BSQUARE Corporation
04/26/2021 | Press release | Distributed by Public on 04/26/2021 15:22
Prevention Is the Key to IoT Ops | Bsquare Splendid IoT Supper Series
Prevention Is the Key to IoT Ops | Bsquare Splendid IoT Supper Series
Deal with problems before they grow too big
April 26, 2021
Welcome to the second course of our Bsquare Splendid IoT Supper series. Just like a meal is more satisfying and enjoyable when there's a wide selection of unique dishes and guests, an IoT team is a holistic blend of experts from a variety of fields. In this series, you'll get a taste of the diverse expertise needed to create a successful IoT project from start to finish.
This time around, we had the pleasure of chatting with Eric French, Director of Customer Operations at Bsquare. Eric is at the forefront of customer interactions. He also interacts tirelessly with internal Bsquare teams to ensure everything is running smoothly. His work serves a vital purpose within the overarching Bsquare mission.
You can get in touch with experts like Eric at Bsquare, or continue reading to learn more about the impact of operations management on the organization.
Prioritizing prevention over reaction
At first glance, Eric seems a bit like a firefighter: regularly reacting to quickly handle emergency situations as they arise. And it's true that Eric and his team do put out metaphorical fires. When a customer, for instance, discovers an error in the middle of the night because their software certificate expired, it's Eric's team that's awake trying to solve the problem before it grows out of control.
'Saying that we're 24/7 available is great…[b]ut I think we should also concentrate on what we can do to help provide stable operations in a stable environment.'
ERicWhile the occasional emergency is inevitable, Eric believes it's ideal to find issues and solve them before it arises. In other words: it's easier to put out some sparks than a full-blown forest fire. One way Eric prioritizes prevention, rather than reaction, is by implementing additional monitoring into IoT solutions. This allows his team to catch potential issues early.
'Saying that we're 24/7 available is great, that is true. Stating that we have automated trouble escalation is also true. Those two things are very important to any potential customer,' Eric explains, adding, 'But I think we should also concentrate on what we can do to help provide stable operations in a stable environment.'
Fostering robust communication
To provide high-quality customer support, Eric works daily with experts across the Bsquare team. They review software. They monitor security. They test UI. The operations team depends on tapping into the expertise of others to help ensure the customer experience is running smoothly.
'We have a dozen Slack channels that we're in all day long,' Eric says as he discusses the necessity of staying involved in team infrastructure in order to maintain client infrastructures. 'We're a small group, but we're very much not an island.'
Maintaining client trust
Much of Eric's job is to work to find mutually beneficial solutions. Preventing disaster doesn't just help the customer, it also tends to create a less stressful work environment for employees. Bridging the divides between Bsquare teams allows for a broader perspective. Still, at the end of the day, one of the most important aspects of his job is to put the customer's needs first.
'Our customers trust us with a very important aspect of their business…it's something that they cannot do themselves as well as we can do for them,' Eric observes, cutting to the heart of Bsquare's service. Whether it's providing licensing for IoT devices, or creating solutions like SquareOne, Bsquare relies on a diverse set of skills to help customers reach their goals.
And as far as Eric is concerned, 'We have to continually earn and retain that trust and keep customer operations going as smoothly and silently as possible.'
Get started with a team like ours
With our team of experts, Bsquare can serve as your one-stop shop for all your IoT solution needs. From Fortune 500 companies to small start-ups, we've been able to serve a range of unique clients because of our diversely skilled employees.
Curious about the Splendid IoT Supper series? Stay tuned for upcoming articles, where we'll feature experts in everything from IoT user experience to data science. In the meantime, get started with the series introduction, and feel free to browse the website to learn more about Bsquare in general.