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John Tews
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Ann Reichert
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J.D. Power and Associates Reports:
Cisco Recognized for Excellence in Certified Technology Service and Support Program for a Second Consecutive Year
WESTLAKE VILLAGE, Calif.: 2 May 2007—Cisco has achieved certification under the J.D. Power and Associates Certified Technology Service and SupportSM program for a second consecutive year. This distinction recognizes Cisco as the first global networking company to be certified for delivering “An Outstanding Customer Service Experience” for technology service and support.
Jointly developed by J.D. Power and Associates and the SSPA, the program evaluates overall customer satisfaction and helps technology support organizations increase their efficiency and effectiveness in customer service. The certification will also help consumers identify companies that have demonstrated customer service excellence before selecting which technology products to purchase.
To achieve certification, an organization must attain customer satisfaction scores among the top 20 percent of firms nationwide offering technology support, based on J.D. Power and Associates' extensive technology industry benchmark customer satisfaction research. The organization must also pass an expert audit of its support policies and procedures. Certification is valid for one year.
J.D. Power and Associates evaluated Cisco on its assisted service, including phone and e-mail, its non-assisted Web knowledge base and self-help service programs, and its repair and replacement services at depot support facilities. On-site audits were conducted in North America, Mexico and Costa Rica. Customer satisfaction data was collected from customers who recently took advantage of Cisco's support services.
“Meeting the needs of customers is critical in running a successful technology support operation, and the fact that Cisco has passed the rigorous standards to achieve certification for a second consecutive year clearly demonstrates the company's commitment to their customers,” said Vafa Akhavan, executive director at J.D. Power and Associates. “The mark of a world-class organization is sustaining excellence in service and support, and Cisco's Certification demonstrates this.”
Cisco passed a detailed audit of its service and support business processes on a wide range of industry best practices criteria, including: business strategy, talent management, tools and technology, and outsourced service management, as well as all components of its service delivery and other key service metrics.
“Sustained global certification for a company with a sophisticated and diverse product line like Cisco's is a major accomplishment for their support operation,” said J.B. Wood, president and CEO of SSPA. “Cisco clearly understands the value of high-quality service and support and the impact in creating satisfied customers.”
“An excellent customer experience is what motivates us here at Cisco,” said Joe Pinto, senior vice president of technical services for Cisco. “Our ultimate goal is customer success and we are proud to have earned this certification for the second year in a row. The certification process was much more rigorous this year and is evidence of our focus on making ongoing investments to continually improve our quality of service.”
J.D. Power and Associates is currently evaluating technology service and support organizations across the industry to determine if they are eligible for certification.
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, performance improvement, training and customer satisfaction. The firm's quality and satisfaction measurements are based on responses from millions of consumers annually. J.D. Power and Associates is a business unit of The McGraw-Hill Companies.
About The McGraw-Hill Companies:
Founded in 1888, The McGraw-Hill Companies (NYSE: MHP) is a leading global information services provider meeting worldwide needs in the financial services, education and business information markets through leading brands such as Standard & Poor's, McGraw-Hill Education, BusinessWeek and J.D. Power and Associates. The Corporation has more than 280 offices in 40 countries. Sales in 2006 were $6.3 billion. Additional information is available at http://www.mcgraw-hill.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, 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 http://www.thesspa.com/.
Media Relations Contacts:
John Tews
Director, Media Relations
J.D. Power and Associates
(248) 312-4119, or cell (248) 321-5109
john.tews@jdpa.com |
Ann Reichert
Director of Marketing
SSPA
(858) 674-5491
areichert@thesspa.com |
No advertising or other promotional use can be made of the information in this release without the express prior written consent of J.D. Power and Associates. www.jdpower.com/corporate # # #
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What does J.D. Power and Associates do?J.D. Power and Associates' research, consulting, and performance improvement services are used by a variety of industries to improve product quality and customer satisfaction. The firm's research is based solely on responses from millions of consumers and business customers worldwide. Product and service rankings that result from this research reflect the opinions of consumers and business customers-not the opinion of J.D. Power and Associates. Rankings are derived from nationally syndicated studies that serve as industry benchmarks for measuring and tracking quality and customer satisfaction. J.D. Power and Associates conducts the research, publicly announces the results, and then offers analysis based on consumer feedback to product and service providers to help them improve their businesses.
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