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- Posting-date: 18 Dec 1992 18:51:00 -0500 (EST)
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- Date: Fri, 18 Dec 1992 11:36:00 -0500
- Sender: DEC's The Education Initiative Discussion List
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- Subject: Re: Info needed on CSLG and other TEI changes
- Lines: 65
-
- I would like to share a little "reality" with the TEI "family" about DEC not
- understanding us, DEC not knowing what "they" are doing, DEC not caring, etc.
- I can assure you that I have not been known as a "defender" of DEC, either
- at the local office level or with the EDU folks in DEC (ask Ellen Minter if
- doubt that).
- I was not pleased to hear that the TEI was being reworked and the net result
- was that we have to pay more, but I will say that if we have to have access to
- that level of hardware, software and services, we (education) still are being
- given a substantial break from commercial rates. We must not forget to give
- credit where credit is due and occasionally say "thank you".
-
- HOWEVER, I am sure the complaints that are being lodged are real and
- justified. Less expensive, should not mean less quality. That is not my
- expectation and I don't believe it is DEC's expectation.
- The complaints I am seeing seem to deal with the local sales person not
- having a clue. With DEC getting rid of people by the thousands, this is not
- going to get better, in fact you will be lucky if you can even find a local
- office person. Traditionally, the official DEC directive to contact your local
- sales rep has invoked laughter. Dave Cothrun, president of Taft College, has
- given his talk on "Training your DEC sales rep" several times at DECUS and the
- concept is more truth than fiction. It has always seemed like DEC trained
- their sales reps on the education accounts and once they knew what they were
- doing, they "moved on to the big time".
- Fortunately we seemed to have done better than average on this score in
- Rochester, but I do a fair amount of "educating" my sales rep on what we need
- to know when I return home from DECUS or read about in Digital Review, etc.
- The key to success in the case of our rep is that if she does not know, she
- turns to the DEC education group for answers. If your local rep contacts Ellen
- Minter and her group there is no way they can be getting bad information
- because that is the group that sets education marketing policy. If you get
- confusing or conflicting answers, send your rep back to get things clarified.
- If you can't find your local sales rep or they prove themselves to be truly
- worthless, you can contact the TEI Hotline by E-mail.
- Ellen Minter indicated in her presentation at DECUS that DEC is trying to
- put together a database system in DECdirect so they will be able to have the
- correct education price for any item at their fingertips (what a concept,
- computers solving problems!!!).
- I feel it is fair to continue to point out where DEC is missing the mark on
- pricing, product capability, and keeping us informed. I would like to see it
- presented more in the light of, "this is a problem for us, couldn't you do
- this to solve that problem?", rather than "DEC can't do anything right and
- they don't care, etc".
- Let's do our best to help DEC help us. If we can't come to an mutually
- satisfactory solution then we have many other options to consider. Things
- change very fast nowadays, and I think DEC is trying hard to keep pace. If
- they can react and it fits our needs and our pocketbook RIT would like to
- continue our long standing relationship with DEC. If they can't, oh well!! I
- do want to give DEC every opportunity to continue to be a primary vendor for
- RIT, however. Seeking out new solutions for everything DEC now provides us
- through TEI, even at the new pricing, would be a nightmare. If 50% price
- increases (my estimate of the impact on RIT's TEI cost) become an annul event,
- however, that opinion will change.
-
-
- - Newt-
-
- Newton J. Munson
- Associate Director of Academic Computing
- and User Services
- Rochester Institute of Technology
- One Lomb Memorial Drive
- Rochester, NY 14623-0887
- internet: NJMACC@ISC.RIT.EDU
- bitnet: NJMACC@RITVAX
- (716) 475-2809
-