Unfortunately, I have nothing more to add but to join with the consensus here. We're having similar support experiences: - knowledgebase no longer usable - communication barriers with overseas support - initial ticket responses that do little more than satisfy the SLA - requests for log files that are already included in the ticket - directives to upgrade (as if that will solve all our problems!) - lack of initial response for tickets (I submitted one Friday to which I've received NO response and we waited 4 hours this morning for a 'server down' issue! The response was, "we were in a team meeting so we couldn't look at the worklog")
On occasion, the service is fast and spot on - probably holdovers from the old Remedy regime. Never thought I'd be saying, 'those were the good old days' in regards to technology... -----Original Message----- From: Action Request System discussion list(ARSList) [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of Susan Palmer Sent: Tuesday, June 12, 2007 2:36 PM To: arslist@ARSLIST.ORG Subject: Re: BMC Rant ------=_Part_18267_15502493.1181684144702 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1; format=flowed Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Content-Disposition: inline I have found when I put the logs on initially they barely look at them if the ticket goes overseas and often ask for the log that is already there. I try to be diligent and know the drills and include every log I can think of demonstrating the issue. Sometimes requiring several updates to the tickets since you are limited as to how many you can attach at one time. I am always asked for additional things and when I ask why they need them there's no answer especially when I know the info doesn't matter. I guess one issue I have is that when I finally get the initial first contact back to me, the following contacts take quite a while. It appears the first contact satisfies the SLA and then it doesn't seem to count after that. They tend to leave the status in Customer Response like they are waiting for something from me. If the ticket ends up in India it seems to stay there. I understand the concept of follow the sun, but the tickets don't. I guess it's too difficult to doc what they've done and let the next person take over. I've found part of it is timing ... knowing when to submit that ticket. But it's nothing I can change nor seem to be able to influence. Therefore .... I have to let go. No more soap box for today ... maybe even for this week! Susan On 6/12/07, strauss <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > > ** You must not have ever worked with Microsoft premium or paid > support; IMHO, for server products, they have no competition. In my > personal experience, they will not let you hang up the phone until they are > satisfied that the problem has been solved (one call lasted from 1 AM to 4 > AM - they remained on the toll-free line during all of the re-starts of DNS > and AD), and then they follow up for several days afterwards to make sure > that you completed all necessary actions to prevent reoccurrence of the > problem, and they help you document the solution. I have only had to use it > twice, but it was exceptional. Not to be confused with "free" support for > consumer products, which NO ONE does well. > > I must miss out on a lot of the frustration others have experienced by not > having/paying for BMC phone support. When I submit a new issue on the web > it is usually accompanied by a long explanation of what I have seen and > tried, and loads of log files and other data. These tickets don't spend > much time with overseas frontline techs - they are quickly > baffled/overwhelmed and escalate the ticket to someone who might know > something. Once you reach the second level of BMC support, especially with > some of the more experienced people, response tends to be much better and > quite often they begin a steady interchange with the backline engineers on > your behalf. If the problem is serious, they start calling me (I can't call > them) and scheduling webexes with the engineers watching to see the problem > in action. On the other hand, on those occasions when I just casually (or > impatiently) toss a newly observed application error into the submission > form without logs or other detail, I know that I can expect to pay for it > later answering successive, inane questions from frontline techs who are > just following their troubleshooting scripts. The process takes longer > since I did not perform due diligence troubleshooting up front, and report > all of my results in the initial ticket submission. > > Christopher Strauss, Ph.D. > Remedy Database Administrator > University of North