Commentary Archive

Farhad Manjoo’s excellent column in Fast Company explores the pitfalls of “free”, which is fascinating to us as we provide for our client’s current and future technology needs. 

“The Linux operating system is free, however netbooks running Windows outsell Linux 9 to one. Why? A mere savings of about $20.00 (Linux) saddles customers with a machine that does much less” (hardly free over the long haul). 

“Free” often costs too much, weighed down with hassles that we are eventually all happy to pay ‘a little’ to do without. Even Gmail and the office suite are free, however if you want tech support you have to pay.

Case in point: in an attempt to broaden market share, RIM recently released a free version of the Blackberry Enterprise Server (BES), which has been downloaded by hundreds. When we asked Blackberry respresentatives how many of these downloads had actually been registered, the answer was ‘very few’. Why? Because most clients come to recognize that specific expertise is required to deploy BES - expertise that our clients may not possess.

Some versions of virus protection software are “free”, however paid subscriptions far outpace free versions in the business world. “Free” comes with limited or no support, management difficulties or reduced functionality – a kind of trial ‘bait and switch’. Free makes us suffer advertising or reminders or watermarks - all irritants that lead us to eventually pay if the product has value.

For us, the kicker is this statement: “Customers are willing to pay for nominally free products because they understand that only when money changes hands does the seller become reliably responsible to the buyer”. Well said. 

What do you think? feedback@digitalio.com

http://www.fastcompany.com/magazine/139/tech-edge-the-high-cost-of-free.html

The definition that we like the most is: “At precisely the moment when your current phone system no longer fulfills modern business needs”.

We become comfortable with our older (legacy) systems, and it is far easier to avoid change (continuing to live with limitations) than is it to face the stress of selecting, changing to, and learning to use a new phone system.

It is precisely because we depend so heavily on our phone systems (as well as being the outside world’s primary way to contact us) that we are obligated to regularly revisit whether our current setup is getting the job done.

Increasingly needing to do more with less, the tools that we choose becomes ever more important for increasing productivity, as well as in presenting a professional image to our clients.

Questions to ask of your business:

• Are we handling multiple inbound calls well?
• Can clients connect with the right party in less 15 seconds or less?
• Does our voice mail sound professional, and is it easy to use?
• Can we conference callers together in an efficient way?
• Are customers greeted in a professional manner prior to selecting options in our auto attendant?
• Do we have music on hold? Better yet, do we have a professionally produced company announcement while on hold?
• How long has it been since audited our auto attendant (make sure it works correctly)?
• Can we answer every single call efficiently even when we are not in the office?
• If a prospect calls for the first time and receives a busy signal, will that prospect redial or will they take their business elsewhere?
• Do you know for sure whether your business is being negatively impacted by one or more of these issues?

If the answer to any of these questions is no (or you are unsure), it may be time to consider a change. Digital I/O offers evaluations without cost and no obligation to purchase. This is a great way to find out how your current system compares with features currently offered by industry leaders.

Our commitment is to provide our clients with extraordinary service, every day. 

Digital I/O’s growth over the past 15 years is based primarily on referrals, which depends entirely on client satisfaction. Our clients have been with us, on average, for over 7 years – some for 14 years.  

We will make every possible effort to serve our clients above and beyond their expectations.