Conference 7.286::digital

Steve,

I can see two different problems that you encounter:

1) Outlook not supported in Service-in-a-box. We have a corporate service 
offer, User Application Support, that is used as the foundation for that 
merchandising program. UAS is designed to provide ADVISORY support to end 
users, and while Office97 is not there yet, it is definitely a candidate. I 
just talked to the offer manager. Keep in mind that it is "end user" focused 
so if your problem was primarily an NT Exchange server one, then Helpdesk 
support was the right offer.

2) The fact that you were bounce around and you could get a quick, straight 
answer. I'll forward your note to my counterpart in the Americas for him to 
look why this happened. 1-800-Digital should point you to the right place 
(that's where the Digital Services Web page points to).

Octavio Diaz
SW Support Offers Manager
MCS-Corporate

An update.

Americas MCS has an 800 number (1-800-289-9052) that should have been 
the one to be referred to.

AMCS Sales and Marketing has been notified of this issue (lack of 
disemmination/promotion of the above number, including the fact that 
1-800-Digital is not aware of it.

    
    Wow - even works in Canada ...yes, I know we are now part of the
    America's, but it never ceases to amaze me the number of 800 type
    numbers that get posted, but only valid in U.S.
    
    :-)
    
    Regards,
    
    / Kerry

    Call me if you or your customer needs to purchase a service contract in
    the U.S. or Canada.  I will forward it to the appropriate source and
    you or you customer will get a call within 3 days.  I will get
    something for the lead.  I will be more than happy to help.
    
    Robert Johnson dtn-343-1334
    

    This topic has me again wondering whether DIGITAL or any territory or
    country have Web page that requests a service representative to call?
    See HP's contact request page at:

    	http://hpcc920.external.hp.com/wcso-support/netsupport/form.html

    This page requests some basic data and promises that an HP
    representative will call.  If the customer has not already been run
    around and is willing, a referral to something like this might be most
    efficient.

    - Bob

    
    http://www.service.digital.com/
    
    Under Support_Services, select "Log a call"
    
    For some reason, www.digital.com will not put up a link to
    this site.
    
    Dennis
    

    re .6

    Unfortunately Digital servie page http://www.service.digital.com/ does
    not do what the HP page does. The HP page is used to request a call
    from a service sales representative. The Digital service page is for
    logging a support call.

    So I'm still looking for any Digital Web pages used to request a call from
    service sales.  

    - Bob

    I'd kind of expect an 'Internet Aware' company like us to have 'the'
    coolest Web site 'out there'. If we don't, then we aren't. IMHO.
    
    .mike.

    
    How 'bout www.digital.com/info/services/feedback.htm?
    

    you dont need a URL or the web, call me.  I'll forward your lead,
    your customer should rcv a call in 3 business days maybe sooner if they
    are ready to purchase.
    
    
    Robert Johnson 770-343-1334
    

I don't want us to have the "coolest web site".  I want one that loads quickly
and which makes it easy for me to find the information I want.  We're not
stellar in these categories, but we're better than many other vendors.

					Steve

>I don't want us to have the "coolest web site".  I want one that loads quickly
>and which makes it easy for me to find the information I want.
    
    That's precisely what I would call a 'Cool Web Site'.
    
    .mike.

	This has got to be a bad and late April Fool's joke (or it belongs 
	in the Exchange mail note ;-).  

	On the 7th of April, at midnight, I recieve a confusingly written 
	discussion about all the things being done to improve our business?
	I read about Fiscal and Calendar years, a Q3, March, 1997 deliveries, 
	and completions promised.  The response address is not a clear 
	Email address to me?  

	Has someone sent the wrong file or was this stuck in frozen animation 
	for 4 months?  It appears to be a testamony to something, but I am 
	not sure what.  

	Dave

From:	LKGMTS::LKGMTS::MRGATE::"SALES::A1::LOYALTY.CUSTOMER"  7-APR-1997 23:40:29.03
To:	@Distribution_List
CC:	
Subj:	Q2 FY97 Ease of Doing Business Update                                  1

From:	NAME: Customer Loyalty @MSO          <LOYALTY.CUSTOMER@A1@SALES@PKO>
To:     See Below

CUSTOMER/PARTNER  LOYALTY:  EASE OF DOING BUSINESS UPDATE

Ease of Doing Business is the name given to the collective group of actions 
that DIGITAL is taking to make us an easier company with which to do 
business.   The specific processes and practices on which we're focusing 
the company's resources were identified as important improvement areas by 
customers and partners in quarterly surveys.  

In an attempt to keep you informed on the progress DIGITAL is making on 
implementing these changes, this update was prepared. The new DIGITAL Call 
Center was recently introduced, and a new Customer Problem Resolution 
Process is in pilot phase in the Americas. Steady focus is driving tangible 
progress.  This status report reflects that progress. Your feedback is 
welcome. Ask questions about any of the information you read in this report 
by sending a note to Employee Engagement @MSO.