Texas Computing Center > http://remedy.unt.edu/helpdesk/ > > > ------------------------------ > *From:* Action Request System discussion list(ARSList) [mailto: > [EMAIL PROTECTED] *On Behalf Of *Pierson, Shawn > *Sent:* Tuesday, June 12, 2007 3:21 PM > *To:* arslist@ARSLIST.ORG > *Subject:* Re: BMC Rant > > > ** I agree completely with what you've written, and I've had to deal with > pretty much everything you wrote here within the past few months. I've got > a high priority ticket open right now that I haven't heard from BMC support > in a few days now, despite updating the ticket asking for a call. > > On the other hand, other companies are much worse. Microsoft's support is > a joke, and Adobe is abysmal. I was working on an Adobe product that was > having issues and their average response time for a server down is about a > month, based on my experiences. They also randomly close out their tickets > and ask you to open a new one if you still have the problem. On my recent > server down with Adobe, I had to complain to my sales rep, who then pawned > it off on someone else, and eventually it was dropped again until I told my > sales rep that we were starting to evaluate what other software we could use > since support for their products were non-existent. That worked, my issue > got escalated up to the VP over Adobe's support staff. The issue was > eventually resolved. > > So while I do feel that on average customer support is getting worse and > worse, I really wish that a company whose flagship product is used for > helpdesks around the world wouldn't follow that trend. > > __20060125_______________________This posting was submitted with HTML in > it___ > ________________________________________________________________________ _______ UNSUBSCRIBE or access ARSlist Archives at www.arslist.org ARSlist:"Where the Answers Are" ------=_Part_18267_15502493.1181684144702 Content-Type: text/html; charset=ISO-8859-1 Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable Content-Disposition: inline ** <div>I have found when I put the logs on initially they barely look at= them if the ticket goes overseas and often ask for the log that is already= there. I try to be diligent and know the drills and include eve= ry log I can think of demonstrating the issue. Sometimes requiring se= veral updates to the tickets since you are limited as to how many you can a= ttach at one time. I am always asked for additional things and when I= ask why they need them there's no answer especially when I know the in= fo doesn't matter. =20 </div> <div> </div> <div>I guess one issue I have is that when I finally get the initial first = contact back to me, the following contacts take quite a while. It app= ears the first contact satisfies the SLA and then it doesn't seem to co= unt after that. They tend to leave the status in Customer Response li= ke they are waiting for something from me. If the ticket e= nds up in India it seems to stay there. I understand the concept of f= ollow the sun, but the tickets don't. I guess it's too diffic= ult to doc what they've done and let the next person take over. I= 've found part of it is timing ... knowing when to submit that ticket.&= nbsp;=20 </div> <div> </div> <div>But it's nothing I can change nor seem to be able to influence.&nb= sp; Therefore .... I have to let go. No more soap box for today ... m= aybe even for this week!</div> <div> </div> <div>Susan</div> <div> </div> <div><br> </div> <div><span class=3D"gmail_quote">On 6/12/07, <b class=3D"gmail_sendername">= strauss</b> <<a href=3D"mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]">[EMAIL PROTECTED] y.acs.unt.edu</a>> wrote:</span> <blockquote class=3D"gmail_quote" style=3D"PADDING-LEFT: 1ex; MARGIN: 0px 0= px 0px 0.8ex; BORDER-LEFT: #ccc 1px solid">**=20 <div> <div dir=3D"ltr" align=3D"left"><span><font face=3D"Arial" color=3D"#0000ff= " size=3D"2">You must not have ever worked with Microsoft premium or paid s= upport; IMHO, for server products, they have no competition. &nbs= p;In my personal experience, they will not let you hang up the phone until = they are satisfied that the problem has been solved (one call lasted from 1= AM to 4 AM - they remained on the toll-free line during all of the re= -starts of DNS and AD), and then they follow up for several days afterwards= to make sure that you completed all necessary actions to prevent reoc= currence of the problem, and they help you document the solution. I h= ave only had to use it twice, but it was exceptional. Not to be confu= sed with "free" support for consumer products, which NO ONE does = well. </font></span></div> <div dir=3D"ltr" align=3D"left"><span><font face=3D"Arial" color=3D"#0000ff= " size=3D"2"></font></span> </div> <div