Path: utzoo!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!mailrus!csd4.csd.uwm.edu!uakari.primate.wisc.edu!ames!vsi1!zorch!scott
From: scott@zorch.SF-Bay.ORG (Scott Hazen Mueller)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.pyramid
Subject: Re: The Quality of Pyramid's Service
Message-ID: <844@zorch.SF-Bay.ORG>
Date: 31 Aug 89 16:35:19 GMT
References: <17531@bellcore.bellcore.com>
Reply-To: scott@zorch.SF-Bay.ORG (Scott Hazen Mueller)
Organization: SF Bay Public-Access Unix
Lines: 37

In article <17531@bellcore.bellcore.com> tr@pcharming (tom reingold) writes:
[Tom states that Customer Support Engineers should follow up all calls; that
every problem should be worked until resolved; and that he should never have
to call in the same problem twice.]

Ideally, all problems get followed up and resolved.  Ideally.  In reality,
some problems get dropped in all support organizations.  Your half of the
deal is to show continued interest in having your problem solved.  For complex
software problems, RTOC serves only as a contact point into Sustaining
Engineering and R&D.  RTOC engineers by and large don't have the time and the
expertise to dig into complicated system software problems, no offense intended
to my former co-workers.  Once a problem has been referred to Sustaining, it
becomes merely one of a *large* number of open SPRs they have in work.  In
order to maintain priority of one problem, the customer *must* take an interest
in getting it fixed.  You are not Pyramid's only customer, and the time and
attention of the backline support people gets focused onto those customers
who squawk the loudest.  RTOC's database provides collective memory, but that
is no guarantee that you will reach the top of the priority queue.

>Should we have to threaten?  Should anyone have to, even if he has only one?

If you'd like to debate the basic philosophy of customer support, we can do
that in email.  If you want Pyramid to fix your problem(s), you'll swallow
your dislike of the facts and work within the system.

That's all that Carl and I are saying.  We're not saying that's its right or
wrong to have to pressure RTOC or Sales - just that we know from experience
what works.  You're under no obligation to take advantage of our experience
at Pyramid; but when dealing with a sales-driven organization, you use the
strategies appropriate to that sort of organization.

>Tom Reingold

-- 
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