LAS VEGAS -Partner Summit 2001- April 5, 2001 - Cisco Systems, Inc., the worldwide leader in networking for the Internet, today unveiled an online customer satisfaction tool that provides its certified channel partners with a key competitive advantage: real-time access to customer satisfaction data. The new Partner Access OnLine (PAL) tool is based on the same technology Cisco uses to monitor and improve its own customer satisfaction.
"At Cisco, our number-one goal is customer satisfaction," said Kevin MacRitchie, vice president of Worldwide Channels Technical Operations at Cisco Systems. "We view our channel partners as a direct extension of our company and therefore want to empower them with the same tools and knowledge we use to drive customer satisfaction. Much as it has for us, the PAL tool will enable our channel partners to improve customer relations and generate strong loyalty, two elements we believe are critical for success in the Internet economy."
Channel Partner Program
The PAL tool is a critical component of the recently introduced Cisco Channel Partner Program, which is the updated version of Cisco's Partner Certification program. This new program focuses on helping partners create a sustainable business model in a fast-changing business environment where customers require value-added services, focused technical or service expertise and higher levels of satisfaction.
"When we launched our new Channel Partner Program, we promised our partners that we would provide them with the same tools and 'best practices' we use to be successful," said Tushar Kothari, vice president, Channels at Cisco Systems. "Today we are delivering on our promise. The PAL tool is essential to helping our channel partners monitor and improve customer satisfaction."
Partner Customer Satisfaction Data
Cisco partner customer satisfaction is a quantitative evaluation of channel partner presales and postsales support. To gather the data, Cisco hired an independent company to survey end-customer experiences with Cisco channel partners. This ensures an objective customer satisfaction score, which Cisco channel management now uses to measure the effectiveness of its channel programs. The PAL tool promises to significantly enhance the accessibility of this valuable customer satisfaction data by providing real-time, Internet access to all Cisco certified partners.
The end-customer satisfaction data includes overall analysis of partner account team performance, responsiveness, communications, systems engineer availability and skill levels, and ability to diagnose and resolve problems. Partners will also gain access to aggregate results by worldwide theatre. By reviewing the data, partners can evaluate, from a customer perspective, how they are viewed in the marketplace so that they can evaluate themselves against comparative data. This information will also enable partners to make informed decisions about where to target resources.
Availability
Until Cisco certified channel partners begin accessing the PAL tool in June, they can gain customer satisfaction data through their Channel account managers.
