An interview with Eric Harrington, COO of TeamSupport
01 February 2011 - We asked Eric Harrington, COO of TeamSupport.com, a few questions about the company and his view of the markets they serve.
GETAPP.COM: Who are you and what is your role in the company?
HARRINGTON: COO.
GETAPP.COM: Can you briefly present your management team?
HARRINGTON: Robert Johnson, President and CEO; Kevin Jones, CTO.
GETAPP.COM: Are you a cloud or a Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) company?
HARRINGTON: SaaS.
GETAPP.COM: How do you use and promote usage of cloud computing?
HARRINGTON: Having spent several years in the on-premise space as an ISV, our focus with TeamSupport was a pure on-demand/cloud solution. For our customers, there is zero need to maintain and manage servers, nor waste their time and money dealing with scalability and upgrades. The initial costs are much lower, there is a higher adoption rate amongst users, and seamless integrations with our REST API.
GETAPP.COM: What are the points of difference of your solutions?
HARRINGTON: 1. Removes departmental silos. 2. Consolidates customer support data 3. Allows companies to offer multi-channel support. 4. Encourages and facilitates enterprise-wide communication.
GETAPP.COM: How would you like to be evaluated by a prospect?
HARRINGTON: The best way to evaluate the software is to try it for free. Because it is hosted, there is nothing to download and install. We offer a free trial that includes all of the features and functionality and also support our trial customers the same as if they were a paying customer. Due to the nature of a customer support department, most prospects like to setup live demos with our team to see how the software works and go over specific use cases in their operation. This gives us an opportunity to listen and understand the needs of the customer and it also allows the customer to engage and share the problems they are trying to solve. We definitely do not like to hide behind computer screens. We very much enjoy knowing who our customers are.
To demonstrate the simplicity of TeamSupport software, the screenshot below shows ticket types, (all of which are user definable), by customer and reveals the details and status pertaining to each ticket, including their complete history, be they open or closed.
GETAPP.COM: Why do your customers buy from you?
HARRINGTON: The software is easy to use, cost effective and our personal touch/approach to support is first rate. We make every customer feel like they are the biggest customer.
GETAPP.COM: Can you mention some of your key clients?
HARRINGTON: DGit.com, Edgecast.com, NBA.com, ATPA.com, i-Review.com to name a few.
GETAPP.COM: What do you see as the key trend emerging in the industry?
HARRINGTON: Multi-channel support clearly. Vendors must allow their customers to communicate in a way they want to. Phone, email, self service, chat, etc.
GETAPP.COM: What is THE most important message you feel you should get across to someone considering buying your solutions?
HARRINGTON: TeamSupport was built and developed by people with several years of hands-on experience in providing customer support. World-class customer support has been a defining characteristic of every company the team has been involved with, and that passion led directly to the creation of TeamSupport.com.
GETAPP.COM: Thanks for your time, Eric. You can learn more about TeamSupport Customer Support solution by reading this detailed Product Review prepared by our Analysts
