Service Strategies Corp., defines best practices for delivering world-class technology support. The program quantifies the effectiveness of customer support, establishes a foundation to build on existing quality processes, and provides a clear focus on measurable results.
Certification requires comprehensive on-site audits to confirm that companies meet the requirements of more than 100 business elements defined in the program. SCP Certification measures factors such as corporate commitment and strategic direction, customer satisfaction, performance metrics, research and development interface, and other strategic areas of the support operation. Certified organizations must demonstrate their continued commitment to high performance standards through annual re-certification audits.
“By passing the rigorous requirements necessary to achieve SCP Certification, Lockheed Martin Information Technology and DNS have made it clear they are committed to delivering world-class support to their customers,” said Kristen Robertson, SCP Auditor. “During the SCP Certification audit, DNS demonstrated a clear commitment to customer satisfaction and continuous improvement.”
Other leading technology companies that have achieved the SCP Certification include Lawson Software, PeopleSoft Incorporated, McKesson Corporation, Mentor Graphics Corporation, Network Appliance Incorporated and Xerox Corporation among others. Currently more than 200 technology support organizations around the world participate in the SCP program.
The Support Center Practices (SCP) Certification program was developed to address service quality issues that affect the rapidly growing technology support industry. The SSPA and forty of its member companies created the program along with Service Strategies Corporation. These companies contributed their insight and perspective into defining the key elements required for delivering World Class support. Service Strategies Corporation is responsible for administering the SCP Certification program and conducting on-site certification audits. For more information about SCP Certification, contact Service Strategies Corporation at 858.674.4864, toll free in North America 800.552.3058, email info@servicestrategies.com or visit www.scpcertification.com.
Headquartered in Bethesda, Maryland, Lockheed Martin employs about 130,000 people worldwide and is principally engaged in the research, design, development, manufacture and integration of advanced technology systems, products and services. The corporation reported 2003 sales of $31.8 billion.
email this article