The Vice President of Microsoft's Product Support Services (PSS) Division has asked the Director of Marketing, Trish
Question:
The Vice President of Microsoft's Product Support Services (PSS) Division has asked the Director of Marketing, Trish May, to lead a task force. The task force must formulate the firm's technical support efforts. Previously, each product manager determined support service policy for his or her product. Because Microsoft marketed over 150 products, the result was a hodgepodge of service offerings that customers found confusing. Moreover, some customers were angry because they were being forced to pay for service they didn't need on basic products, while others were dissatisfied because they could not get prompt service on more technical products even though they were willing to pay extra. In addition to customer disenchantment, the task force would have to find a way to slow escalating service costs that threatened long-term company profitability. Trish and her task force have to devise an overall strategy for support services.
After reading the case, provide detailed discussions of the following issues:
What factors suggest that Microsoft's PSS Division needs a more comprehensive and flexible approach for its service offerings?
Based upon the guidelines senior management provided, what product support strategy has Microsoft envisioned?
How should the Microsoft Support Network 1.0 be structured? Which services should be offered "free or standard", optional for an additional fee, or not offered. Use Exhibit 5 in the case as a guideline.
What implementation problems should PSS managers anticipate and how can they overcome them?
Auditing Cases An Interactive Learning Approach
ISBN: 978-0133852103
6th edition
Authors: Mark S. Beasley, Frank A. Buckless, Steven M. Glover, Douglas F. Prawitt