March 26th, 2015 by inflectra
If you use software tools, and who doesn’t, you probably want to get the best possible customer support and service to go with it. I include ‘service’ here because I want to consider more than just whether the company has a support hot line. It is important to me that vendors listen to me when I make suggestions or recommendations; that they provide help which is more than a telephone operator reading a script; and that they provide forums that enable me to interact with other users, sharing knowledge, tips and ideas. This would be support and service.
It may be unusual, but let us classify companies according to the level of customer support and service they provide. Vendors may:
Thankfully, there are increasingly more products available from companies that use model A. I say, ‘thankfully’ because this model allows companies to sell software at a lower price point, making their products accessible to the general public. Examples of such companies include video game vendors and suppliers of anti-virus software. There is not much we can do about the support provided by type A organizations; we accept it to get those lower prices. So, what about B and C?
Both B and C are typically vendors of software for sophisticated, enterprise-scale business needs. Examples include providers of large-scale database software, systems engineering solutions and software development support tools. As an end user I really would like good service before and after I buy but, unfortunately there are a considerable number of companies that use model B. The good news is that there are also a good number of companies that are type C. So, how can I tell which are type B and which are type C?
While there are prominent exceptions, there is a tendency for companies to begin as type C vendors and then as they grow, morph into type B. Companies that are small have the advantage of generally offering fewer products so that their customer interactions can be focused. As smaller organizations they will also be more suited to Agile development practices which promote heavy user involvement. So, I can get some idea of whether a company has an overall user-inclusive culture by considering whether they use Agile development methods. But again, as organizations grow, remaining Agile becomes harder. Smaller companies are better positioned to offer a more personal service and support experience, but the larger they grow, the harder it becomes to sustain.
Along with company growth, comes the pressure on projects to base their strategy and product direction on corporate policy and financial goals, rather than user needs. The larger marketing departments of these growing businesses then have the job of persuading me that this strategy is something I need and, in the fullness of time, will recognize as a good idea. This is the point at which I cease being an individual, and become merely a number.
I don’t want to use products that undergo revisions in order to fulfill the corporate strategy of the vendor, I want revisions that directly help me do my job and rightly or wrongly, I generally trust smaller organizations to do this over large, multinational conglomerates.
To increase the likelihood that a vendor has good customer support and services, I shall look for those that actively employ Agile development practices and are therefore more likely to extend user-friendly policies to their customer support and services. I like to be seen as an individual and so I buy from Agile developers!
You may also be interested in:
How to Choose a Test Management Tool
Customer Support is an Asset Not a Liability
Beware the Over-Engineered Software Product
Ask an Inflectra expert:
And if you have any questions, please email or call us at +1 (202) 558-6885
SpiraTest combines test management, requirements traceability & bug-tracking
SpiraTeam brings your teams together, managing the entire application lifecycle
SpiraPlan lets you manage your programs and portfolio of projects like never before
Orchestrates your automated regression testing, functional, load and performance
The ultimate test automation platform for web, mobile, and desktop applications
The help desk system, designed specifically for software support teams
Cloud hosted, secure source code management - Git and Subversion
Exploratory testing capture tool that automatically records your testing activity
Let us deal with the IT pain so you don't have to. Or use on-premise if you prefer.
Our customers work in every industry imaginable. From financial services to healthcare and biotech to government and defense and more, we work with our customers to address their specific needs.
Our products do not enforce a methodology on you, instead they let you work your way. Whether you work in agile development, Scrum, XP, Kanban and Lean, Waterfall, hybrid, or Scaled Agile Inflectra can help.
If you want to learn more about application delivery, testing, and more take a look at our whitepapers, videos, background papers, blog, and presentations.
Our suite of Accelerators speed up your deployment and adoption of our products, increasing your return on investment and reducing the cost of ownership.
We collaborate with a wide range of organizations to bring our customers a range of services (including load testing, training, and consulting), complimentary technologies, and specialized tools for specific industries.
Learn how different organizations have benefited from using Inflectra products to manage their software testing and application develooment.
Outstanding support is the foundation of our company. We make support a priority over all other work. Take a look at our support policy.
Discover great tips, discussions, and technical solutions from fellow customers and Inflectra's technical experts.
If you can't find the answer you're looking for, please get in touch with us: over email, phone, or online.
We are constantly creating new videos to help customers learn about our products, including through in depth webinars, all freely available along with a wide selection of presentations.
We provide a number of resources to help customers learn how to get the most out of our products, with free online resources, virtual classrooms, and face to face.
Read about Inflectra, our manifesto, and values. Meet our incredible customers who are building awesome things, and our leadership team that are committed to building a great company.
The Inflectra Blog contains articles on all aspects of the software lifecycle.
In addition we have whitepapers,
background articles, videos and
presentations to help get you started.
Events are a big part of our awesome customer service. They are a chance to learn more about us, our products, and how to level up your skills with our tools.
We partner with educational institutions and individuals all over the world. We are also a great place to work and encourage you to explore joining our team.
Please contact us with your questions, feedback, comments, or suggestions. We'll get back to you as soon as possible.
When you need additional assistance (be it training, consulting, or integration services) our global certified solution provider partner network is ready to help.
At Inflectra, we are fully committed to provide our customers with the very best products and customer service. Check out some of our recent awards.
We want to help developers extend and customize our tools to fit in with their needs. We provide robust APIs, sample code, and open source projects.