IT Employment

Ask something
Discussion Locked

Where do software support and customer services belong?

0 helpful
2 replies

by melegra

Closed to new repliesThis discussion is closed. It stays readable, but it takes no new replies.

I manage a group of software support specialists who support software developed in house. Additionally we have a group of customer service agents that take calls from clients about all products we offer - not just software. The customer service staff do not handle any technical calls - mostly sales calls. Where in the organization would you expect to find this group managed? I think some companies have this type of group under the CFO.

We are looking at some reorganization and trying to find the best place. Maybe the 2 groups should be separated and put on different branches of the organizational tree.

Has anyone had to deal with an issue like this? If so, how did you handle it?

2 replies

by timwalsh

This issue can differ from organization to organization.

The first question to ask is what are the real reasons for the reorganization. If things are working smoothly now, why mess with it.

In your environment, since the customer services staff handles primarily sales-type calls, they should fall under the sales and marketing department if you have one.

Where are the support calls for your other products handled? In my mind, that would be the most logical place to put the software support specialists. The next most logical place might be as part of your IT organization.

There is no one correct answer.

by oz_media

I managed and operated call centers for a while. Your problem is that the company you are with has too many levels of middle management. I've seen the same thing here when SITEL bought the Canadian Telephone Corporation. They had so many levels of middle management and MICRO management that problems like this arose way too often, incidentaly the company went down the tubes quite quickly.

You should be able to cross train and have a margin team for working product support and another for technical software issues and have them on the same floor in the same department. You can utilize a decent ACD system to delegate the calls to the appropriate people, who in turn would have seperate floor supervision but all managed by a single manager in a single department.

Technology has taken over the need for department separation these days.

This discussion is closed to new replies.