Synapsis Smart Outsourcing

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

Symantec is a cybersecurity company that services both on-premise and cloud-based technologies. At the time, I was the senior director of technical support, responsible for all level one and some level two support operations. I also expanded all of our vertical markets, from the federal government and higher education to healthcare and finance. 

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Synapsis Smart Outsourcing?

There were two challenges that we were looking to address: the first was to have a dedicated weekend team to support our customers as if they were Symantec’s technical support team, and the second was to gain language support for South America.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement? 

The Synapsis Smart Outsourcing team represents Symantec’s customer support organization. They’re primarily responsible for addressing troubleshooting needs for technologies acquired and installed and protecting them from a cybersecurity perspective.

Once we selected them as our partner, we focused on building out the infrastructure at their facilities to make sure everything was secure. Only those with permitted access could enter the work area. From there, they worked with us to hire the right people and get them trained.

The final phases were to flip the switch so that they could answer the phone as Symantec engineers to support our customer needs. They performed so well on on-premise-based technologies, that we brought them in to support cloud technologies, too. They’ve since continued to prove that they have a good track record of representing us and resolving customer issues.

How did you come to work with Synapsis Smart Outsourcing?

We were looking to find a cost-competitive supplier in South America, considering Costa Rica, Brazil, and Uruguay. We actually had facilities in Brazil but wanted to look into additional expansion.

To assess potential partners, we went through an exercise to understand Synapsis Smart Outsourcing’s capabilities. We wanted to see how secure their environment was because they would be working with sensitive customer data. Then, we gauged how quickly they could get resources and a development program in place so that they’d be ready to service customers.

The reason we ended up with Synapsis Smart Outsourcing was that we had some history with them from the sales side of our business. They were running some programs for us, which opened the door for them. The competency and leadership were outstanding. Not to mention, the resources they assigned to us were stellar in their aptitude and delivery skills. 

The team also presented a plan on how they would spin up the team and what the continual business practices would look like, which were very similar to our internal practices. It was a nice touch to see that we were both customer-focused organizations.

How much have you invested with them?

It’s around $60,000 a month, but there was an original investment of $60,000 to get things spun up, too.

What is the status of this engagement?

The relationship starting in May 2014 and is ongoing today. I’ve since left the company, but I’m the one who established the relationship and worked with them up to my departure.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What evidence can you share that demonstrates the impact of the engagement?

Synapsis Smart Outsourcing hits above 90% on our customer satisfaction (CSAT) Top Box scores.

How did Synapsis Smart Outsourcing perform from a project management standpoint?

I’d made many trips to Uruguay during the first year of the project before handing some of that off to my senior management team. 

We had an initial kick-off meeting that enabled us to think about the phases and overall approach that we wanted to take. Synapsis Smart Outsourcing was quick to clarify what would be done during which phases, and we established weekly calls to ensure that they were meeting their milestones. In fact, they beat some of the scheduling targets, which allowed us to engage in training faster than anticipated.

In addition, they excelled at delivering their project performance early so that we could assess their progress. The team communicated any challenges they faced as well as their plans for overcoming them. That made for an excellent relationship.

Symantec continues to have monthly calls with them on their performance to check how they’re doing. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

Their follow-through stands out. They really take the customer-first approach seriously, following up with every customer to ensure that there was no uncertainty as they worked through an issue. A lot of people say that they’ll do that, but do they actually do it? Synapsis Smart Outsourcing has.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, nothing comes to mind. They’re really efficient and proactive at thinking about who the leaders will be as people get promoted and move on to other opportunities within their company. That way, they always have the next people geared up to take on leadership roles, which makes for a successful relationship.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I'm the senior manager and strategic support for Broadcom. Our company provides cyber security solutions to enterprise customers

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Synapsis Smart Outsourcing?

We require 7X24 support and need help globally to provide support to our customers on the weekend

What were your goals for this project?

-Continuous uninterrupted support service -Maintain +90% CSAT -Have Synapsis maintain staff equal in ability to the corporate TSEs in terms of KPIs and overall product knowledge

SOLUTION

How did you select Synapsis Smart Outsourcing?

Synapsis currently does some inside work for us

Describe the project in detail.

We required support for 3 specific product families: ProxySG PacketShaper WSS TSE to take cases from customers via phone, web and chat We worked with Synapsis to hire and on-board staff to start as well as on going to ensure the highest quality service Billing to be fixed monthly

What was the team composition?

A total of 16 FTE engineers were required (8 for Proxy and PacketShaper and 8 for WSS) working 5 9 hour shifts per week There was turnover as well as internal movement in the team. Also we started with Proxy and PacketShaper and added WSS a couple of years after

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Can you share any outcomes from the project that demonstrate progress or success?

Overall our goals were met. We maintained +90% CSAT, the teams performed in the 2 cases/day range. We were able to utilize the Synapsis team to cover for various holidays, from a business as usual perspective where previously we would require volunteers for this coverage.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

The workflow between the teams in terms of people was virtually seamless. The Synapsis team quickly became another of our global offices, utilizing the same systems and processes. The collaborated as peers, escalated cases and attended appropriate meetings.

In terms of technology there were some implementation glitches on our side and the odd technology issue in Montevideo but other than that the infrastructure was sound From a management perspective Synapsis was considered part of the management team, attending and contributing to weekly meetings.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

The most impressive things about Synapsis were the management team and their ability to be flexible and responsive and react to any and all situations.

n terms of the difference between Synapsis and other vendors we have used Synapsis truly worked with us in alignment of our goals (supporting customers at that highest possible level) as opposed to treating the operation as a product line of cases.

Are there any areas for improvement?

The only area of improvement would be from a technical perspective. As mentioned there were various interruptions, phone, VPN connectivity for instance that provided minor disruptions in service