“There’s no such thing as a silly question” | Q&A with Dan Lewis, Service Desk Manager at Skilltech Solutions

Dan Lewis, Service Desk Manager at Skilltech Solutions, tells us about the important role of his team in keeping every customer happy and on top on their software challenges.  

If a Skilltech Solutions customer has a problem, Dan and his team on the Service Desk are there to solve it. Skilltech’s support after onboarding is one of the most special parts of their relationship with customers: from phone support to in-depth knowledgebase articles, there is always a solution close to hand. Here, we chat to Dan about day-to-day life on the service desk, upcoming Skilltech Solutions releases, and the importance of staying at the crest of the wave when it comes to using technology in every sector. 

Hi Dan! So, tell us bit about your role at Skilltech Solutions. 

I manage the Service Desk support team here at Skilltech Solutions. We’re the people behind all the customer support queries, knowledge basic articles, support documentation, basically all the general day to day stuff that supports our customers! Once a customer has been onboarded and have been using our products for a while, we’re there to pick up any problems or questions they might have and make sure they have a smooth experience. As part of my role, I’m also involved in planning feature requests, fixing bugs, and gathering feedback from the ‘front line’ so to speak. So, it’s very varied. 

With so many changes that effect how customers use their software lately, I imagine you’ve had some busy days in the last year? 

Yes. Although a lot of that goes through Libby and her team on the Customer Success side, their feedback and requests get logged through our support portal. Firstly, the wider team start investigating, then look at planning, and once they’ve gone through and gathered feedback from the customers, we can review what the changes are and what they might need. That's when my team get a little bit more involved, especially with documentation: showing the changes we’ve made, explaining how they can help, that sort of thing. Although we're more involved a bit later in that process, we are part of it from the very beginning.  

The service that Skilltech Solutions gives customers after onboarding is really special. How do you feel like you make a difference to users day-to-day operations?  

In my history, I've worked on all sides: customer success, implementation, and even the handovers to customers. And I've been a software customer as well, so I know how important it is for us to get involved early on in the process, introduce ourselves, build that relationship and let them know we’re here to help. We try to stress that there’s no such thing as a silly question, so never be afraid to ask – we’re here to make that difference!  

How do you manage the variety of requests you get from customers? Especially with epaPRO and Accolade now live? 

Every customer has slightly different processes. No one's exactly the same. There are common themes like, for example reporting: how do we get this data, can we add this column to a report, etc. But for each customer it is unique, and that’s part of what makes this job rewarding.  A lot of it is also about investigation. For instance, when a customer has found something that doesn’t look right, or received an error message, we need to be straight on that to keep their processes progressing, in their own bespoke setup. Although sometimes, the requests are as simple as resetting a password.   

Speaking of passwords and logins, there’s now your single login hub for all products, Skilltech One. How are you feeling about that launch? 

 I think it is going to open our user base a bit more. Some of those users might not have been coming to us as first point of call before – for instance, a training provider might have been going to their awarding organisation first when they had a problem, but now we're front and centre of the support process. We could see some more queries as a result, but we put a lot of effort into the support documentation and systems so the customers can find their own way to access support. We’re still there when they need us, but that autonomy is also valuable.   

As you mentioned, you have the knowledge base as well, so there's a lot of support that people can access themselves. Do you find that that does answer a lot of questions?  

We move quickly here at Skilltech, and while it's quite a job to try and keep on top of it and get the documentation out, it is worth it. We're always revisiting articles to make sure they're up to date. With our monthly release cycle, we have to keep up the pace, and we generally have a fair few ‘coming soon’ documents, and they're always good to add extra information to customers’ release notes. 

It's been a very busy time for Skilltech. What are you most excited about for the next year? 

I’m really excited about Accolade, launching and getting customers onto that. I think that'll be exciting because a new product means new customers, a new journey, and I can learn something alongside the customer. I like getting stuck in, tinkering with things, thinking up solutions. I’m really excited for Skilltech One, as well. It’s early days, but I think as we get more customers onto that, we’ll find even more we can do with it, especially in how we offer support and access to knowledge. 

How important do you think it will be for AOs to have technology providers that offer Skilltech’s level of support as the industry evolves? 

Everything is becoming technology based now and there is so much going on with regards to data security and AI, in particular. I think technology has a big part to play in keeping data secure. Everything is screen based, now, so I think it's very important to stay at the crest of that wave. With AI and other technologies, every organisation needs to focus on having a good technology solution for what they're doing. Keeping all of your data secure and automations in one place, and having a platform that can grow with you, is important. That’s something we are very focused on at Skilltech Solutions 

 You have a close team at Skilltech. How do you think that helps to develop products that work brilliantly for your customers, and support them to get the most out of them?   

I think everyone has a valid input that makes a difference to the bigger picture. Just talking, bringing up an idea, saying that something’s maybe not quite right: everyone's thoughts are important. We don't just go ahead and develop something. We all give feedback from our perspective, point out things that developers might not notice when they’re building. It really helps us to approach products from the customer’s point of view. 

Are you looking for an AO or general awarding software that offers real, hands-on support throughout your journey with them? Then book a demo to see how epaPRO or Accolade could be right for you.