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By Erin Bardua

The FundSERV testing and technical support department is in the midst of one of its busiest periods of 2004 — in fact, its busiest time ever. The team has been hard at work preparing clients for the release of ESG V15, which began testing in June, and the pace is going to remain hectic right up to the implementation date.

ESG V15 is the biggest challenge the department has ever faced, with a nine-month window after the publication of the new standards back in fall 2003 devoted to rethinking testing procedures and learning a completely new order placement system. Not only do the tech support and testing personnel have to understand the new way of doing things, they have to be the experts in order to respond to customers' questions and concerns.

The testing department originally consisted of a single person — technical support was just three. But today, the combined technical support and testing department comprises more than a dozen people. Why the merger? "Following the announcement of ESG V15, we realized that the scope of the implementation and related initiatives was going to require that the testing department and tech support department work closely together," says Paula Olson, manager of technical support, user acceptance testing (UAT) and quality assurance (QA). It was announced that the two departments would merge under Olson's leadership and that of supervisor Harry Gundy. "Tech support was handling testing's overflow already," affirms Gundy. "All the team members were becoming experts at dealing with external testing and customer questions, so it made sense to join forces. This way we can share our knowledge and ideas, and make the transition to ESG V15 much easier for our customers."

Following the ESG V15 implementation, the departments don't expect their workload to diminish. The testing functions will be kept busy with the number of new customers constantly joining the network, as well as system changes. In August 2004 alone the department will be adding more than half a dozen new customers, and assisting with at least 50 customer changes! At the same time, the tech support team will always be answering customer questions. ESG V16 is closer than it seems, and the process starts all over again for both teams.

"The ability to troubleshoot a problem, resolve it, and then educate other users is very rewarding," says Natalie Kelly, a testing and technical support veteran. Since the department expects high call volume once ESG V15 is implemented and in production, she offers this advice for customers who find they need technical support:

"Always try to have as much information as possible on hand about the particular issue when you call the helpdesk; it just makes us that much more efficient. Our goal is to make your call as short and painless for you as possible." Tech support questions should be directed to tech@fundserv.com or 416-362-7378 or 1-800-267-3526.

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