Difference between revisions of "Michael's Projects"

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From the vendor's point of view, the logic of commercial relationships always intervenes to limit customer service. For example, after-sales service is a cost which companies inevitably seek to reduce. Thus telephone assistance is often a paying service, or is delocalized to overseas [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Call_center call centers], or is replaced by [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IVR Interactive Voice Response] (IVR). How can we imagine a limitless improvement in customer service in the face of real-life economic constraints? We have to go outside of the box of commercial logic with the help of an abstract concept, an ideal, which I call "Total Customer Service."
 
From the vendor's point of view, the logic of commercial relationships always intervenes to limit customer service. For example, after-sales service is a cost which companies inevitably seek to reduce. Thus telephone assistance is often a paying service, or is delocalized to overseas [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Call_center call centers], or is replaced by [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IVR Interactive Voice Response] (IVR). How can we imagine a limitless improvement in customer service in the face of real-life economic constraints? We have to go outside of the box of commercial logic with the help of an abstract concept, an ideal, which I call "Total Customer Service."
  
The ideal of unlimited customer service is inherent in the marketing of a Convivial Tool. If we want to design a household appliance to be easily repaired by its owner, we must also design the after-sales cycle: long-term availability of spare parts, usable documentation, online assistance and so on. The better and more complete this design, the more it approaches Total Customer Service. But the logic of such an approach tends to conflict with the commercial interest of the vendor: the sale of new appliances declines as the durability is improved, and paying maintenance services disappear as customers become above to repair everything themselves.
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The ideal of unlimited customer service is inherent in the marketing of a Convivial Tool. To design a household appliance that its owner can easily repair, you must also design the after-sales cycle: long-term availability of spare parts, usable documentation, online assistance and so on. The better and more complete this design, the more it approaches Total Customer Service. But this approach tends to conflict with the commercial interests of the vendor: as the effective life appliances increases the sale of new models declines, and as customers become above to repair everything themselves the need for paying maintenance services disappears. In the long run you might even help the consumer to make his own tool, thus cutting the vendor entirely out the process.
  
 
(to be continued...)
 
(to be continued...)
  
 
[[Category:Projects]]
 
[[Category:Projects]]

Revision as of 19:01, 5 December 2009