Thanks for a Successful IMPACT 2011

I can’t believe that IMPACT 2011 is already behind us.  It was a great event and I want to start by thanking all the people that made it happen, our presenters, everyone behind the scenes and mostly you, our customers. 

Over the course of the two and a half days we covered a lot of material, training, industry best practices for using knowledge, a peek into RightAnswers future plans and road map.  Plus, there was lots of networking and learning from each other going on in the Birds-of-a-Feather and Round Table sessions.  Not to mention all the fun we had at the Welcome Reception on the water looking out at the New York skyline, our BINGO games and even a few chuckles as the RightAnswers team attempted to add humor in our presentations.

Between last year and this, it seems that so many of you have expanded the use of RightAnswers in your organizations either by using more platform components and/or implementing beyond the IT department. We are so happy that we have provided you with a solution that is not only scalable in numbers but scalable horizontally across the enterprise. As new challenges arise throughout the year remember that we are your partner and can offer guidance on how to meet your challenges and make these projects successful. 

For me what resonated most was that so many of you either told me personally, included it on your evaluation forms, or sent an email to let us know that participating in IMPACT made you feel like part of a family.  As the marketing director, part of what I try to convey is that RightAnswers does really care about your success and that we each take on that challenge personally.  So for me, feedback like this means that we are succeeding in delivering on that promise.

We have already begun to look at what the next generation of this event will be.  We have a number of great ideas, some of which have come from you.  Your RightAnswers team will be in touch over the next several weeks to get your input what will serve you best as IMPACT evolves.  In the mean time, if you have any ideas you would like to share I would love to hear from you.  vmathieson at rightanswers.com

Bomgar, Paychex Share Insights at IMPACT 2010

Following up on our last blog post, Day 2 of IMPACT 2010 has officially come to an end.  We noticed a lot of great interaction throughout the day between customers, the RightAnswers executive team and industry experts.  We hope that our customers found the information presented today insightful and helpful.

The afternoon kicked off with three track sessions, including a Q&A forum with Eveline Oehrlich (Senior Analyst @ Forrester Research).  This session allowed customers to follow-up with Eveline based on her keynote speech that was delivered earlier in the day.  During the session, customers expressed concerns about how to get support analysts “buy-in” to use knowledge and self-service tools such as the ones offered by RightAnswers.  Eveline mentioned that one of the biggest factors is measuring accountability.  In addition, according to Eveline, “first call resolution and customer satisfaction should be the number one goal of every organization.”

Following these track sessions were two additional meetings – one with Simon Yelsky (VP of Product Management & Client Success) and the other session included a presentation from Bomgar, a RightAnswers’ partner.  Simon discussed supporting your applications using RightAnswers content effectively.  The session provided customers with insights and strategies that they could implement at their respective organizations.  During the partner session, Russ Duffey (VP of Business Development at Bomgar) spoke about combining knowledge management and remote support.  Following the presentation Tony Salgado (Solutions Engineer at Bomgar) and Keith Berg (VP of Professional Services @ RightAnswers) provided a demo of how the two companies are working together to provide “extended self-service” capabilities.

Following these two track sessions, Paychex gave a presentation on how “KCS is the Foundation of Support.”  The day was capped by two more forums:

• “First Contact Resolution” (Peter McGarahan, Principal, McGarahan & Associates)
• “Unified Knowledge Suite Beyond v6” (Simon Yelsky, VP of Product Management and Client Success; Mark Sutter, VP of Product Development)

The day concluded with a Q&A discussion between customers and the RightAnswers’ management team.  This provided customers with a great forum to express some of their ideas and strategies.  During this session, Bill Pollie (VP of Business Development at RightAnswers) presented HCL with RightAnswers’ Innovative Partner of the Year Award.

Industry Analysts Highlight Day 2 @ IMPACT 2010

We would like to thank our customers, executive team and keynote speakers that participated in today’s Day #2 of IMPACT 2010.  We received positive feedback from a number of customers already, and are extremely excited about the direction that the conference has taken so far. 

Our morning session included an introductory speech by RightAnswers’ President and CEO Jeff Weinstein.  After breakfast, we broke out into three track sessions which included various topics on industry trends and RightAnswers-specific themes.  Highlighting one of these early morning tracks was Peter McGarahan’s address on “Reducing Support Costs Without Sacrificing Service Quality.”  During this presentation, Peter introduced what he called a “Shift Left Strategy.”  This strategy is based on establishing a laser focus on increasing First Contact Resolution (FCR) resulting in lower support costs, improved time to respond/resolve (SLAs) and increased customer satisfaction. 

The early morning track sessions were followed by a keynote speech from Eveline Oehrlich, Senior Analyst at Forrester Research.  Eveline gave an entertaining and engaging presentation entitled “Knowledge is Power! Knowledge is Collaboration!”  Eveline noted that knowledge management is about automation, objects, processes and capabilities.  Her insight and unique perspective into industry trends was a welcome addition to the conference. 

