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Unique simulation model helps Microsoft Zune's support staff see eye-to-eye with customers in need.
In the fall of 2006, Microsoft launched the Zune MP3 player. The Zune experience included a 30-GB digital media player and an online music service featuring Zune software, the Zune Marketplace, wireless sharing of pictures and music, a built-in FM tuner, and a foundation for an online community that enabled music fans to discover and share new music. In 2007, additional Zune devices were introduced into the market: a sleeker 80-GB device and small 4- and 8-GB flash devices. New functionality was added to all Zune devices through automatic updates downloaded when customers connected their Zunes to their computers.
The Zune software began to showcase an ever-expanding amount of music and band data online, including more than 3 million songs and hundreds of music videos and podcasts. Customers could purchase music through an "all you can eat" monthly subscription pass, or they could buy each song à la carte using a point system.
A distinguishing feature of the Zune is the ability to manually or automatically sync songs, playlists, albums, pictures, music videos, and podcasts from the software to the device; stream the media to an Xbox or a TV; or share media with other Zunes in the area. The "Zune Social" was expanded to allow customers to personalize Zune cards and send online music messages to their friends through the Zune software using a format similar to that of MySpace.
Because of the unique integrated ecosystem of this new Microsoft product's hardware, software, accessories, and online music service, new Zune customer service agents would quickly need to become product experts to be able to answer questions from Zune users. Free telephone support was offered from 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. to all Zune customers, without restrictions.
There were two unusual challenges in training the agents. The first was that they would have to become proficient in using the product prior to the device being released to the market. Second, once the Zunes were in circulation, one device was available for...