January 2007 - Posts

• Michael Dell Resumes Duties as CEO, Stays on as Chairman of the Board

  Wed. Jan. 31, 2007
  by Lionel Menchaca, Chief Blogger

  Michael Dell was the CEO of the company until 2004. Now he's CEO again.

  Kevin Rollins joined Dell in 1996, and became CEO in 2004. During his tenure here, he was instrumental in globalizing Dell's direct model. He also navigated Dell through the dot-com downturn. We thank him for his many contributions over the years.

  Here's a quick video of Michael's thoughts on the situation.
  

  Format: flv Duration: 0:16

  Downloads WMV  MP4  OGG

  
  

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• More Details on Dell's Vista Upgrade Program

  Tue. Jan. 30, 2007
  by Lionel Menchaca, Chief Blogger

  So we're all on the same page, Michelle Pearcy's description of our Vista upgrade program was our first blog entry on the topic. This entry is the second.
  

   I wanted to apologize to several Direct2Dell readers like Tom, Neeraj, Steven Brown, Samantha Doyle and others who have experienced issues with the www.dellvistaupgrade.com site. For several of you, the site would not recognize your service tag number once you entered it in. We've since fixed the issue which should allow all customers who meet the eligibility requirements (see below) to register for their Vista upgrades. We will process all upgrade requests up to March 31, 2007.

  Update: My apologies folks... wasn't trying to mislead anyone here. The reality is that we're still working through some issues with the www.dellvistaupgrade.com site. Performance of the site is slow as well due to the huge increase in traffic. Will share more details when I have them. LM
  

  We expect to begin shipping upgrade kits to customers within the next couple of weeks. In addition to the Vista upgrade, customers will also receive a driver DVD that will contain drivers specific to their system. We'll blog more about this in the near future.
  

  Here's a link to the FAQ from the Dell Vista Upgrade site, and here are the requirements as listed on that site:
  

  Eligibility Requirements for Vista Upgrade

  In order to be eligible for this program, you must have ordered an eligible Windows Vista Capable¹ computer from Dell between October 26th, 2006 and March 15, 2007 with Genuine Windows® XP Home Edition, Genuine Windows XP Media Center Edition 2005 or Genuine Windows XP Professional pre-installed.

  1Based on currently available information from Microsoft. Requirements subject to change. Since the operating system and drivers are not final at this time, Windows Vista has not been tested on all user configurations. Dell systems must be configured with a minimum of 512MB system memory (RAM) for “Windows Vista Capable” designation. Systems which meet only minimum requirements for the “Windows Vista Capable” designation will not provide the full benefits of “Premium Ready,” including the Aero interface. Some Dell systems may not meet the requirements for “Premium Ready,” no matter the configuration.

  Update: Forgot to include the list of eligible Dell systems in this post.
  

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• Something Vista This Way Comes

  Mon. Jan. 29, 2007
  by Lionel Menchaca, Chief Blogger

  Later today, Microsoft announces availability of Windows Vista and Office 2007. Kevin Rollins and Alex Gruzen, our senior VP of the Consumer Product Group will be on hand at the event in New York City. You can tune into a webcast of Microsoft's event beginning at 4:45pm EST.

  Dell will begin shipping notebooks and desktops tomorrow (Tuesday, January 30) on all but two of our Dimension desktop and Inspiron notebook products. To answer questions from Direct2Dell readers Reggie and Noel Burke: unfortunately, we won't be shipping Vista right away on the XPS 710 and the XPS 710 H2C. We still have more testing and optimization on high-end graphics card drivers left to do.

  Update: Beyond graphics card drivers, we're still working through testing Vista compatibility with some gaming software and certain gaming peripherals.
  

  In my post over the weekend, I mentioned that we will ship Vista in the following languages: English, French, German, Spanish and Japanese. We expect to ship additional languages over the next couple of weeks and beyond.

  Lastly, wanted to include this vlog from Daniel Judd, who's blogged about Vista system requirements and is part of the Dell team that's launching it. He touches on some of the testing Dell has done leading up to this launch and also highlights some of the features he likes in the new OS.

  Format: flv Duration: 4:36

  Downloads WMV  MP4  OGG

   More on Vista tomorrow.
  
