Date:         Fri, 3 Dec 1999 16:01:49 -0600
Reply-To:     "H. T. Cheng" <hcheng@ERAC.COM>
Sender:       "SAS(r) Discussion" <SAS-L@LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
From:         "H. T. Cheng" <hcheng@ERAC.COM>
Organization: Enterprise
Subject:      Re: Birdies on SAS-L (tweet tweet)
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"

Let's not give all the credits to SI tech support.  I had several occasions
that they either have no clue or don't want to tell the truth(admit bugs).
 It is this very SAS-L that helped me time after time and others in the SAS
user community.  In my opinion, SI is getting a free ride, on top of those
outrageous fees from all of us.  So let's rob our own backs instead.

Have a nice and relaxed weekend !

-harry



On Friday, December 03, 1999 3:30 PM, Lary Jones
[SMTP:ljones@BINGHAMTON.EDU] wrote:
> At 02:57 PM 12/3/99 -0500, a SAS birdie wrote:
> ...
> >Additionally, we are better able to track and respond to problems
> >reported directly to SAS Tech Support. This lets us determine
> >if there are a number of sites with a problem, if something should be
> >documented better, etc. Since they deal with particular issues on an
ongoing
> >basis, Tech Support is also better equipped to respond to "typical"
> >queries, which they might know the answer to immediately. For "hard"
> >problems, things do eventually end up in the developers' hands, and
> >are tracked internally for resolution, work-arounds, future
implementation,
> >etc.
>
> Thus, as I said "...the SAS technical support operation is one of the
best
> for any product."  There has been considerable thought about the way that
> works best for SAS Institute and its customers.  Still, there are
> tradeoffs.  I assume that the decision by SPSS to have some of their
people
> respond in public carries a burden for those who participate.  In return
> for that burden, they must expect something ...perhaps better customer
> relations.
>
> When I am contacted directly by users at our university (instead of
through
> our help desk), I almost always log the contact in our database of help
> calls.  If I do not do this, eventually, I get more calls referred,
because
> the help desk personnel do not have the information to answer the
question.
>  I even encourage certain users to call me directly because I know that
90%
> of what they ask will have to be referred anyway.  If I want to do my
> "project" work and help computing services to do the best possible job, I
> have to make it possible for the help desk personnel to answer the
"simple"
> and recurring questions.  On the other hand, some people almost never ask
> the kind of questions which are answerable at the first level.  When we
> first instituted the policy of "always call the help desk," we were
getting
> a bit of a bad rap because some advanced users felt distanced from the
> people who really could answer the questions.  Basically, for public
> relations, I found it better to let these people call me directly and
take
> on the load of the problem logging.  This way we do not frustrate the
> knowledgable; we collect data to help the help desk answer future calls;
> and I learn directly about possible problems other users might run into
in
> the future and why these problems arise.
>
> It is a tough call.  Perhaps it is best in some ways for SAS Institute
> personnel to respond individually.  On the other hand, not doing this
> publically perpetuates the idea that birdies only speak to power SAS
users,
> and denies the rest of the list the opportunity of learning from the
answer.
>
> Best to all, especially the good people at SAS Institute,
> Lary
> _______________________________________________________
> Lary Jones          %     Statistical Computing Analyst
> Computing Services     %     ..........................
> Binghamton University    %        LJones@Binghamton.EDU
> Binghamton, NY 13902-6000   %            (607) 777-2614