Re: Customer Service

[lmueller@xxxxxxxxxx]

Sean -

I replied to you off list but I will also reply on list.  We are a new implementation of Millennium and are Software only.  We have had our challenges as well but have found by driving the process instead of letting III do it all has worked to our advantage.  If you are having issues, you need to move them up the III food chain.  The more noise you make to the higher ups the more activity you will see from the project team and support staff.

Some food for thought:

We are a hosted solution with Blackboard and have faced even worse issues than you have described.  We upgraded at the beginning of the year and it has been a disaster for the last 7 months.  We started tracking every issue and had daily calls with the support team.  Sometimes we have twice a day calls.  We went to the CEO, Head of product development, head of customer service, head of ASP, etc.  You get the picture. They were not responsive until we started tracking and holding them accountable.  Today, we continue to have regular calls, track issues, and get resolution.  It is a pain but it works.  Bb has had turnover in their Sr. ranks.  When that happened, we found the next person in line or the person who took over the role and continued to move forward.  Our relationship is stronger than ever and while the product still has flaws, we know why, we know when they will be fixed, and we influence what happens.

I would be happy to share more off line.  I am unlike many of the members of this list in that I manage projects and software implementations and after implementation support.  I am not a librarian but I understand software products and support issues.  It is one thing to find others in the same boat.  It is more important to find ways to resolve the problems and move on.  I am happy to help others find ways to move beyond the problems.  

Issues with support are, unfortunately, a way of life with software applications.  What we have to today with our old system (DRA) doesn't come close to the support we get from III which is one of the reasons we moved.


Lori Mueller
312-553-3381 (w)
312-933-2918 (mobile)