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• Evolution of Dell's eSupport

  Sat. Jan. 27, 2007
  by Todd Penner, Director - Global eSupport

  Support.dell.com (SDC) is the core of Dell’s global service and support portal. Launched in 1998, the SDC portal continues to evolve. We have made many critical enhancements in the last year, but know that many areas of the portal that can still be improved. We give customers the ability to provide feedback via online surveys, chat room interaction and very recently, the page level feedback link. I’m posting now for the first time on the Dell blog to give you another way to share you thoughts on what we can improve. I also wanted to share a couple of examples of changes we’ve made based on feedback we've received.
  

  Drivers and Downloads:
  

  Frequently mentioned issues:
  

  • It’s very difficult to find the right drivers for my system
  • Too many results that don't apply to me when I search
    

  Changes made:
  

  • Simplified the process so that the steps to get the driver you need are clearly defined: 1) Select your product 2) Select your operating system 3) Select language, and Go.
  • Improved search allows you to filter results based on what you need (still an area that needs more enhancements, but we are working on them as we speak…so stay tuned).
    

  Windows Vista Support:

  Frequently mentioned issues:

  • I would like to upgrade to Vista, where do I get information?
  • Would like a dedicated area for Vista support
    

  Changes made:

  • Introduced the Windows Vista Center site
  • From that main site, information is centralized under three main tabs: Before Your Installation, During Your Installation, and After Your Installation
  • Added links on the main page to the Dell Community Forum Vista threads, the Dell Express Upgrade to Windows Vista site, and the Windows Vista Readiness tool
    

  The Dell support team has a very simple goal: to provide you with the best online support available anywhere, anytime. Your feedback will always be important, so please continue to share your ideas with us. Moving forward, I’ll try to blog about enhancements and provide insight into things we’re considering down the road.
  
  

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• Shortest Direct2Dell Post Ever

  Fri. Jan. 26, 2007
  by Lionel Menchaca, Chief Blogger

  Just a little while ago, we started taking orders of systems with Windows Vista. Initial roll-out of systems with Vista will be in English, French, German, Spanish and Japanese.

  Here's the link for a Dell desktop with Vista; here's the link for a Dell notebook with Vista. 

  More details next week. 

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• A Few Days Into SB360

  Fri. Jan. 26, 2007
  by Sean McDonald, Director, Global Online Community

  As Tom mentioned recently, the Dell Small Business Team launched SB360—an online resource designed for small businesses users to share and learn aspects of starting and growing a business. Dell Community Forum mirrored the SB360 launch with 6 small business interest groups. These interest groups are destinations for small business owners, consultants, entrepreneurs, and wanna-be’s to openly ask any question around your starting/growing your business, current/future technology purchases, expanding the usage model of your technology.

   

  No topic is too small. There is no dumb question.

   

  So what have we heard so far?  User Monil C.  asks questions about products.  Others, like Renovation1 wonder if a wireless-enabled PDA is enough to meet their mobility needs.

   

  In our view, there’s is no need for a small business owner to struggle with technology.  Just because you do not have a technology advisor, does not make your business any less dependant on technology.

   

  We’ve worked to make the forum easy to use, and it does not require a purchase from Dell. With your participation, we can build this into a resource that allows you to use technology more efficiently to run your small business. If you find it useful, please consider exploring the forum, bookmark it, and encourage your employees to use it as a resource. If you don’t like it, or think of things we can do to make it more useful, please share those thoughts as well.

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• Shoppers' Choice Award for Service & Support

  Tue. Jan. 23, 2007
  by Dick Hunter, VP—Customer Experience and Support

  As many of you know – and if you don’t you should – we are listening and moving quickly to improve our service and support. It is my responsibility to make sure that our service and support representatives have the resources they need to provide you the best care and support possible. And as we’ve said on many occasions, including in this forum, we are investing $150 million to expand our call-center network, hire and train additional technicians, add new online tools like DellConnect, and change business practices that caused you frustration (removal of rebates, expanding warranties, etc.).

  Just as we’ve been honest about where we need to improve, we think it’s fair to point out a few successes. We have a long way to go, and we’re not a company that spends much time recognizing successes, but we have seen some positive trends. For instance, the time a customer spends in our call queues has dropped by 70 percent and we’ve seen a 20 percent improvement in resolution rates. This tells me that we’re investing in the right areas.

