Path: utzoo!attcan!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!mailrus!cs.utexas.edu!uunet!mcsun!hp4nl!hpuamsa!frank
From: frank@hpuamsa.UUCP (Frank Slootweg CRC)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.hp
Subject: Re: HP Customer Support...
Message-ID: <7810019@hpuamsa.UUCP>
Date: 5 Dec 89 08:24:51 GMT
References: <203@limbo.Intuitive.Com>
Organization: HP NL
Lines: 52


  This discussion is sliding down hill somewhat (on both sides :-)).
This is perhaps caused by the delay in transmission, reading and posting.
Anyway I would like to summarize a little :

- How support of internal users is handled should not be discussed in
  this forum.
  Anyway, as already said by multiple HP people :
  - Most internal *users* are not (internal) *customers*.
  - Most internal *customers* "pay" only in accounting money and even
    that at reduced rates.
  - Internal support for *partners* (f.e. other divisions that develop
    software for HP-UX platforms) and project *members* (internal test
    sites, etc.). *is* setup differently. *This* is the only area that
    impacts the software quality at customer release. Again IMO this 
    should not be discussed in a public forum unless there is a valid
    reason to do so *and* other non-company-private approaches have
    failed.

- On-line bug/patch info *is* available to customers (HP SupportLine).
  However currently most (HP-UX) customers still prefer to let the
  Response Center do the searching.

- Patches *are* available (through the Response Center) between major
  releases. This mechanism was set up at the *same* moment we reduced
  the frequency of releases (on request from our customers!).

Bottom line:

  Some customers want access to bug/patch info (and perhaps to the
patches themselves) in other ways than currently offered (by HP and
other suppliers of comparable systems).

  These customers should :

- Indicate what they want.
- Indicate how they want it (*without* creating a liability and/or
  exposure problem for HP (see Dave Waller's and my previous response).
- (Probably) Coordinate their information through INTEREX.

  *If* the solution was as simple as implied by some posters ("Just set
up a Usenet feed!") *and* had no adverse consequences then HP (and its
competitors :-)) would already have such a mechanism in place. It is
often difficult for technical people like "you and me" to determine the
viability of a proposed solution in the *real* world (i.e. business,
money, lawyers, etc.).

  From the world of customer support,

Frank Slootweg, Dutch Customer Response Center.

Disclaimer: Speaking only for myself, not my company. Don't sue me, I'm Dutch.