Close
  • Latest News
  • Big Data and Analytics
  • Cloud
  • Networking
  • Cybersecurity
  • Applications
  • IT Management
  • Storage
  • Sponsored
  • Mobile
  • Small Business
  • Development
  • Database
  • Servers
  • Android
  • Apple
  • Innovation
  • Blogs
  • PC Hardware
  • Reviews
  • Search Engines
  • Virtualization
Read Down
Sign in
Close
Welcome!Log into your account
Forgot your password?
Read Down
Password recovery
Recover your password
Close
Search
Logo
Logo
  • Latest News
  • Big Data and Analytics
  • Cloud
  • Networking
  • Cybersecurity
  • Applications
  • IT Management
  • Storage
  • Sponsored
  • Mobile
  • Small Business
  • Development
  • Database
  • Servers
  • Android
  • Apple
  • Innovation
  • Blogs
  • PC Hardware
  • Reviews
  • Search Engines
  • Virtualization
More
    Home Latest News
    • Mobile
    • Networking
    • PC Hardware

    HP Expands Its Online Support Services Offerings

    By
    Jeff Burt
    -
    May 24, 2011
    Share
    Facebook
    Twitter
    Linkedin

      Hewlett-Packard is rolling out the first offering in an aggressive plan to expand the technical support services it can offer on the Web.

      HP on May 24 announced the HP Support Center platform, an evolution of the company’s Always on Support offering. HP Support Center is designed to give commercial customers online access to the information, people and technology they need, and represents a way for those users to personalize their support experience, according to Sue Barsamian, senior vice president and general manager of technology services support at HP.

      It’s also in response to the nature of today’s always-on, constantly-connected world, where customers need their problems or questions addressed as soon as possible. Traditionally, that has meant using call centers or getting visits from field engineers. Now they will have a better online support experience, Barsamian said in an interview with eWEEK.

      “Our commercial and enterprise customers have increasing expectations of what they can do on the Web,” she said. “They want very fast and immediate access to the relevant tools, relevant people [and] relevant information.”

      HP has been investing in its Web services capabilities for more than a year, Barsamian said. The HP Support Center platform and related offerings are the first steps in a roadmap the company has in mind for its Web-based offerings.

      A key part of the new platform is an online portal through which IT administrators gain access to the HP Always On community, where they can work with IT professionals, give their knowledge and exchange best practices. They also can search for the appropriate information or products they need, access a step-by-step troubleshooting tool and find the best support documents.

      HP also offers a mobile support app that offers users instant technical support through their mobile devices. Barsamian said HP is the first vendor to offer such an app, which is expected to be available this summer in app stores for devices running HP’s webOS, Apple’s iOS 4 and Google’s Android mobile OS. Support for other mobile platforms is planned, she said.

      Customers also can get online support process management for such tasks as troubleshooting problems, managing contracts and warranties, and connecting online with HP experts. HP has integrated the processes with its call center infrastructure for a convergence of service delivery models. More capabilities will be added in the future. The process management offering will roll out in the second half of the year, Barsamian said.

      HP officials are confident in the HP Support Center capabilities, Barsamian said. In pilot testing in Asia, the vendor saw an 18 percent increase in customer satisfaction in the Web support they received, and a 30 percent increase in resolving customer support requests on the first try, she said.

      The rollout of the HP Support Center comes at a time when the company is putting a particular focus on its services business. CEO Leo Apotheker said during a conference call to announce its quarterly earnings May 17 that the company is revamping the leadership of its services unit and adding more people to the effort. Apotheker said HP will hire a new executive vice president for the services business, which he said for too long has focused on low-margin services-such as computer repairs-while paying too little attention to higher-margin services and consulting, including application services.

      “We have not yet shifted our services business to higher-value, higher-margin and higher-growth categories,” Apotheker said at the time. “We have over-executed operationally and under-invested strategically.”

      Recent high-profile executive exits from HP included two services executives: Tom Iannotti, who had led the services business, is retiring, while Gary Budzinski, who headed HP’s computer maintenance, also is leaving HP. The other executive was Marius Haas, senior vice president and general manager of HP’s networking business.

      Analysts agreed that HP needed to refocus its services efforts.

      “HP Services saw gradual improvement in its higher value-added services’ sales in 1Q11,” Technology Business Research analyst Beau Skonieczny said in a May 17 research note. “However, it will need to be more aggressive to support profitable top-line expansion.”

      Jeff Burt
      Jeffrey Burt has been with eWEEK since 2000, covering an array of areas that includes servers, networking, PCs, processors, converged infrastructure, unified communications and the Internet of things.

      MOST POPULAR ARTICLES

      Big Data and Analytics

      Alteryx’s Suresh Vittal on the Democratization of...

      James Maguire - May 31, 2022 0
      I spoke with Suresh Vittal, Chief Product Officer at Alteryx, about the industry mega-shift toward making data analytics tools accessible to a company’s complete...
      Read more
      Cybersecurity

      Visa’s Michael Jabbara on Cybersecurity and Digital...

      James Maguire - May 17, 2022 0
      I spoke with Michael Jabbara, VP and Global Head of Fraud Services at Visa, about the cybersecurity technology used to ensure the safe transfer...
      Read more
      Applications

      Cisco’s Thimaya Subaiya on Customer Experience in...

      James Maguire - May 10, 2022 0
      I spoke with Thimaya Subaiya, SVP and GM of Global Customer Experience at Cisco, about the factors that create good customer experience – and...
      Read more
      Big Data and Analytics

      GoodData CEO Roman Stanek on Business Intelligence...

      James Maguire - May 4, 2022 0
      I spoke with Roman Stanek, CEO of GoodData, about business intelligence, data as a service, and the frustration that many executives have with data...
      Read more
      Cloud

      Yotascale CEO Asim Razzaq on Controlling Multicloud...

      James Maguire - May 5, 2022 0
      Asim Razzaq, CEO of Yotascale, provides guidance on understanding—and containing—the complex cost structure of multicloud computing. Among the topics we covered:  As you survey the...
      Read more
      Logo

      eWeek has the latest technology news and analysis, buying guides, and product reviews for IT professionals and technology buyers. The site’s focus is on innovative solutions and covering in-depth technical content. eWeek stays on the cutting edge of technology news and IT trends through interviews and expert analysis. Gain insight from top innovators and thought leaders in the fields of IT, business, enterprise software, startups, and more.

      Facebook
      Linkedin
      RSS
      Twitter
      Youtube

      Advertisers

      Advertise with TechnologyAdvice on eWeek and our other IT-focused platforms.

      Advertise with Us

      Menu

      • About eWeek
      • Subscribe to our Newsletter
      • Latest News

      Our Brands

      • Privacy Policy
      • Terms
      • About
      • Contact
      • Advertise
      • Sitemap
      • California – Do Not Sell My Information

      Property of TechnologyAdvice.
      © 2022 TechnologyAdvice. All Rights Reserved

      Advertiser Disclosure: Some of the products that appear on this site are from companies from which TechnologyAdvice receives compensation. This compensation may impact how and where products appear on this site including, for example, the order in which they appear. TechnologyAdvice does not include all companies or all types of products available in the marketplace.

      ×