Conference 7.286::digital

    Maybe we should hire some of the Highland Store management team--they
    were open on New Year's day!
    

    Maybe DEC just cares more about their employees having that extra time
    to spend with their families around the holidays.  To me, that is doing
    the "right thing".  Sure, DEC could use the extra revenue, but they
    placed their priorities where they belong.  And can't you just hear
    the moaning and groaning from people who would have had to work this
    past weekend?

    
    RE:0
    
    
    If you were able to place a order on 12/31, when did you expect it to 
    ship from DEC to the customer?
    
    

    The ordering company doesn't care when it gets shipped.  It's off the
    books for them on the day they order it.

    RE: 2
    
    Many of us DID work the past two days. A holiday doesn't mean any
    extension for finance to publish numbers.
    
    Linda

    
    RE:4
    
    That's a new one on me. Usually for year-end-funding, the customer must
    have product shipped off our dock before mid-night 12/31.
    
    If this is true, (that some company's don't care when it ships and it's
    off their books the day they order) then as good-business people they
    should of known well in advance what their vendor (DEC) schedule is.
    After all the fiscal calendar has been out for a year showing the
    holiday. It's up to our Sales-Rep to keep them informed.
    

    The 'problem' outlined in .0 is basically a red herring.
    
    1-800-DIGITAL is the DECdirect number. Most people would not
    characterize our product set as geared towards the retail markets.
    Digital's selling strategy is essentially two-pronged: by account and
    through channels.
    
    I'll bet that very few major capital purchases are made through
    DECdirect to accounts not covered by our normal selling strategy.  
    ANY Digital serviced account that was interested in last minute systems
    purchases would not be dealing with DECdirect anyway.  The account team
    would certainly be on top of such a situation and would have been
    making plans to book the order weeks ago (not to mention that our Q2
    ended on the 28th, not the 31st).  If it's not a named account, it's 
    generally a VAR, OEM or distributor who books the order and not Digital.
    
    Rational people don't make major capital purchases at the 11th hour
    without prior involvement of their account management and then decide to
    order through DECdirect. The scenario presented in .0 is simply not 
    plausible.
    
    Al
    

    For what it's worth,
    AST (an IBM PC clone mfgr) was closed 12/31/90.
    
    Charles Norton
    Decnet For PCs
    LKG1-3/A17 
    226-5457

    re .2 I don't know about moaning and graoning. I worked Saturday for
    end of quarter and I was perfectly willing to work Sun, Mon or Tues. to
    get the job done if necessary. There are always some of us willing to
    do what it takes to get the job done and holidays be hanged. Besides,
    those of us who are wage class 2 make a "fortune" in OT on holidays.
    
    That was a joke son. I would rather give up a little time off, usually
    spent just watching football, then perhaps be laid off when we find
    that the competition is so far ahead of us in sales, that we can no
    longer compete.
    
    Phil

>         <<< Note 1329.7 by ALOSWS::KOZAKIEWICZ "Shoes for industry" >>>
>                              -< Red herring... >-
>
>    The 'problem' outlined in .0 is basically a red herring.

A justification of the complaint based on expected big-ticket capital
purchasing may indeed be flawed, but the complaint is valid.
Through DECdirect a customer may wish to purchase a case of laser printer
toner, or printer ribbons, or floppy disks, or interconnect cables,
or any of a large number of commodity items that might be needed on 
short notice, and which can be acquired very easily from other vendors
on similar terms.
December 31 was indeed a normal business day.
Banks and stock markets were open, virtually all retail business was being 
conducted, state and federal business continued.
Yes, DEC as a whole was shut down, but certain areas of the business
need to be left open for our customers and potential customers.
One could argue that DECdirect should be fully 7/24, like LL Bean or that
Macintosh supply house that ships at 3:00am if you want it.
Retail sales is not a big part of our business, but even our largest
customers can (and probably do) use DECdirect for those last minute items
they need to keep a $3 million system running.

- tom]

    A couple of thoughts from a former DECdirect person....
    
    1. re. .4 & .6
    
    	Ordering companies do very much care when the product ships. 
    Toward the end of the fiscal year DECdirect has several people doing
    "pro forma" invoices.  Basically this means that we invoice before the
    item ships.  This is done because most companies don't get them off the
    books until they are invoiced, and in many cases paid for.
    
    
    2. 
    	As for the idea of having DECdirect open on a 7x24 basis, this has
    been discussed for years and it boils down to the fact that at the
    present time, late night and weekend volume doesn't warrant the
    additional expense (and hassle).  Very few DECdirect orders come from
    people sitting at home who decide they need a couple of boxes of
    ribbons or a new LA75.  The majority of orders get placed during
    business hours, hence DECdirects 8:30am to 8:00pm hours of operation.
    I can honestly say, that based on my two years at DECdirect, that if
    they had been open on the 31st, that we would have been paying alot of
    people to sit around for an awful long time.
    
    	
    Steve
    

    Re: .6 .... many sales reps were able to pull in the dec 31 sales
    into our q2 ending date at dec 28.  However, let's be clear on one
    thing ... the customers generally don't give a darn about our schedules
    as they have their own schedules (and associated red tape) to manager.
    The thought of a customer adjusting to our schedules *makes me puke*...
    the name of the game is customer service !!!
    
