As many of you know – and if you don’t you should – we are listening and moving quickly to improve our service and support. It is my responsibility to make sure that our service and support representatives have the resources they need to provide you the best care and support possible. And as we’ve said on many occasions, including in this forum, we are investing $150 million to expand our call-center network, hire and train additional technicians, add new online tools like DellConnect, and change business practices that caused you frustration (removal of rebates, expanding warranties, etc.).
Just as we’ve been honest about where we need to improve, we think it’s fair to point out a few successes. We have a long way to go, and we’re not a company that spends much time recognizing successes, but we have seen some positive trends. For instance, the time a customer spends in our call queues has dropped by 70 percent and we’ve seen a 20 percent improvement in resolution rates. This tells me that we’re investing in the right areas.
Two recent external factors also show improvement. We recently were chosen for best service and support for the ComputerShopper.com 21st annual Shopper’s Choice Awards, and won six best-product categories with runner-ups in four additional categories. We received more awards than any other company in the survey.
Another is very meaningful for me and my team. In a “Tech Support Showdown” in Smart Computing magazine, we earned second place among seven companies. All companies were rated for hold times, competence, attitude and mastery of English. Phone technicians were given the same baseline equipment to diagnose with the same three problems: loss of a volume-control icon, non detection of wireless networks and the vague complaint of a slow-running computer. For us, the story notes some issues with logging of customer information and transfers – issues we know exist and we’re working on – but were largely offset by very good work by the technicians. In the end, the magazine said our team gave “an all around tour de force performance.”
We know there is much work to be done before we’re happy with the support we provide you. While we continue to improve, we thank you for speaking out and ask that you keep sharing your thoughts with us, so we can make even greater strides in positively engaging with you.