pepitoe

Reduce automated menus, make reception operators more worthwhile

Service and Support submitted by pepitoe 12/14/07

Every time I call Dell I have to go through about 4 levels of automated menus (press 1 for something 2 for something else) just to get put through to a receptionist who will probably ask at least some of the same questions. Can you not assume that customers calling the home customer service line for example really do want home customer service, the receptionist can certainly put them right if they have made a mistake, without all the annoying menus.

Also since the reception always takes the order number or service tag, surely these details should be automatically attached to the call and made available to the person you eventually get through to so they don't have to ask again. This sort of thing is easily achievable on a modern phone system. Comment »

Improve UK/European Chat Support

Dell Web Site, Servers and Storage, Service and Support, XPS products submitted by pepitoe 12/14/07

The UK and probably European chat support service currently seems very limited and unreliable. Attempting to get a chat session for an XPS seems to be impossible (at least over the last few months where I have tried at various different times during the day). Entering a server's service tag also seems to fail, the only tag I have had success with so far is Dimension. The others result in messages similar to 'All chat representatives are currently busy assisting other customers or the queue is closed. XPS Inspiron Chat is available Monday - Friday, 10 am - 9:30 pm' (I am trying within these hours).

As this is a web based service I am not paying to queue, so I wouldn't mind waiting a bit longer, and it seems the queue should be made longer since I can never even join it. More staff should also be posted to chat support as there appears to be high demand, although I do wonder whether there is anyone at all assigned to XPS chat support currently.

The chat system should also use something like a java aplet where possible to ensure the chat applet can pop to the front and notify you when you finally get a reply. An html only version should be maintained for compatability of course.

Finally there currently is no chat available here for customer service issues. If you are going to offer chat support, why not offer it for every possible query. It is more convenient and cheaper for your customers, although I admit you may loose some of the money you make from keeping us holding on 0870 numbers! Comment »

European XPS Customer Service Phone Number

Service and Support, XPS products submitted by pepitoe 12/14/07

In UK/Europe we have a dedicated number for XPS technical support, but not one for customer service. I feel customer service is just as important as technical support, and not having a dedicated number for your premium XPS customers is dissapointing. I notice there is a XPS customer service number in the USA, so this appears to be another case of Dell looking after it's US customers better than the rest of the world.

Having agents with detailed knowledge of the XPS products would be beneficial to customers and would probably resolve their issues more quickly. XPS customers are likely to be more demanding in some respects as they have generally paid more for a higher quality/specification system so you should try to ensure they get the service they expect, although obviously not at the expense of non-XPS customers. Comment »

Make an Official Price Cut Promise to stop people feeling ripped off

Dell, Sales Strategies, Service and Support submitted by pepitoe 08/16/07

At present when you place an order with Dell, it is a lottery whether the price you get now will still be a good price when you actually receive the order, especially with the current long delays. It is very annoying to see the price coming down every week as you wait for your order, and very difficult to get Dell to do anything about it (in the UK at least!). Some people are lucky and do manage to get fair compensation, but it currently requires hard work, luck, and patience, and you may have to reorder and wait even longer.

I would like to see Dell make a Price Cut Promise, in all countries Dell operates, that if the price for the same configuration goes down before you receive your order or within 1 week of receiving it, you WILL get the difference refunded automatically, without having to request it. This would cut down on calls to customer services, and make your customers who are waiting for orders a little happier to keep waiting rather than cancel.

*Note that this idea suggests an optimistic solution but please vote if you want Dell to do anything to improve the current situation!* 5 Comments »

Show random ideas on Ideastorm homepage

IdeaStorm submitted by pepitoe 02/19/07

Currently the top scoring ideas show on the home page of Ideastorm, meaning they get even more attention, while other good ideas get much less exposure. A random selection should be shown either instead of or as well as the top ideas. 4 Comments »

Don't Make Me Go Straight to Crucial after ordering

Accessories (Keyboards, etc.), Sales Strategies submitted by pepitoe 02/19/07

Memory prices are still ridiculous, and it is common knowledge that if you want more than the standard memory in a dell, you buy it elsewhere. If you priced it more competitively you might actually sell more. At the moment to upgrade from 1GB to 2GB in an Inspiron 9400 costs £211.50, the same from Crucial is £119.94 and you will have 1GB of Dells memory left to sell or whatever. 5 Comments »

Fair Global Pricing, Offers and Options

Sales Strategies submitted by pepitoe 02/19/07

It's always frustrating to see the same Dell computer is much cheaper in another country, and that they have better offers, or better configuration options. Give everyone the same choices, and give everyone comparable prices. Comment »