We realized a number of years ago that our relationship with our customer — and our customer’s relationship with Changepoint –  is an ongoing and evolving one. The initial service engagement may ensure the software is configured and implemented in accordance with the customer’s business needs at that time, but as business circumstances and needs change, so too must the software. We also understand that customers frequently need guidance in drawing out maximum value from our Changepoint solution.

A few years back, we introduced our Guardian Consulting Services to address the value challenge.  Guardian Services offers a number of follow-on service offerings geared to extracting maximum value possible from their Changepoint investment.  Our team of solution professionals work hand in hand with clients to execute a program aimed at ensuring optimal value and return on investment.  Services range from a maturity assessment to identify and road map areas for improvement, and ensure alignment with strategic objectives; to the provision of on-site system administration, configuration services, including workflow and report design. Our Guardian team will also project manage a migration and upgrade of the system, to ensure customers are capitalizing on newly released functionality and features.

Customers who have tapped into Guardian Services are singing its praises.  In this video success story you can hear from the Director of the Global Program Management Office for Experian, about the benefit his organization has realized from their use of Guardian Services.

Is your organization a candidate for Guardian Services?

Hosted by Ruth Fornell, Vice President, Global Professional Services, NCR Corporation and Rich Moreau, Director of Field Enablement for Compuware Changepoint, the story of NCR’s evolutions to a services-led, software-driven, hardware-enabled solutions company will be presented.

During the presentation titled “Transform Your Services Business to create a Strategic and Sustainable Footprint with Your Customer” Ruth will discuss the role professional services plays in enabling competitive differentiation while creating a more strategic and sustainable customer footprint.  She will also talk about how NCR has realized this vision through global knowledge sharing, establishment of centers of excellence and through organizational transformation facilitated by the use of Changepoint.

Our session is on Tuesday May 8^th from 11 am to 12 pm in the Grand G.  Drop by the Changepoint booth #18/19.

Session and Conference Registration details are available at www.tsia.com

Hope to see you there!

You can register for TSW here.

As a TSIA member and Platinum sponsor of the event, we are able to extend a discounted registration rate/  If you are thinking about attending, I encourage you to register and secure 40% off the regular non-member rate.  Make sure you reference “Compuware Changepoint” as your referring partner during the registration process.

There’s been some discussions in the public domain related to Microsoft’s future intent with respect to Silverlight.  While we acknowledge those discussions, at this time we do not believe Microsoft will abandon Silverlight as a development platform or reduce its supported browsers to only Internet Explorer.  Microsoft has a huge investment in Silverlight, so it isn’t going away any time soon.  They will continue to support it for many years to come.

Our goal is to continue to invest in Changepoint by extending its capabilities and enhancing the user experience.  As we make the investment decisions in our technology, we’ll continue to survey the industry for trends and advancements and make the technology decisions based on the requirements and best available technology.  As of now, we have limited Silverlight code equity, and continue to believe it is a good investment where and when it makes sense in the product and to enhance our customer’s experience with Changepoint.  Take a look at the new Changepoint Resource Management Worksheet and I think you’ll agree.

Editor’s Note:  Here’s a blog on Changepoint’s Resource Management Worksheet with a product screen shot.

• Why KANA selected Changepoint– Liberation from old “grass roots” systems.
• KANA’s Mission for Changepoint – Consolidate planning, forecasting and management tools.
• Three Phase Changepoint Implementation Plan – Tearing down old systems and utilizing Accelerators to speed launch.
• How Changepoint and PSA has given KANA complete visibility at every level
• How Changepoint has helped KANA transform its services business – It’s just in a day’s work with Changepoint.
• Total visibility in just a button click – How Changepoint has centralized information and delivered productivity increases at KANA.

The Detroit PS Village breakfast will feature discussions on:

•             Estimating and managing project scope, resources, timelines and costs;

•             Services pricing methods;

•             Discounting practices;

•             and service bundling.

If you are a services executive with P&L and staffing responsibilities, contact PS Village at admin@psvillage.com to get on the invitation-only guest list. Seating will be limited to the first 20 registrants. Check out more detail and upcoming breakfast dates & locations here: http://www.psvillage.com/page/ps-executive-breakfast-schedule

As I waited, I leafed through a number of the brochures the dealership had on hand, showcasing the latest vehicle models and their various features, and found the brochure for the latest model of the vehicle I’m currently driving.  I found myself having to search through all the currently available features to try to figure out what has changed since I bought my car, and found myself asking the question, “wouldn’t it make sense for a car company to produce a ‘what’s new’ brochure for existing vehicle owners that specifically identifies the new features and changes from one year to the next?”

I would think such a brochure, tailored for an existing customer, would help to boost my interest and perhaps convince me to upgrade to the latest model.  The service manager could hand me this brochure while he took my keys to service my car, while saying to me, “here’s everything new and changed on your model since you bought it, and here’s why those features bring you additional value.”   With this information in hand, I’d have the knowledge to determine if those new features were valuable enough for me to consider upgrading.

I’ve used this example as a way of outlining the difference between the technical support role and the client management role in our Changepoint organizations.

Both groups are customer facing. Both exist to service the customer.  But the technical support team is there to service your current model — to make sure it keeps working and help fix it when it doesn’t. The client management team is there to make sure our current product “owners” are aware of what is new and available in the latest version of our software and it its service packs.  The client management team’s role is to make sure you understand the value of the latest features and to build a plan for you to realize that value.  They aren’t new car salespeople – out to find net new customers.  They are your “service managers” and their purpose is to keep a current customer informed about what’s new and to ensure they are drawing maximum value out of their Changepoint investment.

Together, the technical support and client management teams make sure our customers’ needs are served today, and that they are also served in the future. Maybe I’ll drop a note in the car dealership suggestion box next time I’m in.  It might be time for big car manufacturers to learn something about client management from our Changepoint operation and start producing “what’s new” material geared to their existing owners

Inc. Magazine wants to give you…ink.  The magazine is now accepting applications for the 2012 Inc. 500, a prestigious listing of the fastest growing private businesses in America.  The 2011 Inc. 500, published in September, listed IT services as 4th among the top ten job creating industries, indicating the IT services industry created more than 40,000 jobs during the year.

View the full list of technology/IT services companies making Inc.’s list.