Alan Hirsch
Product Support Director, Claims Workstation, Policy STAR® and FAB Billing Systems
StoneRiver
This is a continuation of our look at ways you can successfully interact with a vendor’s Customer Service department. Part 1 was about interacting with the Customer Service during software installation or before moving the software into production. In this part we look at what has to happen in the vendor’s Services department after receiving your request and what needs to happen after you receive an issue correction.
Behind the scenes – what Support Services does with your request
Services departments, regardless of size, will follow a series of steps to analyze, address, resolve, test and deliver corrections to reported issues. The outline below reflects a fairly standard summary of the steps the group will take. These may vary with each Services group.
- Recreate the issue. This initial step helps Services in a number of ways. It helps to:
- Pinpoint exactly where the issue occurs
- Ensure the correct issue gets fixed
- Identify the potential scope or impact of the issue across all aspects of the system
- Engage others in the organization when considering a solution.
- Review with internal product management staff. Those responsible for managing the product, its use, and its possible enhancement review the reported issue. This ensures consistency in how the application functions, and also that no unplanned system changes get made.
- Prioritize the issue. Services may receive issues from many clients, and often have more issues than staff to address them. Issues need to be prioritized to ensure the most significant issues get worked first.
- Assign the issue for correction. Once reviewed, the issue gets assigned to an appropriate staff member for more detailed analysis, correction and testing.
- Test the correction. Once complete, the issue correction gets reviewed and tested. Representatives from different groups may participate in this testing.
- Document the correction. In preparation for release, the issue and its correction get documented in a standardized format.
- Release the correction. The Services group may have a variety of release mechanisms and schedules. Services will generally inform the client regarding the options and timing available, including risks, if any, associated with each method.
What to do next
Once your company receives the issue correction, test and apply it as soon as possible. Your staff will be looking for the correction, and the vendor’s Services staff will want to know if it works. And, a Services group that learns a correction has not been applied in a timely manner, especially after they’ve expedited their efforts, will remember the delays the next time a high priority issue arises.
If the issue remains?
Even with the most stringent processes and capable staff, fixing software issues remains partly an art. The complexity and flexibility of today’s application systems often enable multiple configurations, uses, and results. There may be some instances, then, where vendor Services may not appropriately fix the problem.
What to do now? Three recommended actions:
- Report the problem immediately! Services groups strive to correct issues once, and the first time. High priority and visibility occur when issues re-surface as unfixed.
- Re-engage with your staff and the Services representative. Walk through the issue again. Ensure that you’ve identified the correct issue, that it can be recreated, that it’s fully documented, and that the Services representative has a solid understanding of the issue.
- Hold a conference with the vendor’s staff, beyond Services representatives. Engage with staff from the vendor’s Product Management, technical, or testing functions. This often provides insights about how the system functions, how to configure it, or how to use it.
Overall, these suggestions should provide a positive experience working with your vendor’s Services group. With your representative, explore specifics about operations, expectations, and processes, to collectively establish that your needs get met in a timely fashion in a professional, quality manner.
What other tips do you have from working with vendors over the years?