What To Look For In a Service Vendor
Now that you purchased your new meter,
receiving system or folder-inserter, who is going to provide service?
While the decision should have been incorporated in your original buying
decision, in many cases, we hear companies complaining that they received
a great price but cant get the technicians to keep the equipment going.
A full service vendor should provide
reasonable pricing, reliable service and the long-term attention you need
for future support. It is easy to assume that every vendor has a fully
trained and experienced staff capable of addressing any problem that may
arise. However, this is not always the case given today's rapid changes in
technology. As a vendor servicing technology, we find ourselves spending
large amounts of time learning about new products, operating systems,
programming languages, network environments and keeping in touch with
industry trends. Before a client calls us asking whether their application
will run under Windows 2007, we have already installed workstations and
servers for testing the application.
Another aspect of service that is rarely
discussed is the ability to manage both mechanical and software
technologies. A full service vendor should have a team that can handle
electrical, mechanical and software componets of any project. This
requires additional staffing capable of managing projects and
understanding what is required when integrating inter-related components.
Types of Service:
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General Labor Non-technical personnel capable of inexpensively moving
equipment, running cables, cleaning facilities, delivering equipment and
supporting other personnel.
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Mechanical Machinary such as envelope openers, inserters, shredders,
folding machines, bursters, etc.. These professionals must also have some
familirity with electronic components and are usually certified to work on
specific equipment.
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Electrical - Usually integrating equipment to electrical service at a
client site. At times, these technicians must have advanced skills to
integrate non-related mechanical and electrical components.
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Network Specialist As surprising as this may be, most computer service
technicians are not qualified to perform network administration, diagnoses
and implementation. These professionals have a good understanding of
workgroups, information servers, IP addresses, protocols and various other
aspects of a networked workstation.
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PC
Support A technician capable of servicing the mechanics and software of
a desktop or personal computer. This requires a basic understanding of
operating systems and software diagnostics.
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Software Specialist A professional capable of addressing problems with a
specific application. This specialist must have familiarity with computer
hardware, networks and most common operating systems.
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Should a client expect the vendor to
provide all these services?
In reality, most vendors in our business
find it increasingly difficult to maintain a staff capable of supporting
all of the above services. Beyond entry level knowledge, most large
organizations require vendors to provide technicians with years of applied
knowledge. Most of the common technology provided by most technical
schools is very brief, but thorough, and this instruction is of limited
value until the student begins to apply practical experience. A client
must ask if the vendor can provide these services and take the time to
interview staff with their own experts.
When should a client expect service?
This is an issue that we address
frequently. Most organizations schedule service technicians based on
availability. As noted above, a vendor may have a staff of eight
technicians but how many are qualified to support your application or
equipment? At Datamation Systems, we guarantee our service based on the
type of service agreement the client has. For technology-based
applications, only clients under contract are guaranteed a specific
response time. This takes the guess work out of the relationship.
Another consideration is the use of loners and backup equipment. This
should be addressed before the equipment is ordered. Most vendors are
capable of maintaining loners if it is part of the original purchase or a
service agreement. In most cases, clients do not consider this option and
must wait for parts to arrive for onsite repairs. Loaners can also be
important as part of a disaster recovery plan.
Can older equipment or technology be
serviced?
According to announcements made by
Microsoft, Intel, Oracle and Sun, technology changes every six months.
Intel predicts a doubling in processing capacity every 8-9 months.
Equipment and software applications can be maintained for many years under
certain conditions. With respect to software, the vendor must have access
to the original source code and license agreements that permit them to
sell and service the application even if the manufacturerer goes out of
business or is unable to support the product. This is true even in systems
provided by the largest names in the industry. A client must ask the
vendor who owns the application and whether the vendor can provide service
if the owner abandones the product. With mechancial systems, the primary
concern is having a staff that continues to train and understand the
requirements of older components. In addition, the ongoing acquisition of
parts is very important. It is not unreasonable to expect a vendor to
support machinary 3-4 years after it is discontinued. Again, with
electronic equipment, the life span is far shorter because manufacturers
upgrade so frequently in short periods of time.
These are a few issues that should be
discussed before any purchase is made. Service is not just something to
consider after the sale. It is something to consider when your purchase is
made.
About Datamation Systems
Datamation Systems has more than 39 years of experience developing mail,
shipping and other types of distribution systems. Representing hundreds of
manufacturers, we are the leading provider of mail center and technology
furniture, receiving systems and other distribution products in the New
York-New Jersey metropolitan area. Datamation Systems has worked with
almost every Fortune 100, financial, healthcare and educational
organization in New York and New Jersey.
For more information:
Jerry
Raymond
Datamation Systems
(201) 329-7200
j.raymond@pc-security.com
Dag
Gonzalez
Director, Technology Services Group
(201) 329-7200 / Ext.243
d.gonzalez@pc-security.com
Internet:
mailsolutions@pc-security.com
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