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Services

Web Site. In early November, PTC rolled out a major update to their web site www.ptc.com. The website has been completely redesigned from the ground up, including a major migration in several areas from static pages to dynamically managed content. The website theme is based on the Product First initiative. Major Product First topics are listed along with related links to case studies, white papers, and press releases.

Along the top of the home page are the familiar pull-down menus (products and service, support, user area, partners, and about us). While the pull-down titles have remained the same, the information available under them has been updated. In addition to obtaining information about software products, you can easily download a thirty-day trial software of many tools as well as purchase them directly online. The bottom of the new home page will be updated regularly, and includes information about upcoming events, news, and other information that may be helpful to those who are visiting the site.

With the completion of this project, the Web site should be easier to use and offer considerably more information than previously available. If you cannot find what you are looking for, you can use the Customer Care link to send an e-mail request to PTC for assistance. The Customer Care team will respond with your desired information, and also will pass along the details of the request to the Web site development team to ensure continuous improvement of www.ptc.com.

Project eVolve. Through this project over the past two years, PTC has been making a concentrated effort to simplify customer service processes and make more information and services available through the Web site. The plan is to make information about software licenses, maintenance contracts, consulting, training, technical support calls and software performance reports immediately available to customers. PTC has consulted with numerous customers such as Schick, Teradyne, and ITT Industries to help determine the most important information items.

Here are some examples of the kinds of services and information that are expected to be available:

• Search for licenses and get details on them, including types, amounts, SCNs and more;
• Request maintenance quotes online;
• Track technical support call status, metrics, and SPR submissions;
• Track consulting and training dollars expended and available;
• Request changes to selected customer data;
• Merge SCNs online.

PTC will conduct a pilot of the new system in the later part of the first quarter 2003. The launch will follow later in the year. PTC is also looking at adding additional capabilities to give customers more flexibility in maintaining their sites.

Strategic Services. In August, PTC merged Global Services and Technical Support to form a new group, “Strategic Services and Partners.” Technical Support was formerly organized under R&D but is now under Customer Care. Linking Global Services with Technical Support will allow them to share information about customer issues to better address needs. This reorganization is designed to help PTC transition to a solutions-oriented focus. Strategic Services now has been organized into several specialties: Product First Practices; Training and Knowledge Management; Consulting; Business Development; Customer Care and Technical Support; and PTC University, PTC’s programs for the educational institutions.

Training is a key function affecting all customers. In the past, PTC had been structured to deliver 90 percent of its training in-classroom. The advent of Internet technology has opened the door to new training approaches, and provides PTC with the opportunity to improve delivery of its training services. Today, PTC is looking to new concepts like Team Rooms, Solution Space, Knowledge Communities, and Thought Flow to create innovative, collaborative learning environments.

Summary

Judging by the presentations made to the PTC/USER Board, PTC is working on the “right” issues-- the ones that matter most to customers. Software quality, customer satisfaction, and interoperability of its products are just a few of the areas where PTC appears to be making progress. Much work remains but the trend is positive.

Without question, this year’s discussion was the most productive since the beginning of these formal meetings between PTC and the Board of Directors. The conversation was frank and revealing, and highlights an improving relationship between PTC and its customers. As the saying goes however, the “proof is in the pudding” so concrete results may not be apparent to the user community until Wildfire and other projects are released in the coming months. Still it seems that PTC is making sincere and concerted efforts to solve customer complaints and to move to a truly customer-centric model for running its business. For those of us who rely on PTC technology, this is a welcome change and we can only encourage its continuance.