dir=3D"ltr" align=3D"left"><span><font face=3D"Arial" color=3D"#0000ff= " size=3D"2">I must miss out on a lot of the frustration others have experi= enced by not having/paying for BMC phone support. When I submit = a new issue on the web it is usually accompanied by a long explanation of w= hat I have seen and tried, and loads of log files and other data. The= se tickets don't spend much time with overseas frontline techs - they a= re quickly baffled/overwhelmed and escalate the ticket to someone who might= know something. Once you reach the second level of BMC support, espe= cially with some of the more experienced people, response tends to be much = better and quite often they begin a steady interchange with the backline en= gineers on your behalf. If the problem is serious, they start calling= me (I can't call them) and scheduling webexes with the engineers watch= ing to see the problem in action. On the other hand, on those occasio= ns when I just casually (or impatiently) toss a newly observed application = error into the submission form without logs or other detail, I know that I = can expect to pay for it later answering successive, inane questions from f= rontline techs who are just following their troubleshooting scripts. = The process takes longer since I did not perform due diligence troubleshoot= ing up front, and report all of my results in the initial ticket submission= . </font></span></div> <p><font size=3D"2">Christopher Strauss, Ph.D.<br>Remedy Database Administr= ator<br>University of North Texas Computing Center<br><a onclick=3D"return = top.js.OpenExtLink(window,event,this)" href=3D"http://remedy.unt.edu/helpde= sk/" target=3D"_blank"> http://remedy.unt.edu/helpdesk/</a></font> </p> <div> </div><br> <blockquote style=3D"PADDING-LEFT: 5px; MARGIN-LEFT: 5px; BORDER-LEFT: #000= 0ff 2px solid; MARGIN-RIGHT: 0px"> <div lang=3D"en-us" dir=3D"ltr" align=3D"left"> <hr> <font face=3D"Tahoma" size=3D"2"><b>From:</b> Action Request System discuss= ion list(ARSList) [mailto:<a onclick=3D"return top.js.OpenExtLink(window,ev= ent,this)" href=3D"mailto:arslist@ARSLIST.ORG"; target=3D"_blank">[EMAIL PROTECTED] SLIST.ORG </a>] <b>On Behalf Of </b>Pierson, Shawn<br><b>Sent:</b> Tuesday, June 12, = 2007 3:21 PM<br><b>To:</b> <a onclick=3D"return top.js.OpenExtLink(window,e= vent,this)" href=3D"mailto:arslist@ARSLIST.ORG"; target=3D"_blank">[EMAIL PROTECTED] RSLIST.ORG </a><br><b>Subject:</b> Re: BMC Rant<br></font><br> </div><span class= =3D"q"> <div></div>**=20 <div><span><font face=3D"Arial" color=3D"#0000ff" size=3D"2">I agree comple= tely with what you've written, and I've had to deal with pretty muc= h everything you wrote here within the past few months. I've got = a high priority ticket open right now that I haven't heard from BM= C support in a few days now, despite updating the ticket asking for a call. </font></span></div> <div><span><font face=3D"Arial" color=3D"#0000ff" size=3D"2"></font></span>= </div> <div><span><font face=3D"Arial" color=3D"#0000ff" size=3D"2">On the other h= and, other companies are much worse. Microsoft's support is a jok= e, and Adobe is abysmal. I was working on an Adobe product that was h= aving issues and their average response time for a server down is about a m= onth, based on my experiences. They also randomly close out their tic= kets and ask you to open a new one if you still have the problem. On = my recent server down with Adobe, I had to complain to my sales rep, who th= en pawned it off on someone else, and eventually it was dropped again until= I told my sales rep that we were starting to evaluate what other software = we could use since support for their products were non-existent. That= worked, my issue got escalated up to the VP over Adobe's support staff= . The issue was eventually resolved. </font></span></div> <div><span><font face=3D"Arial" color=3D"#0000ff" size=3D"2"></font></span>= </div> <div><span><font face=3D"Arial" color=3D"#0000ff" size=3D"2">So while I do = feel that on average customer support is getting worse and worse, I really = wish that a company whose flagship product is used for helpdesks around the= world wouldn't follow that trend. </font></span></div></span></blockquote></div> <div><span class=3D"e" id=3D"q_11321bcba92a2a0d_3">__20060125______________= _________This posting was submitted with HTML in it___ </span></div></block= quote></div><br> __20060125_______________________This posting was submitted with HTML in it___ ------=_Part_18267_15502493.1181684144702-- _______________________________________________________________________________ UNSUBSCRIBE or access ARSlist Archives at www.arslist.org ARSlist:"Where the Answers Are"
