Conference akocoa::decpc_portables

2404.0. "Escalation Process for Problem Reporting" by PCBUOA::GLANTZ () Fri May 09 1997 18:41

The escalation procedure for customers (including employees) is spelled out in 
the PCBU Support internal Web page:

       http://pcbu.ako.dec.com

Click on the "PROCESS with up arrow" icon.  Read the chart from the bottom up.

On the chart, the telephone numbers listed to open a problem case for notebooks
differ from the ones listed in the warranty booklet.  That's OK; they all are
part of the same call tree.  (For example, in the Americas, the warranty
booklet provides the number for the top of the call tree, (800) 354-9000.) 

The people who answer your call at the first level are technically trained --
they can solve 90-95% of the cases right on the telephone.  "Solving" a case
means either guiding the caller through the steps he can take on his own to get
his unit working properly or instructing the caller to ship his unit to a
Digital authorized repair center. 

The cases the first level cannot solve they forward to the second level
(continuing with the same example, the Americas Marketing Technical Support
Helpdesk).  The second level solves 90-95% of those escalated cases.  The ones
*they* cannot solve in a day or two are forwarded to Mobile Engineering
Support, who are charged with resolving all of these, there being no one else
to hand problems off to. 

There has been a nagging question that employee-owners are treated differently 
than customers.  Employees who purchase notebooks with their own personal funds
are the same as end-user customers: they get helpdesk support, one-year repair
warranty, and for certain models, Passport service.  Employees who were issued
notebooks by their cost center get helpdesk support only; repairs and Passport 
are chargeable items.

Some organizations, notably those participating in the Sales Workbench effort, 
have negotiated different entry points into the escalation path.