Once in a while we encounter equipment or software that you have purchased elsewhere, but you want CSI to actively support you with it moving forward. The reality with some of these vendors is that we are not allowed to call for technical assistance or even to place a service call on your behalf unless we are explicitly named on the equipment or software's support contract. In many cases techs actually have to be explicitly named.
If we are calling for you, chances are that something bad has happened which is why you are asking for our help. However, we may be powerless to quickly help you without your permission or in some cases the vendor who sold the equipment's permission. I had a recent case where I was attempting to place a simple support call to finish an RMA. I was politely told I was not on the contract. The client had to ask the selling vendor to add me to the contract. The selling vendor had moved on to other things and wasn't motivated to drop everything to help us support the client instead of them. A week later the equipment manufacturer sent me an email that announced I was on the contract!
A week is a long time.
As you review and plan to renew your vendor support contracts, please reach out to Lisa and Donna to make sure what you want to happen can happen promptly. There is no worse feeling than being prevented from helping you over bureaucracy.
If you are not sure what contracts we are named on and what we aren't, call and we'll help you figure it out.
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