Mako Networks: Raising the Bar for Service and Support

Today, Mako Networks is known for exceptional 24/7 technical support and excellent customer service, but this reputation had to be earned. After Mako Networks did some organizational restructuring in 2015, the new and improved Mako support team took over support for thousands of customer sites with a focus on expanding service and support capabilities and delivering resolution for more than 80% of trouble tickets in a single call.

Word spread quickly about these service and support enhancements, and today loyal distributors continue to share their Mako support experiences at networking events like conferences and trade shows.

“On the support side, Mako Networks earns an A+,” says Karl Klingelsmith, VP/CAO at M. M. Fowler’s Family Fare Service Collaboration & Support Center. “I’m not familiar with many companies that offer excellent support with quick response times and a willingness to drop other things and be available.”

Great service is driven from the top. “For most end users, their only interactions with Mako personnel will be with the technical support team,” says Mako Networks President Simon Gamble. “Our mantra has always been to be responsive and do a fantastic job. As our resources have grown, so has our ability to deliver outstanding customer service.”

A One-Stop Shop for Technical Support

Because Mako Networks designs, deploys and maintains its own technology it has a unique advantage over other managed network service providers (MNSPs). Every Mako solution is a closed loop with managed network devices that are controlled exclusively by a cloud-based management application. All the necessary hardware and software is designed and developed in-house, and support staff are trained to troubleshoot every aspect of the system while adhering to stringent PCI DSS security restrictions.

“We own and manage the roadmap of the technology and we provide direct support, which gives us the opportunity to evolve both accordingly,” says Mako Networks CEO Jason Kubasak. “It’s a feedback loop where intimate understanding of the technology leads to better service and technical support data drives advancement of the technology.”

“Our support staff have direct access to our development and engineering teams and vice versa,” adds Mako Networks CTO Chris Massam. “Facilitating that communication has been vital to our success.”

“Not Our Problem” Is Not Allowed

The Mako support team does not operate like a typical vendor help desk. Mako customers know they can readily access a live person who will be capable and engaged. Mako support staff take ownership of every issue and never think of external issues as “not our problem.” Instead of simply passing the buck to another vendor, Mako Networks always focuses on contributing to the solution. This is one of the intangibles that separates Mako from its competitors and makes Mako support the first call when help is needed.

“If isolating an issue indicates that it needs to be addressed by another vendor, Mako goes the extra mile to give the customer direction on how to get that vendor to reach the desired outcome,” says Mako Networks Logistics Coordinator Kevin Mitchell. “Being invested in finding a solution even when the problem is unrelated to Mako technology adds a personal touch to our support that other companies just don’t have.”

“Your Pie has found Mako’s support staff to be knowledgeable, competent and, most importantly, available, says Pearson Clark, IT Support Director of Design and Construction at Your Pie Franchising. “That sounds like a simple thing, but it makes all the difference.”

Keeping Pace With Customer Growth

Years of steady sales growth present both opportunities and challenges. As customer estates have increased so has Mako support’s headcount. Since 2015, the number of supported sites has multiplied eightfold to more than 35,000, annual call volume is up 70% and Mako support has grown from four agents to a team of 25 dedicated members. To keep pace, Mako support introduced a tiered structure: Level 1 Support Agents, Level 2 Support Engineers and Level 3 Network Engineers.

According to Mako Networks Director of Support Services Minesh Patel, “Level 1 Support Agents can troubleshoot 85% of issues and 96% of our support calls are answered in 75 seconds or less.”

Due to a huge surge in business last year, the Mako support team expanded. The increased number of help requests led to adopting new approaches for service delivery, including a chat feature that enables agents to address multiple concurrent requests and self-service options for common issues. The result is a technical support process that is even more efficient and effective. Through every challenge, Mako support remains focused on customer needs.

“Our customers are very happy with our customer service and technical support and we intend to maintain this high quality without slipping,” says Gamble. “We’ve learned to adapt quickly.”

This proactive evolution is critical to ensuring that Mako stays ahead of the pack, but some things will never change. Putting customers first, fostering trust and focusing on solutions will continue to be pillars of Mako Networks' customer service and technical support going forward.