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Good or bad customer service? Just tell Tom @ InfoWeek

This week Tom Smith of InfoWeek writes in his blog post Does Customer Service Still Exist? 


Sounds familiar. 😉



“In its June issue, Consumer Reports notes that, with the exception of Apple, Best Buy’s Geek Squad scored higher in PC problem resolution than the manufacturers of the PCs themselves. “Independent services trounced all Windows PC manufacturers, who solved a measly 59% of problems. … By contrast, independent tech support services affiliated with major retail chains … solved 84% of users’ problems with Windows-based PCs,” the report states.


“Think about that: The companies that make the PCs are able to solve customers’ problems with their own products fewer than six times out of 10, while independent services do so more than eight times out of 10. It raises the question: Is the tech industry at all capable of providing decent customer service?”


He asks for end users for the best (and worst) companies when it comes to providing customer service, and what works (or what doesn’t). Focused on the personal computer and technology space, particularly enterprise IT product companies. “I’m just as happy to report on standouts as laggards, but we can’t do so without your input.”


 Visit the blog and let Tom knw what you think. I’m compiling posts from my request to readers last week of your experiences with customer service agents and will post them on the blog later in the week.

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TBR Report: Gateway exceeds customer expectations, “higher perception of customer service”

Here’s something that may be a surprise: Gateway announced today that they are “the only PC maker fully meeting high expectations of its surveyed customer base,” as they are in the top position for the for corporate desktops in Technology Business Research’s Corporate IT Buying Behavior and Customer Satisfaction Study for Corporate Desktops.



“TBR identified three competitive strengths for Gateway in the marketplace — ease of doing business, phone support and parts availability. According to TBR, Gateway is the only PC maker with no urgent challenges in customer satisfaction.


“In addition, the report shows that Gateway has consistently earned high marks in hardware quality, desktop value and overall satisfaction. Recent gains are reflected in Gateway’s rising customer loyalty positions and a substantial increase in hardware quality.”


TBR went on to say that Gateway exceeds customer expectations and a higher perception of customer service through high-quality telephone support.


Interesting, as the field in the the ACSI scores, Gateway follows Apple, Dell, HP, and is trailed by Compaq and IBM.(Each quarter, ACSI measures the satisfaction in many different market segments, including personal computers.) And in PC Magazine’s annual Customer Satisfaction study last summer, Apple also came out on top, but noted last summer that Gateway was gaining ground…



“Once again, Apple and Sony are Readers’ Choices, receiving some of the highest ratings for desktops. Once again, HP/Compaq and Lenovo/IBM receive some of the lowest. Of course, the similarities shine a particularly bright spotlight on the few things that did change. Both eMachines and its parent brand, Gateway, show significant improvement from last year, while Dell, despite some impressive individual scores, takes a slight statistical dip overall (emphasis there on slight).”


Tags: Microsoft, loyalty, Customer Satisfaction, Customer Service.

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Friday Humour: a comparison of iTunes old and new audio formats

Ever wonder what you get for the additional 30 cents?


Gotta love Slate, and their article today “Sound to blow your mind” with a link to an in-depth audio analysis.



“This week, Apple’s iTunes Music Store began selling some songs in a new audio format that the company says has two advantages over its previous offerings: The tracks are free of digital rights management (DRM) restrictions, meaning you can play them on devices other than an iPod, and they have higher audio quality. The new iTunes Plus tracks also come at a premium: $1.29 compared with $0.99 for the old format.


“The excitement of the anti-DRM crowd was dampened when it came out that Apple is embedding personal information about the buyer, including name and e-mail address, in each purchased song. But the question we wanted to consider is this: Can you really hear a difference between tracks encoded at 128 kbps (Apple’s old format) and 256 kbps (the new format)? Watch, and listen to, this video by Scott Blaszak to find out.” 


Here’s a link to the video: http://link.brightcove.com/services/link/bcpid494808731/bclid490688512/bctid958471694.


Remember to listen closely. Audiophiles will no doubt appreciate the fidelity. 😉

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Links & clips: Bill Gates and Steve Jobs at D5 this week

Ina Fried on CNET has a story and links to the D5 conference Wednesday night discussion with Bill Gates and Steve Jobs.


Jim Glass from the Dynamics CRM team has also posted a link to the Bill and Steve D5 Conference discussion on the CRM blog.



BillnSteveInterview “This week they have released a set of videos with an interview with Steve Job and Bill Gates. These videos were taken at the executive conference called D5. So even though the conference was sold out, you get to see some of the best of this conference. 


“Besides the history that is kind of glossed over, the two talk about the PC and Apple Mac Guys, some key decision points that the two companies made through history, and as a reoccurring theme, the fact that Microsoft, from the start has invested heavily in the Apple company.”


(added 060107) And this entry from the D5 site…



A selection of rip-roaring laughs and jokes from the joint interview between Steve Jobs and Bill Gates at the D5 conference.






 



Videos of the complete Steve Jobs and Bill Gates interview:


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My question: what’s your experience been with customer service agents?

I’m turning the tables today, with a question to visitors to the blog, following an article from Bill McGee of Consumer Reports. He has an article in USA Today this week on “When customer service is lost in translation,” with a focus on customer service provided by some of the largest travel companies in the States.

“Recently USAToday.com asked readers to share their experiences with these foreign call centers. After sorting through your responses, it’s clear that many of you are not satisfied with such service.

“But it’s a no-brainer decision [closing domestic call centers and outsourcing the effort to places like India] in more ways than one: The immediate gains in labor costs need to be weighed against the long-term losses in customer satisfaction and loyalty.

“Quite frankly, when USATODAY.com solicited reader feedback on this topic a few weeks ago, I was concerned that some of the responses might be xenophobic (or even racist). Instead, I found nearly all the correspondence was even-handed and respectful. What became clear is that off-shoring customer service is different from off-shoring other functions and not all jobs can be lumped into the same “foreign outsourcing” category. Whether we like it or not, there are companies in other countries that theoretically could make better and/or cheaper transmissions, cellphones, or running shoes.”

I recommend McGee’s “things to keep in mind” when you call for assistance:

  • Always keep a detailed log of your reservations calls, including names, dates, and times.
  • If you’re not clear what is being said, either ask the agent to repeat it or ask to speak to another agent. Never agree to something you THINK you understand.
  • Don’t be afraid to request a supervisor. In some cases, this will mean being transferred from a foreign call center to a domestic call center.
  • Ask the agent to follow up with an email confirmation.

Today’s question for you: have you had a good or bad experience with Microsoft or other major industry customer service agents? I’ve posted some of my own experiences and thoughts (click here) but I’d like to hear from you.

No, I don’t have a lot of free time coming up to fill. ðŸ˜‰

As time and space permits, I’ll post your comments (keep it clean) on the blog with your experiences and follow up with our folks in customer service as well as the product groups in future posts.

 

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