Following Eveline’s keynote, three additional track sessions were offered to customers on various topics including: 

• “Getting Ready for the Cloud” (Mark Sutter – VP of Product Development @ RightAnswers)
• “Unified Knowledge Suite for Customer Service”  (Keith Berg – VP of Professional Services @ RightAnswers)
• “Get Answers to Your Questions About Upgrading to the Unified Knowledge Suite v6” (RightAnswers team)

After these mid-morning track sessions, Jeff Weinstein and Simon Yelsky (VP of Product Management & Client Successes at RightAnswers) provided their product vision for RightAnswers to all attendees.  Stay tuned for more updates about the afternoon session and Day 3 of IMPACT 2010!

RightAnswers Announces Two Keynote Speakers for IMPACT 2010

As we continue to build momentum towards IMPACT 2010, we have finalized our agenda, keynote speakers and track sessions.  We are extremely excited to introduce our two keynote speakers at this year’s User Conference – Eveline Oehrlich, Senior Analyst at Forrester Research, and Jerry Markbreit, former NFL referee.

Eveline has more than 20 years of experience working with IT organizations in the definition and development of the IT service delivery processes and the implementation of IT service management as a practice inside enterprise organizations.  At IMPACT 2010, Eveline will speak about the value of knowledge management with her presentation entitled “Knowledge is Power! Knowledge is Collaboration!”  We are ecstatic to have Eveline as part of our conference this year.  We believe she will bring positive insight about the industry and provide our customers with a unique perspective.

Jerry Markbreit is one of the most popular referees in the history of the NFL.  At the conference, he will share his insights on “Working in an Environment of Risk and Change.”  Markbreit wrote a weekly football column for the Chicago Sun Times for several years while working college football, and in 1973 wrote The Armchair Referee published by Doubleday & Company.  In 1988 his autobiography, Born to Referee, was published by William Morrow Company.  We are honored to have Jerry join us at our first user conference.

In addition to our keynote speakers, Peter McGarahan – President, McGarahan & Associates – will speak about multiple topics at IMPACT.  The first presentation that Peter will give is about reducing support costs without sacrificing service quality.  He will also give a speech on first contact resolution.  Peter continues to be a valued partner for RightAnswers, and we are certainly glad that he has agreed to lend his time to this event.

With just a couple of short weeks left before IMPACT 2010 (being held October 5–7 in Red Bank, NJ), we are looking forward to all of the keynotes, presentations and track sessions.  We thank everyone involved and know that Eveline, Jerry and Peter will help make this event a great success!

Top 10 Reasons to Attend Impact 2010

This year we are holding our first ever RightAnswers’ User Conference – Impact 2010.  We want our customers to have a forum that will enable them to discuss new uses for knowledge management and self-service.

The event, which will be held October 5–7 in Red Bank, NJ, will offer our customers a chance to participate in breakout sessions, roundtables, tutorials, knowledge sharing, and much more.  And if that’s not enough, here are the top 10 reasons why you should attend Impact 2010:

10.  Hear notable keynote presentations from respected industry analysts

9.  Interact with other users – sharing insight and stories about building knowledge

8.  Opportunity to work with RightAnswers executives face-to-face

7.  Learn new techniques and methodologies in customized breakout sessions

6.  Hear about industry trends and other unique happenings in the market

5.  Receive in-person demos of the latest RightAnswers product offerings

4.  Molly Pitcher Inn is located on a scenic riverfront setting in the beautiful city of Red Bank

3.  Bring your team:  register more than one person and receive discounts on overall pricing

2.  This event will change the way you view knowledge management

1.  Network and party with your fellow RightAnswers’ users!

So if you have not had a chance to sign-up yet, come out and do so – you can receive more information here:  http://www.rightanswers.com/impact.  We look forward to seeing you at Impact 2010!

Gartner Highlights RightAnswers as “Best-of-Breed” Knowledge Base Vendor

Recently, Gartner named RightAnswers as a best-of-breed knowledge base vendor in a report, “How to Choose a KM Tool for IT Service and Support.”  According to David Coyle and Johan Jacobs – the authors of this report – “these (best-of-breed) vendors focus on providing rich features and functionality, and openness with service desk tools and other knowledge bases.” 

Another point that David and Johan conveyed that I thought was important is that knowledge management is an ongoing investment.  We have been stressing for years that knowledge management is not just a one step process.  Our RightAnswers platform is a powerful combination of software, content, and ongoing support services that ensure end-user adoption – which enables organizations to realize a significant return on investment.

Gartner’s acknowledgement reinforces our view that knowledge management requires tight integration of software, content and services to ensure success. 

Please check out the report, and let us know how we can help you jumpstart your next knowledge management project.