Nick Maiden
Director of Operations & System Education
This month we added a new button to our website. You’ll see it in the header across every page. A little green square simply saying Contact Support Here.
At first, this seemed a pretty inconsequential thing to do – A common sense addition that helps our clients reach our existing Support Portal that bit quicker.
But then we got thinking about the reasons underpinning why we did it and we realised that this button actually encapsulates one of the key pillars in how we approach our business.
You see, at LEVEL8 we specialise in business software solutions – be it Unit4 Financials, FinancialForce or bespoke systems – and we believe, without any doubt, that proper support is a key component in any solution.
It’s almost universal within business software that ongoing support is referenced and included in marketing materials and sales proposals. More often than not though, how this support is actually delivered – and the access customers have to the support they need, when they need it – is left pretty vague.
There’s a good reason for this. From an operational perspective, building a quality support function and ensuring client access to it is rarely properly implemented. It’s a case of lip service at the point of sale, then an afterthought when it comes to solution delivery.
From the very start of our business though, we’ve understood that our customers will come to us for solutions, but they will stay with us because of support – it sits at the core of any partnership because it’s what builds trust and encourages collaboration. Quite simply, we know it is a touchpoint in a business relationship that cannot be ignored.
This is why we take investment in our support function so seriously. LEVEL8 support is based around a set of key principles that allow us to do things differently, provide a better experience to our customers and make support a genuine part of every solution:
- A UK-based support team made up of knowledgeable and experienced system consultants.
- Our first line is everyone else’s third line – We don’t believe in ticket processing and triage. We’re there when customers need us and they can trust that they’ll access the support they need from the point of first contact.
- An approach based around case ownership and a focus on resolution. Our team take personal responsibility for achieving the best possible outcome for our customers.
- Non-transactional delivery of support. Our support teams are a key part of how we build strong business and personal relationships with our customers.
Providing support for Unit4 Financials is where our business really developed and honed this support ethos. As a team, we have delivered support for CODA and Unit4 Financials for a combined 300 years. Our knowledge of the system, how businesses use it and the support they need to get the most from it is what informed our Unit4 Financials support services.
This has in turn provided a template for all of the systems and solutions we now deliver and provide support for. Our UK FinancialForce support function provides a Salesforce helpdesk managed by platform experts, while our software development division have built ongoing support into their service – there is no question of building, handing over and forgetting.
So, yeah, that little green support button really is a far sight more significant than we first thought. It represents a big part of WHAT we do and just as importantly, WHY we’re in business – to support you.
