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Despite the reports that IT spending is down, CIOs are still expected to keep their IT infrastructures current, which may mean committing to an Office 2007 migration.

As with any major investment, IT leaders are responsible for proving the value behind the purchase — no matter the economic climate. In an economic dip like the one we are riding out now, the focus on ROI is doubled.

Think of consultants as golfers: It is probable that the guy playing five to six times a week will outperform someone who hits the links a few Sundays a month.

Most IT leaders realize that an Office 2007 deployment requires coordination, planning and oversight, and they know which areas need to be assessed and addressed. As a result, most bring in a third party for migration assistance.

The support options and partnerships are abundant, including training companies, consulting firms, domestic and offshore outsourcers, and certified Microsoft Office 2007 migration launch partners.

Whichever partner they choose, IT leaders need to keep in mind that, to prove ROI, they need to place a priority on early adoption levels, limiting downtime, maintaining productivity and cost expectations. What’s more, providing on-demand, expert support and training to information workers before, during and after deployment is key to a successful migration. Minimizing the learning curve will enable employees to quickly regain the confidence and knowledge they need to stay productive.

Here are eight service levels that are directly tied to ROI:

First-Level Analyst Certification: Providing certified computer consultants (Microsoft Office 2007 and Vista launch partners) results in higher first-call resolution rates based on their core competencies on Office 2007. Information workers are less likely to be placed on hold or passed through a tiered-level support structure. Applying a simple analogy, it is probable that the golfer playing five to six times a week will outperform someone who hits the links a few Sundays a month.
Domestic vs. Offshore Staff: The ribbon and overall look of the Office 2007 interface compared to previous versions will test IT staff and information workers. Adding potential language barriers will no doubt raise the challenges.
Maintain 24-7 and After-Hours Coverage: Forgo skeleton crews or lower-level support during off-hours and deliver constant, world-class Office 2007 support and training outlets throughout the entirety of deployment. Many organizations employ staff globally or remotely, in addition to a nine-to-five crew. Don’t penalize employees for working in a different time zone or after hours by providing less-than-stellar Office 2007 support and training.
Deliver Advanced Level Office 2007 Support: As IT leaders begin to see ROI during the early phases of the migration, information workers will have begun navigating their way around the ribbon and will begin finding additional and more advanced time-saving features. Support avenues should mirror these advanced-level requests and should not be treated with any less urgency than basic-level requests made during the initial migration phase. Avoid tier-structured support models to keep service levels high and reduce worker frustration and downtime.
Number of Software and Mobile Device Applications Supported: Requiring a migration partner that is familiar with applications and mobile devices outside Office 2007 can be critical to the complexity of Office 2007 calls. Based on statistics collected over the past 18 months, many information workers begin their support requests by referring to what they could do in previous versions and want to see those same steps applied to this new version.* Additionally, Office 2007 is just as often expected to work in correlation with other applications including BlackBerry and Windows Mobile.
Training: Instruction before, during and after an Office 2007 migration is a key element in measuring ROI. Everyone learns at a different pace, so having a multitude of training options is best, i.e., self-service, on-demand, web-based, individual and customized. Being able to identify and deliver targeted training needs, solution-based metrics and measureable productivity gains can justify several portions of an Office 2007 investment.
Planning and Education: Many IT leaders admittedly lack the knowledge that encompasses an Office 2007 migration assurance plan, hence the reach and popularity of migration partners. With this support and training investment and other day-to-day infrastructure responsibilities IT leaders are tasked with, a migration partner should be expected to deliver a simple, successful solution. Anticipated Office 2007 migration assurance plans should include a readiness checklist, a project and deployment timeline, an information worker education awareness campaign, and excellent support and training — all of which can be easily integrated into the existing IT infrastructure.
Call Metrics: Downtime and productivity are key factors in proving ROI for any software or IT-related investment. The question to ask is: If IT leaders commit to purchasing new or updated hardware, servers, software, etc., how will the investment affect business units and add value to the organization’s bottom line? Downtime and productivity levels are two areas that easily can be quantified. With little effort, simple call statistics like response time, abandonment rate, hold times, and average first-call overall resolution percentages can be measured and delivered.

*Knowledge workers at 10 Fortune 1000 organizations (clients of PC Helps) were surveyed November 2008 through April 2009, and were asked to quantify the amount of time they would have spent resolving issues such as importing data into a file from another source in Access 2007, tracking changes in a Word 2007 document, repairing a damaged Excel 2007 file, and hundreds of other Office 2007-related software questions without the services of PC Helps Support, LLC.

8 Things You Should Know About Proving ROI