ISPs take heed: the customer is always right

The emergence of products and services that measure the performance of networks and websites is one of the characteristics of a medium that is just getting out of short trousers.

And it's about time IT directors for companies that now, in many cases, bet businesses on the internet have some kind of assurance.

silicon.com frequently hears from users who feel let down by suppliers. That has always happened in all types of business, only nowadays it's often hard to prove when performance has been poor.

Using the example of ISPs, dropped packets may only have a slight affect on a business, but there will be times when shortcomings are critical.

It isn't surprising most of the ISPs we tried to talk to had little to say about iowatch's service. Fessing up when things go wrong isn't likely to be high on their corporate agenda.

However, as users are empowered by the latest monitoring tool or service there should be canny service providers out there realising that properly drawn up service level agreements, in conjunction with a degree of honesty, can actually win customers.

In the US, retailer Nordstrom is renowned for its returns policy. It wasn't that long ago that Marks and Spencer in the UK had a similar reputation, and an accompanying AAA rating.

Even in the age of high-tech, the customer should always be right.