SAN DIEGO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Oct. 12, 2005--J.D. Power and Associates and the Service & Support Professionals Association (SSPA) (Company
Profile, Past
Stories, Case
Studies) introduced the Certified Technology Service and Support (CTSS) program during the opening presentations of the SSPA Conference in Las Vegas this week. Bill Rose, founder and executive director of the SSPA, was joined onstage by Steve Carroll, senior partner and executive vice president of J.D. Power and Associates, for the unveiling of the J.D. Power and Associates CTSS trophy that will be awarded to technology companies that meet or exceed the new standard for technology service and support.
The CTSS program was jointly developed by J.D. Power and Associates and the SSPA earlier this year, with Version 1.0 of the program launching last month. The program features a comprehensive set of criteria that define best practices for the delivery of technology service and support. To develop the criteria, the SSPA assembled a standards board comprised of over 50 companies from all segments of the technology industry. Service executives from leading companies such as Oracle, HP, Xerox, Kodak and Best Buy contributed to both the structure and the content of the program. In addition to auditing companies for compliance with the criteria for service process excellence, the CTSS program includes a J.D. Power and Associates customer satisfaction survey to validate the customers' perception of service quality.
The CTSS program features a unique certification structure that lets companies with different business models apply for certification under those modules that are relevant to their business. Under the program design, all companies will be required to be certified across a common set of core criteria. Companies will also be certified for additional service and support criteria - Assisted Support, Non-Assisted Support, Field and Depot Service - based on the way they deliver their services. In addition, the program will accommodate certification for companies who deliver their services through a services outsourcer or channel partner.
"At the SSPA, our goal is to tackle the industry's most challenging problems by developing innovative, high-impact solutions that raise the industry to a new level," said Rose. "This new CTSS program is a perfect example. Our members told us they needed a way to convert their investment in high quality support services into a marketplace advantage. The SSPA responded by joining forces with J.D. Power and Associates - a brand that is synonymous with quality and customer satisfaction. With both businesses and consumers increasingly looking at service and support as a key part of their purchase decisions, we believe the CTSS program will give technology companies a great way to demonstrate that they can deliver the world-class services their customers demand."
"We are very excited to be working with the SSPA to extend the J.D. Power and Associates brand into the technology services and support arena," said Carroll. "We were very impressed with the quality and breadth of technology companies that the SSPA brought together to define this new standard and we are equally impressed with the companies that are signing up to become certified."
The CTSS program is available immediately and a charter group of companies is already enrolled in the program. Initial certification awards are expected later this fall. The SSPA Standards Board will continue to review and enhance the program and expects to publish new versions of the standards twice each year.
Queries about the J.D. Power and Associates Certified Technology Service & Support program can be made by calling 1-858-674-5491 or visiting www.thesspa.com.
About the SSPA
The Service & Support Professionals Association (SSPA) is chartered with bringing together the service and support community's best and brightest minds to deliver a relevant blend of market research, programs and certifications including prestigious J.D. Power & Associates Certified Technology Service & Support, as well as networking, media and analyst relations, education and other information resources. SSPA core constituents include the world's leading enterprise and consumer technology companies as well as the scores of innovative small and mid-sized companies that serve to continually refresh the industry by bringing new ideas and processes to the marketplace. For more information, visit www.thesspa.com.
About J.D. Power and Associates
Headquartered in Westlake Village, Calif., J.D. Power and Associates is an ISO 9001-registered global marketing information services firm operating in key business sectors including market research, forecasting, consulting, training and customer satisfaction. The firm's quality and satisfaction measurements are based on responses from millions of consumers and businesses annually. J.D. Power and Associates is a business unit of The McGraw-Hill Companies.
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