Blackboard Client Support Listening Session

Process, Technology, and Key Performance Indicators

September 29, 2005Presented By Bill Schroeher

Agenda

• Overview– Blackboard Support Offerings

• Client Support Standards– The 4 C’s

• People– Who is part of the Client Support Team

• Technology– How Blackboard Provides Support

• Process– How Blackboard works with you

• Performance IndicatorsMeasuring the service

• Listening SessionWe welcome your feedback, suggestions and comments

Overview: Blackboard Client Support

“You and your staff quickly responded to the problem and

understood its importance. The service we received this week in response to this issue was exemplary. You really care about your product and your

customers.”Larry McGrath,

University of California Riverside

"I simply can't be happier with the level of quality support

that I'm receiving from Blackboard right now!“

Eric Kunnen, Grand Rapids Community College

• System Administrator Support– Dedicated Technical Support

Manager– 24 hour support and toll free

number– Access to Behind the

Blackboard, the web-based support solution

– Surveys, newsletters, and other client communication

– Client service reviews– Six global support locations

• Expectations surrounding the Client Experience have increased dramatically as Blackboard and other enterprise solutions have become more mission critical

• Fundamental changes in quality of service can be the differentiating factor for one company in every market

• Blackboard understands the needs of our clients and strives to exceed expectations

• By developing client support standards, Blackboard has created a culture of superior client service

Client Support Standards

• Competency– Professional and efficient communication– Thorough analysis – Leverage of knowledge resources

• Commitment– Exceeding expectations – Ownership– Developing relationships– Holistic and forward-thinking approach to assisting clients

• Communication– Responsive– Proactive– Clear

• Care– Respect and understanding– Sensitive to the importance of every situation

Blackboard’s Support Standards: The 4 C’s

How Blackboard Implements our Support Standards

PeoplePeople PerformanceIndicators

PerformanceIndicatorsProcessProcess

• System Administrators

• Client Advocacy

• Underlying Technology Expertise

• TSM

• AM

• Community

• User Groups

• List_serv

• Project 24

• Engineering Services

• Global Services and ASP Operations

• Client driven requirements

• Enhancement Requests

• Application Packs

• Performance Benchmarking Team

• Root Cause Analysis

• Behind the Blackboard

• Peoplesoft

• Google

• IP Telephony

• Parature

• Lab infrastructure

• “How to” Documentation

• Release Notes

• Tutorials

• Client Satisfaction

• Response Time

• Case Reviews

• Live Call Rate

• Total Contacts

• Employee Satisfaction

• Cost/Productivity Goals

• Organizational/ Maturity goals

TechnologyTechnology

Rely on Dedicated Resources

• Clients interact through 2 dedicated points of contact– Account Manager and Technical Support Manager

CLIENT # 138679http://behind.blackboard.com

Technical Support Manager Greg Poland 1-888-788-5264 X 1234Account Manager Michael Weber 1-800-424-9299 X 2833

mweber@blackboard.com

PeoplePeople

Dedicated Support Contact:The Technical Support Manager

• Skill Set– Experience across front-end and back-end of Blackboard applications– Expertise with Operating System and Database architecture

• Responsibility– Dedicated to resolving client issues and maintaining ongoing communication

around outstanding requests– Limited client pool enables personalization

• Measurement and Performance– Responsiveness– Quality of case management and

client service – Overall client satisfaction

• Regionally Aligned with Blackboard

Teams

PeoplePeople

Root Cause Analysis

• Dedicated resources focused on identifying root cause of client reported issues

• Training and Quality – Trend analysis of client reported issues

– Recommendations to Product Management on product and technology changes

– Training of staff on new products and features

• Knowledge Management– Manage organizational knowledge around processes and products

– Ensure appropriate communication and content management methods

– Monitor and assess client list_serv postings

PeoplePeople

Growing Communities and Collaboration

71

493

0

125

250

375

500

2002 2004

B2 ISV’s

PeoplePeople

Client Support Infrastructure

• Enables easy replication of client issues using support lab environment

• Over $100K spent on hardware infrastructure

• Hardware Load Balancer for replication of enterprise environments

• Multiple Blackboard versions installed and configured on all supported platforms

• Performance benchmarking team for robust testing in client-simulated environments

TechnologyTechnology

Self Service - Behind the Blackboard

• Comprehensive web-based service center– 7,000 system

administrators and 165,000 students and instructors

– 2,300 Knowledge Base Articles

– Product-related documentation

– Personalized account information

– Create, view and update support cases

TechnologyTechnology

Search - Behind the Blackboard

• Single engine searches across all resources including:– Knowledge Base

Articles

– Behind the Blackboard Web Content

– www.blackboard.com

– Client List_servs

– Documentation

– Release Notes

– Known and Resolved Issues

TechnologyTechnology

Enhanced Documentation

• Revamped Release Notes to enable easier reference of product issues

– Clearly highlights new features– Complete Known and Resolved

Issues in easy to report Excel format

• Quick Tutorials that demonstrate key Blackboard capabilities

• “How to” documentation to explain advanced features

• Key Documentation now available in MS Word format

TechnologyTechnology

Global Call Center

• Follow the sun model with six Global Support locations

• VOIP Telephony System integrating global offices

• Multi language capabilities– Blackboard staff fluent in English, Spanish, Italian, German, Dutch,

Swedish, Japanese, Chinese

– 24 x 7 access to any over 200+ language interpreters

TechnologyTechnology

Phoenix, AZPhoenix, AZ Washington, DC

Washington, DC

NetherlandsNetherlandsJapanJapan

SingaporeSingaporeMexicoMexico

Project 24

• Blackboard Client Support will respond to all client requests within 24 hours

• Client Requests– Case creation via phone call to Blackboard Client Support or entry on

Behind the Blackboard

– Client reply to emails from support@blackboard.com

– Notes added to existing cases via Behind the Blackboard

• Project 24 does not override Blackboard Service Level Agreements (SLA)  – Severity 1 and Severity 2 issues carry higher responsiveness

requirements

ProcessProcess

Influence Product Direction

• Client-driven Requirements– Enhancement Request Program– Blackboard Idea Exchange

• Messaging Lounge• Early Development Dialogue• Product Development Partnership• Product Testing (Beta)

• Client-focused development – Application Packs

• Rapid response to market needs– Engineering Services Team

• Dedicated development resources for client reported issues– Performance Operations Workbook

ProcessProcess

Measuring our Progress• End User Satisfaction

– Surveys sent to contact after every case is closed– Comprehensive client satisfaction survey

• Costs/Productivity Goals– Support Infrastructure vs. Human Resources– Multi channel contact avenues (e.g., email, phone, web)– Cost-effective and customer centric

• Employee Satisfaction– Job satisfaction – Motivation– Advancement

• Organizational Maturity Goals– Financial success does not equate to maturity– What was good enough last year is not good enough this year

PerformanceIndicators

PerformanceIndicators

Client Facing Metrics

Client Support Response StatisticsBlackboard Academic Suite

(1/1/05 through 6/30/05)

Client Satisfaction (percentage) 87

Live Call Handle Ratio (percentage) 75

Average Call Wait Time (seconds) 42

Total Resolved Client Requests 12,877

Total Contacts (email and phone) 58,350

PerformanceIndicators

PerformanceIndicators

Summary

• Quality service standards

• Dedicated Technical Support

• Industry leading technology infrastructure

• Client-focused development through partnerships

• Measured through strict performance metrics

Questions, Discussion