morphiz

6 major issues to be fixed by Dell

Dell, Sales Strategies, Service and Support submitted by jervis961 02/17/07

Dell became a top company by providing choice and customer service to a customer that wasn't available at the time but has since fallen behind the pack in these areas. Needing a translator when calling customer support is unnacceptable and other companies are rapidly passing Dell in technology advancements. While this site is a good start, many things need to be changed for Dell to become the market leader again.

1. Customer support needs to be in well spoken English and with employees who are allowed to do more than just read from a script. If they are speaking with a computer savvy customer the rep should be allowed to deviate from the script as long as they don't go outside the relm of normal policy.

2. Better options: Other companies offer high end components in small computers but Dell only supplies intel video processors in its 14" laptop. Dell needs to allow customers to get the size computer they need but with options from low cost through the high end so they can get a computer that is "Purely you".

3. Less forced options: I hate that I am paying for and XPS with internet security when I don't need it because I already have a subsciption that will transfer over or AOL is installed when I know I don't need it. They need to add an option of none of the above to all the added software sections.

4. Better pricing: Why is it over $200 to upgrade from 1 GB of 533 MHZ ram to 2 GB of 677 MHZ RAM? I can go to Crucial.com and get the 2GB 677MHZ kit for under $200. Upgrading with Dell after you own is even worse at over $300 this is crazy.

5. Custom Dell website: Customers want to feel special why not make a MYDELL website that when you log in you get a site designed the way you want it. If you aren't interested in the small business site it gets removed, you don't like to go thru the accessories sections when customizing a system so you don't see that section. Click on customer support and a list of your computer pops up asking which one you need help with and only shows the options for that system.

6. Customer loyalty rewards: I have bought 6 Dell systems over the last few years, why can't I get better customer service or pricing due to my loyalty to the company? 78 Comments »

Pre-installed Linux must play commercial DVDs

Education, Linux submitted by jonmca 05/03/07 **PARTIALLY IMPLEMENTED**

You probably know this, but a "show stopper" requirement for most consumers and many educators and business road warriers is having laptops and desktops that can play commmercial DVDs. I have a hunch that preinstalled Linux on Dell machines will be a terrific success if Dell Linux desktops and laptops have this capability. I've been told that http://www.videolan.org/ has one possible approach.

Having Linux playing commercial DVDs may also catapult Dell into the complex Digital Rights Management contoversy so it would be wise to get Dell's legal staff involved ASAP and also have this discussed this at the highest strategic management levels at Dell (if this is not already being done).


Check out the Ideas in Action post from Daniel Judd. And you can also check out this follow-up post from John Hull who leads our engineering efforts behind Linux on consumer systems.
32 Comments »

No OEM Junk software, revival of recovery DVD/CD's NOT partitions

Desktops, Software submitted by mgin2k3 05/20/07 **UNDER REVIEW**

First, I hate it when I buy a computer and right when I turn it on out of the box, it's got a lot of junk software installed (AOL trial, Nortion Anti-Virus trial, etc). Get rid of these trial and non-trial OEM softwares or at least give the customer the option of not having them installed. I end up wasting so much time trying to uninstall all this junk anyways and I'm sure I'm not alone. I like having a clean install when I get a new computer (or when I'm recovering). And by clean I mean Windows (or whatever other OS the user may enjoy) and NOTHING else. Secondary OEM software can be included on a separate disc for the user to select manual installation (or request preinstallation of for new purchase orders).

Secondly, recovery partitions are terrible. Aside from the fact that they waste harddisc space, if the harddrive were to become toast or to be upgraded, not only would the user lose the original installation, but they would also lose the recovery data. Has this single point of failure not come to anyone's attention? CD's and DVD's can be preciously taken care and you never have to worry about losing both the installation and recovery partition all at once.



5 Comments »