Whereas TSIA’s Strategic Services offerings were designed to give our members the hands-on, customized assistance they need to meet their business objectives, our Strategic Certifications programs put these accomplishments to the test, and enable companies to receive recognition for being the best in the industry. We’re thrilled to announce that TSIA member company and cloud software provider, Intermedia, has recently gone through several of these rigorous certification processes and received both the TSIA Rated Outstanding and J.D. Power Certified Assisted Technical Support certifications. I spoke with Connie Adcock, VP of Client Services at Intermedia to learn about their experiences with the certification process, hear how they’ve benefitted from these programs, and to also see if she had any advice for others who are considering getting certified. Here’s what she had to say!
Q: What led you to participate in TSIA’s Strategic Certification programs, and what were your goals?
Connie: For us, there were two main reasons to participate. Firstly, we’re always looking to continually improve, and we thought that these would be a terrific set of standards to measure ourselves against and attain. We also were looking for additional ways to differentiate ourselves from other companies in our space, and by achieving this kind of certification, we were able to stand apart from the rest.
We also were looking for additional ways to differentiate ourselves from other companies in our space, and by achieving this kind of certification, we were able to stand apart from the rest.
For Rated Outstanding, achieving this TSIA certification was the goal. This way, we could closely review the details of all parts of our operations to make them better and to ensure they were in sync with industry best practices.
For the J.D. Power Certified Assisted Technical Support certification, our goal was to have the name recognition of J.D. Power as validation of the quality of service we offer our customers and partners, especially because it’s such a high standard to be measured against.
Q: Did you engage TSIA’s Strategic Services before getting to the point where you were ready for your certification? If so, how did they help you prepare for the certification process?
Connie: Yes, and Intermedia’s interpretation of the standards and best practices from other companies that were shared with us were a big part of our success. We definitely got a lot out of the various workshops at TSW. We leveraged John Ragsdale personally in a meeting at one TSW, and regularly attended his webinars as the 12-month plan was being built. After we became a TSIA member, we reviewed all the available information and worked very closely with a TSIA advisor who provided tips and rehearsed the certification process with us. We also took advantage of other aspects of our membership, such as attending the TSW conferences and the great benchmarking programs that are available, which were also critical to our success.
Q: How would you describe the impact that these certifications have had on your business, both internally and externally?
Connie: The certifications have made such a great impact. We’ve seen our metrics and customer satisfaction increase, and we just keep getting better. We’re continually improving our leadership approach, management skills, our attention to detail, and everyone within the company has learned so much from it, cross-functionally.
Internally, we have a shared mission of always working at being the best. We had numerous departments involved in the certification process, which further strengthened our culture and collective team effort of uping our game together. Everyone shared a common goal. We were able to create a process, adhere to it, track it, learn from it, and make changes. Now it’s about rinse and repeat.
Externally, it’s been a strong differentiator for us in terms of being the only company in our space that has received this kind of accreditation. Our sales team has gotten a positive response from customers and partners who hear we have this certification.
Our sales team has gotten a positive response from customers and partners who hear we have this certification.
Q: What practices did Intermedia apply that you feel contributed to your overall success with these certification programs?
Connie: The rehearsals provided by TSIA were really helpful. Our TSIA advisors, Joanne Weigel and Kari Dodge, prepared us well for the entire process.
We also had an excellent project manager within our company who documented everything, organized it well, and coached each of the teams to get everybody engaged. This was a big part of our success because each team was able to share everything they were working on in order to achieve the criteria or standards.
Making sure everyone understood what we’re going after and how prestigious it is helped to unify everyone in the company around a core mission. While it is a bit of an intangible benefit, it’s an incredibly positive one. I think it was inspiring for people to hear that we were all working on it together, and to see the tangible benefits we were achieving as a result. So, I think good project management and really good communication throughout the process are two important must haves.
Q: Do you have any advice for companies considering participating in TSIA’s Strategic Certification programs?
Connie: I think that most everyone would like to continually improve, and TSIA provides such a great and well-organized structure that gives you support, sets standards, benchmarks, gives you opportunities to learn, and has a noticeable impact on your metrics and your business.
There’s such a tremendous wealth of resources available through TSIA. Anyone considering pursuing certification should be sure to take advantage of the conferences, the white papers, the studies, and the advisors. Immerse yourself in it all, because there’s so much to learn.
I would recommend that companies that are interested in a growth experience and looking to improve their customer experience should go through this certification. Rather than setting out on your own to pinpoint the right things to do, TSIA’s Strategic Certification programs provide you with the structure to do so.
Interested in Certification? Let TSIA Guide You Down the Path to Success
Thanks for your time, Connie! If you're not yet a member but are interested in learning how TSIA can help accelerate your path to achieving your business goals, drop us a line and together we can strategize on how best to solve the key business challenges currently affecting your organization. If you’re a member who wants to get certified but aren’t sure if you’re ready, we encourage you to participate in a capabilities assessment, which we provide as part of our larger body of Strategic Services offers. These assessments are designed to help you get an idea of what great looks like so you can accelerate your path to business transformation with minimal risk. We look forward to hearing from you!