Close
  • Latest News
  • Big Data and Analytics
  • Cloud
  • Networking
  • Cybersecurity
  • Applications
  • IT Management
  • Storage
  • Sponsored
  • Mobile
  • Small Business
  • Development
  • Database
  • Servers
  • Android
  • Apple
  • Innovation
  • Blogs
  • PC Hardware
  • Reviews
  • Search Engines
  • Virtualization
Read Down
Sign in
Close
Welcome!Log into your account
Forgot your password?
Read Down
Password recovery
Recover your password
Close
Search
Logo
Logo
  • Latest News
  • Big Data and Analytics
  • Cloud
  • Networking
  • Cybersecurity
  • Applications
  • IT Management
  • Storage
  • Sponsored
  • Mobile
  • Small Business
  • Development
  • Database
  • Servers
  • Android
  • Apple
  • Innovation
  • Blogs
  • PC Hardware
  • Reviews
  • Search Engines
  • Virtualization
More
    Home Latest News

      The High Cost of Screwups

      By
      Peter Coffee
      -
      March 11, 2002
      Share
      Facebook
      Twitter
      Linkedin

        An aggrieved eWeek reader wants to know why hardware vendors waste their money—not to mention their customers time—by merely going through the motions of trying to solve a product problem.

        “I sent in an e-mail request for a fix to a printer driver last week,” his e-mail began. “The first three solutions Ive rejected, since the first one gives up a feature that I need to get the job done, and the next two Id already tried before contacting them. This morning I get the same e-mail that has been getting longer and longer as they dont solve my problem. Once again it includes the same first solution, the one that I rejected over a week ago, which is still on the bottom of the e-mail.” Even if he never gets a bill, he wont consider this “free” support. His time is too valuable to waste.

        I had a similar experience when I tried to track down an optional video cable for my new laptop. The cable was pictured in the manual, but the options list failed to provide a part number—nor could I locate the item on the manufacturers Web site, despite several searches. When I sent the manufacturers support desk an e-mail, noting that I had searched the companys site, the reply—you guessed it—consisted of a referral to that site. It took several more e-mail messages to achieve what a decent search engine could have done—free—in seconds.

        As Moores Law trends continue to elevate IT buyers price/performance expectations, the cost of even one post-sale interaction with a customer is going to offset a growing fraction of the profit on the sale—and is going to start looking like a significant cost component to the buyer as well.

        The pursuit of perfection has taken many “buzzword du jour” labels over the decades, but “zero defects” and “six sigma” and their ilk all represent a core truth: Doing it right the first time is cheaper than fixing things one at a time—and maybe losing a customer.

        When I spoke with eWeek Corporate Partners late last year about their criteria for choosing technology providers, no one mentioned performance or even initial purchase price; everyone talked about lowering their post-sale cost of deploying and supporting the gear. If IT suppliers simply gave away their stuff, theyd still find that some of them were perceived as “high-cost” suppliers.

        If youre a seller, is this you? If youre a buyer, do your choices reflect these costs?

        Tell me how you cut post-sale costs at [email protected]

        Peter Coffee
        Peter Coffee is Director of Platform Research at salesforce.com, where he serves as a liaison with the developer community to define the opportunity and clarify developers' technical requirements on the company's evolving Apex Platform. Peter previously spent 18 years with eWEEK (formerly PC Week), the national news magazine of enterprise technology practice, where he reviewed software development tools and methods and wrote regular columns on emerging technologies and professional community issues.Before he began writing full-time in 1989, Peter spent eleven years in technical and management positions at Exxon and The Aerospace Corporation, including management of the latter company's first desktop computing planning team and applied research in applications of artificial intelligence techniques. He holds an engineering degree from MIT and an MBA from Pepperdine University, he has held teaching appointments in computer science, business analytics and information systems management at Pepperdine, UCLA, and Chapman College.

        MOST POPULAR ARTICLES

        Cybersecurity

        Visa’s Michael Jabbara on Cybersecurity and Digital...

        James Maguire - May 17, 2022 0
        I spoke with Michael Jabbara, VP and Global Head of Fraud Services at Visa, about the cybersecurity technology used to ensure the safe transfer...
        Read more
        Cloud

        Yotascale CEO Asim Razzaq on Controlling Multicloud...

        James Maguire - May 5, 2022 0
        Asim Razzaq, CEO of Yotascale, provides guidance on understanding—and containing—the complex cost structure of multicloud computing. Among the topics we covered:  As you survey the...
        Read more
        Big Data and Analytics

        GoodData CEO Roman Stanek on Business Intelligence...

        James Maguire - May 4, 2022 0
        I spoke with Roman Stanek, CEO of GoodData, about business intelligence, data as a service, and the frustration that many executives have with data...
        Read more
        Applications

        Cisco’s Thimaya Subaiya on Customer Experience in...

        James Maguire - May 10, 2022 0
        I spoke with Thimaya Subaiya, SVP and GM of Global Customer Experience at Cisco, about the factors that create good customer experience – and...
        Read more
        IT Management

        Intuit’s Nhung Ho on AI for the...

        James Maguire - May 13, 2022 0
        I spoke with Nhung Ho, Vice President of AI at Intuit, about adoption of AI in the small and medium-sized business market, and how...
        Read more
        Logo

        eWeek has the latest technology news and analysis, buying guides, and product reviews for IT professionals and technology buyers. The site’s focus is on innovative solutions and covering in-depth technical content. eWeek stays on the cutting edge of technology news and IT trends through interviews and expert analysis. Gain insight from top innovators and thought leaders in the fields of IT, business, enterprise software, startups, and more.

        Facebook
        Linkedin
        RSS
        Twitter
        Youtube

        Advertisers

        Advertise with TechnologyAdvice on eWeek and our other IT-focused platforms.

        Advertise with Us

        Menu

        • About eWeek
        • Subscribe to our Newsletter
        • Latest News

        Our Brands

        • Privacy Policy
        • Terms
        • About
        • Contact
        • Advertise
        • Sitemap
        • California – Do Not Sell My Information

        Property of TechnologyAdvice.
        © 2021 TechnologyAdvice. All Rights Reserved

        Advertiser Disclosure: Some of the products that appear on this site are from companies from which TechnologyAdvice receives compensation. This compensation may impact how and where products appear on this site including, for example, the order in which they appear. TechnologyAdvice does not include all companies or all types of products available in the marketplace.

        ×