The methods of providing quality IT support to companies and individuals in South Africa is about to undergo a dramatic change as Unisys South Africa, in partnership with Sykes Enterprises Incorporated, introduces Electronic Technical Support Center (ETSC). ETSC is a software suite which provides a powerful hardware and configuration diagnostic application bundle that includes convenient on-line access to technical support personnel for end-users.
For most South African companies, service and support are essential elements in total cost of ownership (TCO). Efficient support reduces down-time, which is the greatest cost to a PC based company. Unisys and Sykes are poised to lead the local market with ETSC which combines specialised IT tools to reduce the number of support calls and automate the triage process which reduces the length of required calls. Experienced technicians will also be available at a call centre based at the Unisys offices in Sunninghill, South Africa.
There are various IT support packages from Unisys and Sykes. "The first is the self help route where end users try to solve IT problems themselves while their software has access to local and remote knowledge bases and also has the ability to self diagnose and repair problems. Assisted help comes in the form of technical products that assist users in identifying problem sources, usually with the guidance of a trained Technical Support Technician (TSR) during a support call. The addition of remote technology allows the TSR to extract customer and system information from the PC over a standard phone," said Unisys SA marketing manager, Simon Gatward.
The growth in popularity of the Internet as a communication medium for PC users from businesses and home is evident from the many OEMs and VARs who are bundling modems, software and ISP connectivity offers with every PC sold into the consumer and SOHO market. The Unisys and Sykes direction for ETSC technology fills a much needed gap in the support market. The product provides a unique total support solution.
The integration of the ETSC Internet Client with a South African company`s specific interface provides PC users with a non-intimidating, intuitive approach to using the Internet for requesting assistance in those instances where help is not a time critical requirement. "ETSC goes well beyond an e-mail approach to contacting the support desk with the addition of critical system information and diagnostic results that run without user interaction. This information allows the technician to create and post a solution off-line for the user to download at his or her convenience. The support call will tend to be much shorter and therefore a lower cost to Sykes. The efficiencies of using the Internet should contribute to a local company`s leadership position in the industry as well as its bottom line," added Gatward.
In those instances where either an Internet support technician is unable to resolve a customer`s problem or the user requires immediate assistance, Unisys and Sykes will continue to offer world class phone support, but with the added efficiency of technology tools to reduce call volume and duration. Using self help tools, the Internet and ETSC will reduce the customer`s dependency on phone support for the mundane or routine support questions. When a customer calls, it will most likely be to resolve an issue that requires immediate attention due to time constraints or mission critical needs.
"The goal is to leverage technology to increase the efficiency of the support organisation and improve overall customer satisfaction," concluded Gatward.
Editors note
About Unisys SA
Unisys South Africa Limited is a wholly owned subsidiary of Unisys Corporation. It has been formed by the acquisition of Unidata by Unisys from Mercedes Information Technology. Unisys is an information management company with over 60,000 clients in more than a hundred countries. Locally, the company is a major supplier of information services and technology to financial services, government, communications, health information management and other commercial markets. Unisys South Africa employs 550 people and serves 200 major corporate clients via 38 service locations, of which 19 are franchisees and 14 are resident points. Access the Unisys home page on the World Wide Web - http://www.unisys.com - for further information.
About Sykes Enterprises Incorporated
Sykes Enterprises, Incorporated (Sykes) is an information technology company that provides a full complement of outsourcing services to companies world-wide. With more than 4,200 employees, Sykes provides information support services to companies at all stages in the life cycle of their products and services - from initial development to documentation and training to end-user support. Through recent acquisitions, Sykes also provides diagnostic capabilities and retail software applications and support for back office and point-of-sale customers. Sykes is based in Tampa, Florida, USA, and operates eight domestic technical call centres, four European centres and 13 branch offices throughout the USA and Europe
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