Tech support tips for tough economic times Attention, PC vendors: Solid support will save your business.

By Rik Fairlie
(12/7/01)

Smart consumers know that even with tech support layoffs and anemic warranties, they don't have to put up with shoddy customer service.

I recently endured 28 minutes in Dell Computer's telephone tech support limbo before encountering an unrecorded voice. And although the outcome was well worth the wait, the on-hold hell could last even longer the next time I have to call. That's because PC vendors are responding to the shriveling economy by trimming staff, and the front-line support personnel who represent the face of the company to most customers could be next to go.

"We made a conscious decision not to affect the customer-facing positions in our support organizations, for the most part," says Mike Jackson, Dell's director of consumer service and support.

We're in a state of tough times for PC makers, and possibly tougher ones for their customers. Already, independent surveys and reader e-mail reveal a customer base that's less than satisfied with support. Protracted waits on hold, wildly confusing tech help, and chronically unresolved problems are annoyances almost anyone with a computer and an error message has already encountered. With the ongoing spate of layoffs, it's likely to get worse.

Most vendors will tell you they haven't cut back on support, however. Call volume, not the economy, dictates the size of the tech support staff, they maintain. "We made a conscious decision not to affect the customer-facing positions in our support organizations, for the most part," says Mike Jackson, Dell's director of consumer service and support. "There is no effect on our provision of service based on our workforce adjustments."