Conference 7.286::digital

2249.0. "increase customer resources !!" by KAOOA::PINKERTON (Prov 3:5-6) Fri Nov 27 1992 18:16

    
    
    
    looking for comments on solutions to Remote Sales Support in Atlanta
    and Colarado going  away .  This is wroooonnnnggggg!!!!
    These folks should be the 1-800-DEC_life_blood, perhaps, open up this
    resource to customers directly.  !!
    
    whew, having said that I would like to suggest we get on with selling
    our way out of this mess, instead of watching wall street !!
    
    
    
    
    This is just my list of gut feels, do you folks feel the 
    same/different/don't care/haven't got enough time/etc
    
    what??
    
    
    GP
    

    
    The questions from the customer community is how do I choose which 
    Technology platform/operating software/networking/etc.,
    When it is perceived as a commodity market?
    
    Should I purchase Alpha AXP OpenVMS/DOS/MAC/OS/2/U*IX, PC's, MAC's, 
    RISC, VAX, IBM, HP, SUN, etc., ??  Micro's/MINI's,MAINframes, 
    TimeSharing/Servers ??
    
     
    Open systems and NAS from DEC is the answer for long term planning, but 
    the customer has a fear he will never get a chance to plan because, the 
    products and standards will change.
    
    Memory/storage/CPU/Software upgrades, how much pain will it be for me 
    to upgrade? and will it lead into a dead end technology ?
    
    Can I get seamless integration that really works, at the user level, 
    like DOS printers, MAC printers, printer fonts/files, DEC printers, How 
    does it all fit in ? 
    
    When I run Application X how much memory/storage/performance etc., can 
    I expect to consume??
    
    But INTERNALLY, we have neither the $ for training, or the resources 
    for our customers to keep up todate on our everchanging product lines.
    
    Our Sales force is empowered to Sell DEC solutions, on the large scale.  
    System integrate where DEC does not have the direct solution.
    
    Or Pass off to our Channels Partners , or DECdirect.
    
    In Canada, we need an easy access, toll free, intelligent 
    info/config/pricing help that goes deeper than we can offer at 
    DECdirect or the local office, or Distributor.
    
    Something like a Super E-store.
    
    With a selling hook/service pay as you play idea, 
    
    Resources such as: On line resources available to customers like 
    E-Store, for SPD's, SOC, T+N's buyers guide,  Artificial Inteleigent 
    Client server modeling, DESKtop/system sizing/application 
    sizing/network configs/planning/CD-ROM Software DEMO's, order 
    placement.
    
    Customers are getting wiser to their IS needs, and hiring outside 
    consultants, who are not familiar with DEC products and strategies, 
    just looking for technical answers, prices, product alternatives, and 
    the business is getting placed through Distributors,( who haven't added 
    any value ) or the local Sales Branches, who haven't had time to work 
    with the customer.
    
    So much time is spent giving customer's technical info, pricing, 
    but so little time in follow up and actual sales solutions, and closing 
    the sale.  we need some help !!!!!
    
    
    In this everchanging world we as long term DECemployees need to keep up 
    as well.  Training for DEC'ies to sell Digital's strengths in the 
    DESKtop arena with high powered Workstations built on Alpha AXP/ 
    VMS/RISC/ULTRIX/OS/2/MAC/DOS/SUN/HP/OPEN, etc., is a must for all who 
    talk to customers .  This goes for the Direct sales force, marketing, 
    DECdirect, Distributors, VARS, yes even customer services, software 
    services, advisory, etc.,
    
    we need expertise in capacity planning, server client modeling, system 
    sizing for customer applications, performance, systems integration, 
    network planning, education services, etc., 
    
    
    Right now Digital is suffering from the Wall Street blues !!
    
    What we need to do is solve our customers business needs with complete 
    solution aproaches.  We need to work as teams, with 1 common goal.  
    
    Forget the sales forecasting and measurements by CERTS/Revenues, they 
    only waste more peoples time in chasing last months bookings than 
    solving customer's business needs, then reaping the benefits later.
    
    We have whole departments dedicated to adding up ,the correct sales 
    rep/unit's certs/revenues against forecasted. we spend more time 
    counting how much money we don't have than the time spent making money!
    
    I dare say we have raised the stock of Canon calculators, than what we 
    could have spent increasing DEC's internal CPU's and systems to better 
    serve our customers.
    
    In conclusion We need a High performance, interactive Customer 
    E-stores, higher performance order systems, higher performance price 
    quoting, more accurate pricing, and delivery systems,  Info bases for 
    our customers to tap into.  Systems that actually have seamless 
    integration, so that when prices/availability/critical situations 
    change then all systems are updated at the same time.
    
    Hire highly skilled hardware/software Technical assistants, to sell our 
    way out of this recession rather than cutting a swath through , and 
    tossing the leftovers out!
    

    The theory that the local office will be able to pick up where
    1-800-dec-sale left off is ridiculous.   I work at a remote sales
    office and all of the sales are EXTREMELY upset about this seemingly
    mindless decision.  I know the resources HERE are not able to pick up
    where the RSS group left off.

    After "careful" consideration the decision to shut RSS [1-800-DEC-SALE]
    down has been reversed. We will be losing some specialists, numbers
    unknown, but for the present we will be here to answer your questions.
    
    Remote Sales Support

    .2
    
    I think the operative words here are "for the present".....  I know
    the verbal and written message said "reversed", my ears heard temporary
    reprieve :-(
    
    I'm only working from a gut feeling; but I feel the reversal for
    800-DEC-SALE is merely a stay of execution.  Internal field people
    and distributors turned up the heat; it got too hot in the kitchen
    for some decision makers......so they've backed off, FOR NOW!
                                                         ~~~ ~~~
    Any and all attempts to get answers as to what would be the status
    of RSS by the end of June were met with "we don't have any idea".
    
    Thanks to a lot of help from the field and distributors, our immed-
    iate management team was able to convince the decision makers not
    to shut RSS down for the present...but I wouldn't bet the farm on
    the future of RSS after June _read_ end of fiscal year :-(
    
    In the ALF CSC, even the end user support groups that have the heaviest
    call volumes have all been told they are at risk.  Customers utilizing
    these groups have paid for that privilege either by buying their SW
    & HW at standard warranty or purchasing SW/HW service contracts.
    
    I think the biggest mistake a lot of us have made is that we've been
    trying to use reason and logic to understand many of the decisions;
    I'm not saying that action doesn't have to be taken....it *does*, but
    if reason and logic were really alive and well that action would have
    been implemented much differently.