Credibility LO14798 -Comments

JOE_PODOLSKY@HP-PaloAlto-om4.om.hp.com
Fri, 29 Aug 97 08:29:16 -0700

Replying to LO14692 --

Joe,

Charles forwarded your Joe's Jotting #75 to Singapore ITD. You ask
for some suggestions or feedback and I hope you do not mind my feedback. I
found what you say about building credibility with the users very true. From

my experience, supporting the production line people, it is especially true
that we must visit them once in a while and to help them with any IT related

issues. I found that PL Supervisors like the system to be automated as much
as possible and do not have the means to do it. So it is up to the IT
support to take the initiative to help them.

I support a systems that allows them to scrap parts from the production
line. The PL supervisors have to log on to HP3000 machines to run the
application. With a little effort of setting up scripts to automatically log

on for them, it makes it easier for them to log on. The appreciation they
give is well worth the time going to every PL to set up scripts for all of
them. Furthermore when I took over the support, there were always issues
regarding the scrap application. I notice that it is not because of the
application but the human factor that is causing all these issues. Hence, I
wrote a User's Guide and gave all the PL supervisors hands on refresher
training. With these, it does not only eliminated all the issues but also
cut my support time down by nearly 90%.

I believe that IT support personnel should do one step more than their job
scope required to build user's confidence & credibility. When we get
difficult users, we should not look at them as troublesome users but as a
challenge. And when you can meet or go beyond their expectations, their
appreciation will make the time worth while. I hope we will get more of your

Joe's Jotting in the future. Thank you for taking the time to put your
thought down on paper & share with us.

Regards,

Stanley Toh
Singapore IT

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Ruminations on Customer Feedback and surveys.....
(raised in a response to this jottings by Peter Naus)


I'm more likely to respond to a survey if I'm extremely dissatisfied or if
I'm extremely satisfied. Less likely if I'm neutral on the surveyor. If
other folks feel the same way, wouldn't this create a bimodal distribution
in the results?

If vendor/supplier/partners were doing their jobs right, would the survey be

necessary in the first place? Are surveys really an indicator of poor
feedback or information flow within the surveying company?

If I get a bribe [even a bribe of a current, desirable product], does that
influence my answers? Is the survey still valid, then? Do you allow for
that?

Beware in survey design! I've seen ambiguous questions which I don't think
the creators of the survey intended to be ambiguous! Beware of questions
which beg a positive answer (or negative). Many surveys are tainted by the
desire of the surveyors to get the answers they want to get. (Try reading
some of our political parties' "surveys" around election time: they want
the money, and I'd bet the donation I might have given that the answers
never change any directions for the party doing the survey. And can tell
pretty easily what the "right" [or left] answers are!) Is that true of your

company or organization, too?

Alan Falk
HP Cupertino

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JOE_PODOLSKY@HP-PaloAlto-om4.om.hp.com

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