Home            The Producers            Roundtable            Conference


The First Wednesday Roundtable—

An invitation-only forum for senior services and support executives

Next meeting: August 6
Forefront Meeting Center, Waltham, Mass.

Here, Support Isn't a Dead-End Job



Ernie Racine
Senior Manager, Technical Support, The MathWorks

Ask Ernie Racine how MathWorks handles turnover among support employees and he just smiles.

"We actually plan for turnover," he says. "Support is a hard, stressful job, and we expect to lose a lot of talented engineers after a few years on the job.

"But they don't go far—because we've made support a real career path here. In fact, support is a main entry point for jobs in just about every department in the company. We deliberately hire people who are overqualified for support, so they'll have the skills they need to take jobs in development, marketing, and professional services."

This career path approach to support helps keep support morale sky high, Ernie adds. And the large "alumni network" within the company means the support organization can count on backup help and understanding when problems arise. "We all speak the same language," he says.

How does the MathWorks handle the logistics of its career development program? Join the First Wednesday Roundtable for our next breakfast meeting on Wednesday, Aug. 6, when Ernie Racine will lead a lively discussion of what the MathWorks has learned about recruiting, training, and retaining highly-skilled support staff.
  •   Managing employee expectations
  •   The economics of hiring "over-qualified" staff
  •   Forecasting long-term internal staffing needs
  •   Investing in training and customer skills
  •   Surprising synergies—and a few stumbling blocks
As always, this meeting is a wide-open forum for sharing experiences and asking questions. No PowerPoint slides, no monologs, no sales pitches. Just a couple of hours over breakfast with colleagues who are wrestling with the same issues you are. Ernie will kick off the discussion with his own observations, but our agenda is deliberately flexible. So bring your hottest questions and strongest opinions. This is your chance to listen *and* talk.

We look forward to seeing you on August 6th!


         Fred van Bennekom
        Jeffrey Tarter
  
     Phil Verghis
Fast-track Registration
 If you've received an e-mail invitation from us with an invitation code, you can use our fast-track sign-up page. (If you've lost your code, send an e-mail to phil (at) verghisgroup.com.)
Member Application
 If you're not currently on our mailing list, please read the instructions below and then submit a membership application.


A few details for First Wednesday newcomers:

First Wednesday is an invitation-only peer group of senior service and support executives. We meet monthly (with some exceptions) from 7:30 to 9:30, at the Forefront Meeting Center in Waltham, Mass. There are no membership fees—just come to any meetings that interest you, and pay $35 for the buffet breakfast and room rental fees. That's it. (We do have one membership requirement: You must be a senior services and support executive with meaningful strategy responsibilities.

If you're interested, and you qualify, we'd love to see you at any of our upcoming meetings. Just click here to see a Membership Application form. Tell us about yourself, and we'll get back to you within 48 hours with your invitaiton to the next First Wednesday Roundtable meeting.

2008 Calendar

August 6
"Here, Support Isn't a Dead End Job"
Ernie Racine, The Mathworks
By recruiting over-qualified employees, The Mathworks makes support the first rung on the career ladder.

September 10
"Personalizing the Support Relationship"
Roger Melanson, Unifund
Here’s the fascinating story of how one software company gives every customer a "named account manager".

October 8
"The Voice of the Customer"
The annual First Wednesday conference.