Feb 26 2007
Seven Steps
Having worked in tech support and customer service positions for many years, I see articles like this one all the time.
There are a few things that set this one apart though. First is that this is being written by someone who runs a small software company. When was the last time you called a company that develops software to get support? If you have, then like most of us you found what an awful experience it can be and decided never to repeat that experience. Second is that this isn’t being written by some high-minded columnist or consultant – this was written by an actual software developer. From my experience, most software developers are wizards with the coding minutiae of their job but have no idea what their customers need or expect. Third is that he runs a small software company – not some oversized conglomerate. The practices that he advocates could be considered quite costly at most companies, but he seems more interested in the long term effects than short term fixes. His company has much more to lose yet he goes way above and beyond what a much larger company would do. When was the last time you heard of anyone getting a no question’s asked refund of any software? I wish more people would think along these lines.