DrupalCon Prague 2013: MAKING SUPPORT A BLAST
Channel: Drupal Association
Date: 2013-09-25

After the site launches and the project is over, there are two paths: we can shake our client's hands, pat our own backs, and head our separate ways. Or we can continue to build the relationship - continue to be a part of our client's success. Strong long-term relationships benefit clients by providing trust and security, like a familiar mechanic or the barber we have had since we were a kid. As merchants, we also benefit. Happy clients mean referrals and recurring income.

But support is a different type of commitment, requiring a different strategy. A dev shop becomes a different type of service provider, and needs to prepare for great long term execution. This session will cover the why, how, and when of offering support, as well as exchange ideas about the many aspects: selling, marketing, staffing, delivering and monitoring support for Drupal.

Appealing to both the technical and non-technical, topics include:

Making the case for support: financially, realistically, & metaphysically
What kind of support to offer and how to set boundaries
Creating and delivering sustainable service products
How to bill and contract support with less risk
How to hire and retain a happy support staff
Workflow tactics and tools we love
Differentiating and selling your services, regardless of your shop size
SCOTT MASSEY - DIRECTOR OF CUSTOMER SUCCESS AT PANTHEON
Scott Massey's path down the road of Customer Success started as a sales manager, where he created training programs and clinics for music sequencing, digital audio, and hard disk recording. After a stint in accounting, he jumped fully into tech as a member, later manager, of an IT department for a large retailer in Chicago. This role required coding, server administration, web development and lead him to other work in IT consulting. Scott moved into support as the service manager for a distributed IT support team in Chicago. This support experience led him into the Drupal world, as support manager at Promet, a Drupal shop in Chicago. Most recently, he is bringing his experience in service design and delivery as Customer Success Manager at Pantheon, a San Francisco company which delivers a platform for building fast and stable Drupal sites.