(EMAILWIRE.COM, May 06, 2009 ) SAN DIEGO and SANTA CLARA, Calif., May 6, 2009 – The Service & Support Professionals Association (SSPA), the largest and most influential association for technology service and support professionals, today announced that Avaya, Cisco CBG, Cisco Systems, Digital Hands, EMC, Netezza, Riverbed Technology, Symantec, and Xerox were named winners of the 2009 SSPA STAR Awards for Best Practices.

The STAR Awards for Best Practices recognize companies that have developed, implemented, and benchmarked the most innovative and efficient processes for service and support delivery. Companies seeking this award must pass a rigorous review by a select industry committee, providing specific baseline data, a detailed description of the process, performance metrics, returns and benefits, and other information about what makes their best practice unique.

“Today's highly volatile economy makes for an extremely competitive marketplace in which best practices can make or break the bottom-line performance of a service and support organization,” said Stephen Smith, executive director of SSPA. “The awards presented an intense competition, and all of the companies nominated for the Spring STAR Awards deserve credit for raising the bar among their peers.”

The winners were honored today at the Technology Services World (TSW) conference in Silicon Valley. Produced by the SSPA, the Association for Services Management International (AFSMI), and the Technology Professional Services Association (TPSA), Technology Services World 2009 Silicon Valley is the largest gathering of service executives and management in the industry. Attendees at this spring’s conference came together to focus on breakthrough service economics that impact efficiency, profitability, and customer satisfaction.

The 2009 SSPA STAR Awards for Best Practices winners by category are:
- Best Customer Commitment: Symantec
- Best Customer Commitment – SMB: Digital Hands
- Best Embedded Product Support: Symantec
- Best Emerging Company Support: Riverbed Technology
- Best Knowledge Management Practices: Avaya
- Best Online Community: Cisco Systems
- Best Online Support: Cisco CBG
- Best Service Delivery Optimization: Xerox
- Best Support Staff Practices: EMC
- Best Use of Metrics and Business Intelligence: Symantec
- Best Use of Metrics and Business Intelligence – SMB: Netezza


More information on the STAR Awards for Best Practices and the TSW conference can be found at www.technologyservicesworld.com.

About the SSPA
As the industry’s foremost service professionals association, the Service & Support Professionals Association (SSPA) is a key resource for the information and best practices needed to make better business decisions. It brings together the best minds from across the industry—from established companies with successful track records to the pioneering newcomers with out-of-the-box ideas. The SSPA also partners with thought leaders such as J.D. Power and Associates to create programs that benefit the industry. The SSPA is a member of a global network of associations that includes the Technology Professional Services Association (TPSA) and the Association for Services Management International (AFSMI). For more information, visit www.thesspa.com.

Contact Information:
SSPA
Suzanne Hite
Tel: 410-774-5322
Email us


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