he role of technical support is increasing in today's aggressive business environment. Even in the payment processing industry, having several options to choose from other than pricing and products is not enough. The quality and delivery of technical support services will play a pivotal role for attracting new ISOs and retaining existing ISOs' business.

Catering to general customer complaints and questions is one aspect of customer support, but technical issues are a by-product of the products and services that you offer, and addressing these issues should not be treated as a peripheral process. You can provide an invaluable tool to your ISOs by developing a niche service and strategy to address technical problems.

Create a Strong Team

More importantly, it requires a dedicated and experienced team who will work around the clock to deliver the expertise and knowledge to improve and increase customer satisfaction.

Therefore, it is imperative that you have a qualified team that not only understands the products and services you offer, but also how these products and services integrate with processing networks and the applications supported by your systems.

Centralize, Organize and Share Information

In addition, the process for accessing your technical services should be conducive to how your ISOs operate their business. Centralizing a direct contact for technical problems can assist in eliminating unnecessary downtime so ISOs can focus on what's important to their business.

Another technical support strategy should include ensuring your technical team is collaborating with the appropriate operational work units within your organization. This will enable your field and technical practitioners to work in an effective and efficient manner through the exchange of information concerning technical changes and challenges.

The approach of sharing and discussing information leverages useful knowledge to enhance delivery of your service.

Finally, in addition to delivering and providing access to services, it is critical to ensure that your technical support strategy encompasses elements such as ongoing training, access to critical data, customer relationship management applications, customer tracking and updates, etc.

Offering technical support services with a framework for diverse resource tools will only increase the value you need to remain competitive.

Latest Timmons is ISO Technical Support Manager for Electronic Exchange Systems (EXS), a national provider of merchant processing solutions. Founded in 1991, EXS offers ISO partner programs, innovative pricing, a complete product line, monthly phone/Web-based training, quarterly seminars and, most of all, credibility. For more information, please visit EXS' Web site at www.exsprocessing.com . EXS is a registered ISO/MSP for HSBC Bank USA, National Association.