SCP certification quantifies the effectiveness of customer support based upon a stringent set of performance standards and represents best practices in the industry. Nokia achieved certification after an extensive audit of its EMEA Technical Assistance Center, based in the United Kingdom. Nokia Internet Communications is the first network security appliance vendor to achieve SCP certification in the EMEA region.
The EMEA recognition follows the certification of the Americas Technical Assistance Center in mid-year 2002. With the Asia-Pacific (APAC) Technical Assistance Center preparing for audit later this year, Nokia is positioned to complete an initiative to have its superior support services recognised globally.
"SCP certification is an accolade for Nokia as it is a demanding benchmark which raises the bar higher than most other business support standards. To achieve SCP certification, Nokia needed not only to examine current procedures and see where improvements could be made, but to develop a process to improve procedures and show how service levels have been raised and maintained as a result," said Phil Miller, Director of Global Support Services - EMEA/APAC, Nokia Internet Communications.
"The SCP certification of the EMEA Technical Assistance Center illustrates Nokia's ongoing commitment to delivering the highest quality support possible to our security customers," said Lisa Pedersen, VP of Global Support and Services, Nokia Internet Communications. "With plans now progressing to begin the SCP certification process for the Asia-Pacific Technical Assistance Center, soon Nokia Internet Communications' support will be certified globally - a major achievement unrivalled in the internet security market."
SCP Certification, an internationally recognized standard created with the Service & Support Professionals Association (SSPA) and a consortium of leading technology companies, defines best practices for delivering world-class technology support. The program quantifies the effectiveness of customer support, establishes a foundation to build on existing quality processes, and provides a clear focus on measurable results. SCP Certification requires comprehensive on-site audits to confirm that companies meet the requirements of the over 100 business elements defined in the program. Certified organizations must demonstrate their continued commitment to high performance standards through annual re-certification audits.
"Nokia Internet Communications EMEA Technical Assistance Center at Southwood (UK) demonstrated excellent performance in achieving SCP certification for the first time," said Steve Brand, SCP auditor. "The EMEA Technical Assistance Center provides responsive technical support and is clearly committed to delivering world-class service to customers. The audit also highlighted the management team's focus on meeting customer demands and their dedication to continually improving the service."
Nokia joins the ranks of other leading technology companies that have achieved SCP Certification in Europe, including Cognos Incorporated, EMC Corporation, Mentor Graphics Corporation, Network Appliance Incorporated, PeopleSoft Incorporated and Xerox Corporation among others. Currently over two hundred technology support organizations across North and South America, Euope and Asia participate in the SCP program.
"Nokia, the leader in network security solutions, is clearly focused on providing industry-leading support services. The results of this focus can be seen in Nokia's attainment of SCP Certification for support centers in both North America and Europe," said Greg Coleman, principal and vice president of Certification for Service Strategies Corporation. "The company's adoption and continued rollout of the SCP program, which is recognised as the global standard for service quality, demonstrates an exceptional commitment to quality and customer satisfaction."
About Support Center Practices (SCP) Certification
The Support Center Practices (SCP) Certification program was developed to address service quality issues that affect the rapidly growing technology support industry. The SSPA and forty of its member companies created the program along with Service Strategies Corporation. These companies contributed their insight and perspective into defining the key elements required for delivering World Class support. The SSPA represents over 20,000 service executives in over 2,400 support centers worldwide. SSPA gives service and support professionals opportunities to share ideas, discuss developing trends and network with their peers. For more information about SSPA, visit http://www.theSSPA.com.
Service Strategies Corporation is responsible for administering the SCP Certification program and conducting on-site certification audits. For more information about SCP Certification, contact Service Strategies Corporation at +1 858 674 4864, email info@servicestrategies.com or visit http://www.scpcertification.com/.
About Nokia Internet Communications
Nokia Internet Communications, headquartered in Mountain View, California, provides world-class Network Security, Virtual Private Network and Internet Traffic and Content Management solutions that ensure the security and reliability of corporate enterprise and managed service provider networks. Nokia is committed to enhancing the end user experience by bringing a new level of security and reliability to the network, enabling and Internet transaction that is personal and trusted-each and every time.
For more information, please visit www.nokia.com and click on Networks > Security Products. Nokia Internet security and virtual private network appliances span the spectrum of price/performance points, and secure the widest range of network environments-from the smallest branch office to the largest Internet data center. The expansive product line, backed by world-class global support and services, provides customers the ability to deploy multiple solutions from a single product to secure all elements of a distributed enterprise.
About Nokia
Nokia is the world leader in mobile communications. Backed by its experience, innovation, user-friendliness and secure solutions, the company has become the leading supplier of mobile phones and a leading supplier of mobile, fixed broadband and IP networks. By adding mobility to the Internet Nokia creates new opportunities for companies and further enriches the daily lives of people. Nokia is a broadly held company with listings on six major exchanges.
For more information (Media and Industry Analysts only please):
Nokia Internet Communications:
Americas (California based)
Amy Grenier, Interactive Public Relations for Nokia Internet Communications
Tel. +1 415 975 3354
amy@ipri.com
EMEA (UK based)
Claire Backhurst
Tel. +44 7788 145460
claire.backhurst@nokia.com
APAC (Singapore based)
Bonnie Datta
Tel. +6597389743
bonnie.datta@nokia.com
www.nokia.com