As indicated in my article last week, there was a compelling topic that came out of last week's Remote Device Monitoring and Management Summit. There was consensus among many conference attendees that by providing service remotely and therefore decreasing the number of times a technician goes on-site to fix a problem, there is a perceived reduction in value delivered by the service team.

One presenter referred to this phenomenon as "proof of performance and service delivery".  Essentially, without having a human on-site to fix their product issues, there is a belief that they are not getting the same value they did before remote services.

Since companies are under increased pressure to reduce operating costs, service fees become an immediate target for discounting.  In order to mitigate these pressures, companies who deliver remote services need to equip their sales teams, channel partners, and customers, with data/reports that show the value delivered remotely.

Brian Hayward, VP of Global Services at Avaya, has taken a great approach in arming his sales team and channel partners with what he calls "While You Were Sleeping" reports.  These reports are comprehensive, easy to read, and can be personalized by his sales/channel teams while targeting the CXO level.  Contained in this report are things such as response and resolution metrics, proactive support value summaries, projected revenue loss avoided, etc.

This type of report showcases the value of remote services, while also positioning the benefit to the end customer. Also a great way to get sales and channel partners engaged - during the development of the reports and also by allowing them to drive greater customer intimacy.

It will be interesting to see the traction that this concept gains and how other companies will respond to the "Remote Services vs. Human Touch Value Paradigm."