To Dell and back with Michael's customer service

Following one passing reference to Dell in the Silicon.com Weekly Round-Up a fortnight ago, we've heard from a large number of the company's customers, all of whom agree that its customer service is appalling.

We published a news story on the back of these complaints (see 'Dell admits it failed customers'' http://www.silicon.com/a35090 ), which in turn generated a lot more criticism. In fact, we've never seen such response to a story about an IT company's failings.

But is this a fair reflection of the situation? Maybe not. True, some of the things our readers complained about are more than one-off cock-ups. They reveal that Dell has some serious operational issues, and in particular seems to lack an integrated approach to its various functions.

One reader emailed us, saying: "The existing processes instill an isolation effect in which every individual in every customer-facing section operates in total autonomy... This is most apparent in the account managers' attitude, where they are allowed to state to customers that they are not responsible for after-sales care and it is not within their remit to sort disputes between the finance section and a customer. Fantastic service."

Another added: "We have had problems with delivery at Dell to the extent that we have had to take them off our list of preferred suppliers. In particular, the delivery of one server took five weeks rather than the ten days quoted, and the order was 'lost' twice during that period. It didn't help that the sales staff didn't know what was going on."

Dell told us that it is aware of these problems, and has implemented a cross-functional investigation into its processes.

However, it's our opinion that every IT supplier has as just as many angry customers as Dell. It's just that we don't hear from them.

There are two reasons for this. Firstly, Michael Dell prides himself on how great his company's customer service is. It has raised the expectations of its customers to the point where they cannot easily be fulfilled. If, as a consumer, you expect - and get - shoddy treatment, you don't complain. If you're promised the earth and only receive a small patch of wasteland outside Birmingham, you feel aggrieved.

Secondly, Dell has no channel. There are no resellers to take the flak for poor after-sales service. No other vendor is in quite the same position - and this perhaps partially explains their reluctance to switch whole-heartedly to a direct model.

Dell should worry that one of our correspondents believes that the situation has worsened since the company allied with Wang: after all, Wang was supposed to bring support expertise to the party.

Another reader with inside knowledge of Dell's call centre in Texas alleged that the main problem is how senior managers treat their staff (see this Friday's Weekly Round-Up for more on this).

But fundamentally, Dell is no better - or worse - than any other company. It's simply become a victim of its own rhetoric.