Has anyone noticed how it's the software SKUs that gather all the complaints?
It's because software companies get to act like criminals and then act as if software is in a special category.
For example; I can go over to the wood worker forums and learn what tools will actually work... because the vast majority of those products actually do exactly what they are described to do... and if they don't they all come with 100% satisfaction money back guaranties. If a product doesn't work as it is supposed to... you are not stuck with a turkey... you return it and you get to leave satisfied.
The software industry pretends like it can't afford to satisfy customers.
The software industry pretends like we can't expect software to satisfy our expectations.
The software industry depends on us being slightly less aggravated with the latest update than the previous update. The software industry barely manages to operate successfully on that premise.
The software industry collectively acts as if it is above all that and so has never conformed to the norms of customer service. It has ended up with a situation where fairly tame people act out the part of shell game criminals.
Year in year out.
It's no wonder a software engineer or support person may become depressed as they come to realize their role in the conspiracy.
But, there is hope:
Retail Boot Camp 
Here is a program that reminds vendors and retailers what a customer is, how to attract customers, how to keep customers, and
how to stay in business.
If I was charged with managing a software business that aspired to last more than the time it took to sell the business to a larger business I'd send every employee to the
Retail Boot Camp so that the employees and managers had some chance to understand how the equation works.
A lot of software business managers never had any management training, let alone retail training. They just became managers when someone else threw in the towel and quit.
A lot of software business customer service representatives never had any customer service training, let alone retail training. They just evolve from having some knowledge of the product category and slowly rise to the occasion of becoming a blunt force instrument of misunderstanding.
Here's an example; What happens when a company official responds to a customer who claims that a credit card will not process on said companies web store by stating that every thing is running smoothly? What happens when the official reply paraphrase as
"we checked, you're wrong... it works great" and then another dozen potential customers respond with claims that paraphrases as
"no, in fact you website is refusing to take our money"? What happens then?
Retail Boot Camp covers that stuff.
Here's an example; What happens when a company official responds to a customer who claims that a product is ranked a number one value at some web site by saying that the website doing the ranking is "wrong" (that's a direct quote) and then adds to the blunder by quoting a incorrect price?
What happens when a company official emphatically demonstrates that he is is unfamiliar with the actual retail price of the premier product that he is charged with representing? Let me recap that; A website announces that "SONAR" is a best value. A Cakewalk official replies with something that para phrases as "that website is
wrong... SONAR is an even better value than the website says" and then makes a statement about price that is so "wrong" that the statement is not only retracted, but is vaporized as the only acknowledgement of the embarrassing outburst.
What happens then?
Retail Boot Camp covers that stuff.
I'm guessing that there must be very few employees at software companies that have ever had a job out in the real world and that's why they complain in their *e-diaries* when the real world comes knocking at the door asking for justice.
best regards,
mike
edit spelling
post edited by mike_mccue - 2013/02/04 09:01:07