.  The DIGITAL Call Center opened in the U.S. in November, 1996.  The Call 
   Center directly links customers and partners to a person who can respond 
   to problems, issues and questions.  Customer care agents are available, 
   and are responsible for managing each call to its complete resolution, 
   no matter where the responsibility for resolution lies within DIGITAL.   
   One call to 1-800-DIGITAL links customers and partners to the customer 
   care representatives, as well as to personnel who can provide 
   information about systems, products, sales, technical data and order 
   status.  These telesales professionals work with global and national 
   accounts in order to improve access to DIGITAL.  Geography-based 
   telesales representatives also work with new business prospects to 
   qualify and nurture leads.  This U.S. pilot will be extended worldwide 
   this calendar year. 

.  To give customers and partners a single point of contact for problem 
   resolution, the Customer Problem Resolution Process was created.  
   Callers are guaranteed a response and resolution when they don't know 
   where else to go, or are not getting a satisfactory response elsewhere 
   within DIGITAL.  The process provides problem tracking across all 
   business units and corporate functions, immediate "voice of the 
   customer" feedback so that we can quickly address systemic practices 
   that impede the ability to do business with us, and support to implement 
   field decision making so that any DIGITAL professional with whom 
   customers and partners interface has the ability to resolve problems and 
   issues on the spot, within guidelines.  This process is currently being 
   piloted in the U.S., will be extended across the Americas by the end of 
   June 1997, and worldwide thereafter. 

.  Quote/Configure/Order:  We are working on ways to make products and 
   services easier to understand, configure and quote.  This makes the 
   products and services available more rapidly and predictably, less 
   costly to inventory, and easier to fix when necessary. 

   -  So that partners will find it easier to place orders with DIGITAL, we 
      will pilot an automated configuration tool in the U.S. in Q3. 

   -  To ensure that complex, multi-component solutions work immediately 
      upon installation, we are testing pre-configured solutions based on 
      their popularity with customers.  Ranges of solutions have been 
      tested for three different platforms, with additional ones planned 
      over the next 90 days.  
   -  So that customers can plan their technology migrations more 
      effectively, we are simplifying our product set.  Life cycle 
      management plans for all products are also being implemented. 

   -  As further evidence of the focus on reducing the product set, we have 
      created a list of products and point of sale services which represent 
      the mainstream offerings that our customers prefer.  We are 
      concentrating manufacturing and delivery resources on this product 
      set to improve the lead times and predictability so that systems are 
      received on mutually agreed to dates. 

.  To improve the time it takes multinational companies to obtain system 
   quotes, the Global Ordering and Quoting pilot has been expanded to any 
   account that needs a quote outside its host geography.  With a new 
   process in place for over six months, DIGITAL has experienced a 
   significant improvement in the quality and responsiveness of these 
   quotes.  

.  The Software Licensing Infocenter has been established on the Internet 
   to make it easier for customers and partners to manage the purchasing 
   and administration of DIGITAL licenses. 

   .  Software trade-in license model numbers have been created to simplify 
      software upgrade administration for popular high volume products. 

   .  A Software Licensing Infocenter inquiry resolution and tracking 
      process has been established so that timely and accurate responses 
      can be obtained on a worldwide basis. 

   .  Following customer recommendations, our software business practices 
      have been simplified to reduce them to only the practices required to 
      support competitive requirements.  Global policy changes are 
      scheduled to be completed by the end of March, while product-specific 
      changes will be implemented as appropriate whenever new products are 
      released.

.  Through our account planning process the Account Manager defines the 
   business needs of the customers, and the solutions we and our partners 
   need to offer to ensure the appropriate response.  The Account Manager 
   manages the interaction among the customer, our channel partners and the 
   other DIGITAL sales professionals.  With this process, the most 
   qualified individual to respond to the customer is engaged.   We have 
   also standardized on disseminating product and service information via 
   the Internet.  This enables customers and partners to have quick, 
   flexible, updated information in a timely fashion. 

.  In response to customer requests to simplify the contract and warranty 
   terms and conditions of systems and services that cross business units, 
   a cross-business unit contract template has been created.  Warranty 
   terms for the Systems Business Unit and Network Business Unit products 
   are currently shipping with products, and have been placed on the 
   DIGITAL home page in English and several European languages.  Work for 
   the Asian language versions is scheduled for completion by March 1997.


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To Distribution List:

    
    This is why I asked my question (5229).
    

|	This has got to be a bad and late April Fool's joke (or it belongs 
|	in the Exchange mail note ;-).  

      	What is in particular amusing about this note is that we have
        taken the impersonal "This message is from so and so" to a new
        plateu. We now have nebulous people with funny names instead making
        accountability virtually impossible. What more is, we can't even
        respond to "the office of customer loyalty" but have to interface
        with specially trained staff capable of handling "those employees".
        
	Why do I feel like a rat? Can't be because they shaved my head
        and put probes in this morning anyway ...

    
    	RE: .15
    
    	If they buy you a pair of Nikes, don't put them on.  And purple
    	is definitely not your color, so you should also refuse the hand-
    	kerchief.