Subject:
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RE: Customer service
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Newsgroups:
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lugnet.robotics
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Date:
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Mon, 10 Feb 2003 14:58:41 GMT
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Original-From:
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Rob Limbaugh <rlimbaugh@[AntiSpam]greenfieldgroup.com>
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Viewed:
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735 times
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> -----Original Message-----
> From: Bruce Boyes [mailto:bboyes@systronix.com]
<SNIP>
> But the quote was about customer service, and I think it matters not
> whether it's a hamburger or a new car, people expect the same
> quality of
> service. We learned this years ago selling software. It
> didn't matter if
> the package was $50 or $500, people have almost identical
> expectations
> about customer service and support. I know that may sound
> crazy, but we
> found it to be true. What this taught us is that the support on a $50
> product can kill you. This is why there is an industry trend
> to reduced
> support, customer "call centers", endless waits on hold, etc.
> It's hard to
> provide $20 worth of support on a $50 network card.
>
> As engineers, we can't and won't do that to our customers,
> since we don't
> want to be treated that way.
As a consumer, I don't find it fair that part of my high price is
because I'm helping to offset support costs when I may never need
support myself.
I'd much rather have the option of paying less up front with the
understanding I only have access to online FAQ's, KB articles,
utilities, and general warranty replacement/spare parts.
For all other things, charge per-incident for support.
<SNIP>
> That also includes a CPU which can natively (meaning Java
> byte codes are
> its 'assembly' code) execute 3,000,000 Java byte codes per
> second. You can
> plug in boards for 8 or 16 more sensors or 4 or 8 more motors
> and have the
> resources to handle it. Plus add vision sensors, etc.
How much are add-ons? How much is my long term commitment to
the JCX beyond the initial $500 purchase? What do I have to spend
to take advantage of the JCX's abilities?
> > It doesn't matter how good/bad your service/support is if • you are the only
> > place the JCX comes from and supports it.
>
> What do you mean -- Lego Mindstorms come from one place and
> they seem to
> be doing fine, and Bill Gates has done pretty well with Windoze.
LEGO's support of software leaves much to be desired. Piece replacement
is good...
MS has a Knowledge Base open to everyone. They support their software for
free to an extent. Beyond that, you can obtain support from them under a
support contract or on a per-incident basis.
In either case, there are support options throughout the community of
users and the general public.
Linux distributers are great examples of how to provide support and still
turn a profit without passing those support costs directly to all product
users.
<SNIP>
> Comparable robots are $1500-$2000 and are nowhere near as
> open and modular.
>
> > You'll start getting my attention when the JCX drops to around $200.
>
> We will probably never be *price* competitive with 20-year old 8-bit
> technology. An assembled 68HC11 HandyBoard is $300... It's
> more likely the
Based on the features of the JCX compared to the HandyBoard, I'd rather
own a JCX.
<SNIP>
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