Conference 7.286::digital

4692.0. "How do I find a person who can help a reseller?" by WBC::STASSE (Glenn Stasse, 339-7780) Tue Jul 02 1996 19:19

    Hi there,
    
    Sorry if this seems like overkill but I'm outta' ideas on where to find
    help for someone. I'll detail my efforts to locate help in a smidge,
    just for the fun of it, but you don't need to read that far.
    
    I received a phone call from a 'customer' who is looking to get a
    loaner PC for a (potential) customer of theirs. This company sells PCs
    and, as it turns out, they can be located by using the search
    capability on OUR PC reseller web page. They have a reseller agreement
    with us, it appears. The problem is, THEY don't know who to talk to.
    They don't know where to go to begin the process of getting a PC for
    this prospect. (Now, this seems a little odd to me but requests for our
    products haven't exactly buried these folks, either.) 
    
    So, does anyone know where/who I can call to find out who can talk to
    this company (System Source, Hunt Valley, MD)? Is there another level
    of VAR they can/should talk to? How do we normally find someone who is
    responsible for such things? (I won't even bother to ask how to find
    someone who cares.) 
    
    Thanks for the help....
    
    My quest for information:
    
    It seems to me when someone calls here they shouldn't be given a phone
    number to call; they should receive a call BACK from someone who can
    and will help them. So I took the number of the person who called and
    started looking for someone who sells PCs.
    
    1) Old boy network - call to local VAR czar yields notion that she is
    the VAR czar for SYSTEM sales. PCs are a whole other ballgame. She gave
    me a name of someone she thinks has something to do with PC sales. I
    call this number, nobody home. (Strike one)
    
    2) Yo! What about this web deal we're hearing so much about? Lets look
    there! From the internal home page you can get this rubiks-cube
    looking thing that is the multi-dimensional equivalent of an org chart
    that you can click on in your area of interest. Click on PC area. We're
    gettin' hot now! I was able to locate the place where you can look up
    resellers. In fact, this is where I found out that the people who
    called me WERE resellers. Trouble is, I don't need to find out about
    the reseller, I need to find out about US. There are only fax numbers
    to be had if you need a person so be prepared to talk in CCITT
    compressed mode 3. HOWEVER, in the special programs section I find a
    number! It's how to call to be a Priority Partner. Well I'm lookin' for
    some priority so I call the number shown, 1-800-550-5741. SMOKIN'! Too
    bad the person who put the web page together forgot to put the PIN
    number in because when I call THAT number I get The recorded message
    "Welcome to Skypage. Enter the PIN number you wish." (Strike two)
    
    3) I remember this deal where you can call 1-800-DIGITAL for something,
    I forget what, exactly, but that's worth a try, right? That gets one of
    those cheery voices which says "If you want an Alpha press 1, ..." (By
    the time I got to the end of the choices I forgot the earlier choices.
    This menu has more choices than Bennigans.) Anyway, I figure it out and
    press 3 for PCs and something else that sounds good. THAT leads me down
    a path that, in one of those recorded voices that sounds like trouble,
    says, in effect, "You're SOL, chief. This system's broke. I'm
    transferring you to a person cause' I don't know what else to do with
    you. Later. HAL" 
    
    Well, actually, that sounds pretty good to me right about now. I hear
    the clicks, get transferred, and get a recorded voice that  says, in
    effect, "Now I'm SOL, too. Whatever you thought you were gonna' do when
    you got here, you ain't doin' it. Try later." and hangs up the phone!
    (I'm not kidding about the try later part. It really said that!)
    (Strike three! Grab some pine, mister!)
    
    So that oddesey led me to write this note and ask one of you folks for
    the answer.
    
    It also led me to some thoughts on why the "performance of the PCBU is
    unacceptable." We have, and not just the PCBU but all of us, the WORST
    user interface out to the world of any company I've ever dealt with. If
    you're 'lucky' enough to get a real person the chances are excellent
    you'll get one who can't help you, can'tor won't find one who will, and
    couldn't care less about you and your problem. Now, through the use of
    modern communications technology, we have information servers that
    behave the same way! We have achieved consistency across all our public
    access user interfaces!
    
    (BTW, while I was writting this, the PC sales rep called me and took on
    the problem. There's hope for us yet!)

    If you're still stuck after you talk with the PC rep, try VTX AtoZ. 
    Many PC people are listed there including Customer Satisfaction
    Manager.
    Sue
    

    ..can a "genuine DEC PC" add any particular value to the customer?

    re. -1
    
    	After reading your note, my next unseen took me to 4690.11!
    Imagine that!
    
    cheers,
    
    	fred deady

    .2
    I'm not sure what the problem is, but there's a time and a place for
    everything.  Your sarcasm timing is very poor

    re: .4's reply about .2
    
    I gotta figure there wasn't a heck of a lot of sarcasm in .2, that
    sounded pretty real to me. I don't know where USAT02:: is located, but
    I beginning to think it is not real close to any real customers.
    
    .mike.

    re .2, .4
    
    I didn't know what to think about .2. I first presumed sarcasm, but
    then realized that some people really believe (the snakeoil) that all
    PC's are created equal. (They're commodities, aren't they?!?)
    
    If I were buying enough that I felt a supplier would consider a loaner
    you want to bet I'd do it. Price ain't everything and they aren't all
    the same.
    
    r