    Re: .7 .... "rational" people do in fact make last minute decisions
    often.... not just the end of a year but at the end of a quarter.  
    Contrary to most writers of this note, many buy items (such as disks
    and work stations) much more expensive than ribbons.  And yes,
    invoicing is the name of the game more than shipment.  I know of one
    sales rep who worked DEC 31 because it was the year-end for this
    CMP (one of Digital's top 10) and they were booking orders (big orders)
    like crazy.  Now, with a few million $ of orders coming in on dec 31,
    would you like to call this important cmp and tell them how "rational"
    they are ???  .... I didn't think so.
    
    Rather than worrying about dec 31 opening issues, why don't we do
    something better, open the doors at 8:00 which is when most of the
    customers in the midwest start work.  I believe that would do more for
    our customer service image than having decdirect staffed on 12/31.
    
    -- gerry
    
    -- gerry

    
    
    RE:12
    
    Cool your jets! I never said a customer "has" to adjust to our
    schedule. I stated that it's the Sales account managers responsibility
    to insure the customer is well positioned and aware of our schedule.
    
    I had to be aware of a customers schedule and ship product to arrive at
    the customer site before 12/21 because he would be closed from then
    until 1/2/91 of which all orders were year-end-funding.
    
    BTW: The orders were new to manufacturing on 12/3, so much for a sales
    forecast. The cert-skew needs work...but that's another story.
    
    So take a look at that and figure the cost....bet you puke more.
    

    Based on the response of some of the noters and the anger generated,
    that person(s) definitly needs a vacation. 
    
    

    re: .12
    
    You misunderstand.
    
    Customers do spend big dollars at the last minute.  No one, however,
    waits until December 31st to tell a sales rep in Digital that an order
    is a possibility.
    
    Staying open 12/31 is a good idea in order to be responsive to our
    customers.  Staying open in order to capture big orders we would not 
    otherwise get because we didn't know about them before then is a red 
    herring.
    
    Al
    

    This reminds me of a related phone problem...
    
    <set tangent=on>
    About a month ago, I needed to call a DEC internal number from home.
    Not knowing it, I dialed +1 508 493 5111, the Company's MAIN NUMBER.
    
    It rang 21 times before being answered!  Then they gave me the wrong
    extension.
    
    We're really trying very, very hard to keep customers away.

    Herb, you had the same problem at Wang. Now nobody even calls.
    
    Hang in there. 
    
    Dave
    
    ps(If this isn't Herb, then ignore this message.
    
    Dave 

        Re: .11

>    I can honestly say, that based on my two years at DECdirect, that if
>    they had been open on the 31st, that we would have been paying alot of
>    people to sit around for an awful long time.

        It isn't necessary to have `alot of people' around to have
        DECdirect open for business.  It could be open with a small
        staff to handle the small volume of calls.

        Of course, the problem is then estimating the number of calls
        that will be received.  Overestimating increases the personnel
        costs and underestimating gives customers a busy signal or a
        long hold, and that can be worse than being closed.

        					B.J.

    If we were open on that day someone would have put in a note bitching
    about working on that day. Let me change the subject here-- Why
    have we turned into a company of bitchers?? I remember a time when
    that was not true. Do any of you??

Perhaps aside from DEC facilities in certain countries which require offices to 
be closed on weekends and/or certain holidays, are ANY DEC offices ever really 
closed?

The major engineeering and manufacturing sites, I believe are open all of the 
time. I suspect the major district/regional offices are too. Very little is 
likely closed.

    Yes, the company has gone forward.  We don't "bitch" directly we
    "bitch" about "bitchers".

re: .20

Open for access (meaning that employees who feel like working can come in)
is not the same as open for business (the business can state that service
will be available during such and such a timeframe and stand behind that
statement).
								paul

        Re: .19

>    Let me change the subject here-- Why
>    have we turned into a company of bitchers?? I remember a time when
>    that was not true. Do any of you??

        Part of the problem is that times are worse, for the company and
        for the economy as a whole.  Every large group seems to have
        some bitchers when times are good and lots when times are bad.

        Another factor may be the increased use of Notes.  Without Notes
        I would only come in contact with a few bitchers each day, but
        Notes lets me see the accumulated bitchings of thousands of
        people.  Fortunately, it also lets me see the accumulated
        constructive suggestions of thousands.

        					B.J.

    Well as the ole saying goes,
    
    "Life's a bitch, then you die".
    
    

re: .24

>    Well as the ole saying goes,
>    
>    "Life's a bitch, then you die".

Unles you believe in reincarnation, and then it's ....

	"..., then you die, and then you die, and then you die ..."

;-)

    I don't believe in re-incarnation. But then, I didn't last time either!
    
    
    					Late Night Nigel

  Well, DECdirect and the rest of Digital may have been closed for
  the holidays but if you tried to use any of the Greater-Maynard-Area
  FX numbers to call in to do computer work, you found that you got
  the recording that said that the FX lines "are unavailable during
  business hours".

  For some reason, nobody ever bothers to tell our telephone switches
  that certain days are holidays and there's never anyone around or
  on call who can remedy the situation.

                                   Atlant

>For some reason, nobody ever bothers to tell our telephone switches
>that certain days are holidays...

Actually, usually we do put the holidays for the year into the switch
each January.  Looks like an oversight.

/john

    As an old Vietnam vet buddy once told me:
    
    
    "War is hell, but lifes a mfer." 
    
    
    Peace,
    
    Mike

    There is really no point to this discussion. Next year both Christmas
    and New Years fall on a Wednesday, which, if I recall is the only day
    we get off. 
    
    So maybe we should delay the discussion for at least 13 months or
    longer.
    
    Dave