HP Upgrades Consumer Tech Support
HP announced the most substantial investment in consumer
technical support in its history – the aim of which is to enable people
to get faster, more effective help with the HP technology products in
their homes.
Customer service agents from Missouri to Moscow are now equipped
with state-of-the art tools to help customers quickly return to their
tasks, whether printing photos or connecting online with friends.
HP’s investment is focused in three areas:
- A new customer support infrastructure, serving customers in 132 counties and 31 languages;
- Eight new call centers, including ones in Alabama, Missouri and Oregon and five others around the world; and
- A support agent training pilot program and expanded availability of key technology tools.
“One of the most powerful ways to attract customers is by delivering
superior tech support,” said Rob Enderle, principal analyst, The
Enderle Group. ”HP’s focus and the recent investment in tech support
should make HP consumers very pleased, and competitors very concerned.”
The new technology infrastructure behind HP’s support includes an
interactive troubleshooting guide that helps customer service agents
quickly identify the issues and recommended courses of action to solve
customer problems. Agents can easily email detailed instructions,
complete with graphics, to customers so they can follow along or refer
back to the information at a later date. This can be especially helpful
for common PC maintenance tasks such as cleaning up files or for common
printer issues such as solving paper jams.
The enhanced support technology infrastructure began rolling out
with two agents in Indonesia early last year. It gradually evolved and
expanded across Europe, the Middle East, Africa, Canada and Latin
America. Call centers in North America came online recently.
Additionally, more than 1,000 HP service agents have begun a new
training program that addresses key issues customers face, such as
configuring wireless networking or improving PC performance. Unlike
traditional instructor-led training, the new program requires agents to
actively participate in their learning through tasks such as
simulations, role plays and e-learning. In addition, the learning
applications allow agents to complete courses from their desks so they
can meet ongoing skill enhancement needs.
HP is also broadening access to Instant Care, the company’s remote
control capability that lets agents take control of a customer’s
desktop with his or her permission to solve problems. By the end of
March, all seasoned agents supporting North American customers will
have access to the tool. HP’s recent call center data shows that using
Instant Care increases customer satisfaction by 20 percent while
reducing the amount of time people have to spend on the phone.
“Customers expect and deserve outstanding support, and HP’s goal is
to be the industry leader in delivering it,” said Tara Bunch, vice
president, Consumer Customer Operations, HP. “This is the first of many
improvements from HP that you will hear of in the coming months.”