  Two recent external factors also show improvement. We recently were chosen for best service and support for the ComputerShopper.com 21^st annual Shopper’s Choice Awards, and won six best-product categories with runner-ups in four additional categories. We received more awards than any other company in the survey.

  Another is very meaningful for me and my team. In a “Tech Support Showdown” in Smart Computing magazine, we earned second place among seven companies. All companies were rated for hold times, competence, attitude and mastery of English. Phone technicians were given the same baseline equipment to diagnose with the same three problems: loss of a volume-control icon, non detection of wireless networks and the vague complaint of a slow-running computer. For us, the story notes some issues with logging of customer information and transfers – issues we know exist and we’re working on – but were largely offset by very good work by the technicians. In the end, the magazine said our team gave “an all around tour de force performance.”

  We know there is much work to be done before we’re happy with the support we provide you. While we continue to improve, we thank you for speaking out and ask that you keep sharing your thoughts with us, so we can make even greater strides in positively engaging with you.

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• Social Media Press Releases

  Mon. Jan. 22, 2007
  by Lionel Menchaca, Chief Blogger

  Doing some weekend reading, I saw lively discussions that were picked up again as the topic of social media press releases took center stage at a Third Thursday meeting in San Francisco last week. Shel Holtz posted a podcast of the whole discussion.
  

  Stowe Boyd and Robert Scoble both recommend killing the social media press release. I don't agree, but more on that later. Beyond this, Robert asks why companies don't use blogs as the sole vehicle to distribute news. A few reasons:
  

  • As widespread as they are, blogs are far from mainstream. This is especially true with corporate blogs. In October last year, SocialText said, only about 8% of Fortune 500 companies are blogging.  Even in high tech, only about a third of Fortune 500 companies have blogs. More important than the number of blogs is blog readership. While Direct2Dell is on track to hit over 1.5 million page views for January, it's still only reaching a small fraction of our customers.
    
  • In the blog-only model, it quickly becomes difficult to distinguish what's official news.
    
  • Some news (like financial data) are governed by laws. Those laws often dictate both the level of information and the timing on when that news has to be shared. Even if the blog-only method was accepted, it would be difficult to coordinate the distribution of information. Jonathan Schwartz has talked about Reg FD barriers in this regard.
    

  Just because Dell is part of the roughly 8 percent of Fortune 500 companies that blog doesn't mean that Dell departments are all in agreement on the value of blogging. Part of the challenge of running a corporate blog becomes educating folks in various organizations across the company (like PR, Marketing, Legal etc.) and showing them that we're doing the right thing by embarking down the social media path. My point is that there's a steep learning curve for many in the corporate ranks, and I think that explains some of the resistance to change.
  

  Who's right? In my view, it's simply too early to tell, but I think Jeremy Toeman has the right idea—that a combination of blogging and a variation of the traditional press release makes sense. If you look at the extreme positions on either side—the old media view that the press release/newswire/wire service distribution process doesn't need fixing or the new media view that blogs/RSS readers should be the vehicle for distributing news—seems most likely that the traditional press release and the social media press release (along with other options that haven't appeared yet) will coexist indefinitely.
  

  So what's the value of social media press releases? They bridge the gap between where we've been and where things are heading. Back in November, we did a trial release using BusinessWire's EON (Enhanced Online News) service, and saw promising results. Will something else come along and be more effective than social media press releases?  Probably. The constantly evolving nature of social media stuff is what makes it so exciting.
  
  From Dell's perspective, we're exploring things. Traditional press releases are still far and away the norm. In some cases, we'll blog about new product introductions or other news to augment announcements. Like we did with the battery recall, we'll continue to look for ways to use Direct2Dell as a primary vehicle to keep customers informed. Ultimately, there may be some instances where we'll use Direct2Dell as the only method of distributing news... we're still figuring out the scenarios where this might make sense.
  

  There's no question that a blog can be a very effective way to share news and information. The first six months into it have been an incredible experience for lots of us. Granted, I have a vested interest, I certainly hope more customers read Direct2Dell. More importantly though, our focus should be on providing customers several ways to learn about and to interact with Dell, and let them decide what's most useful. Some things that we try will work, some won't. Adapting quickly to the changes ahead seems to be the key.
  

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• More on StudioDell

  Thu. Jan. 18, 2007
  by Lionel Menchaca, Chief Blogger

  I've mentioned StudioDell a bit since we launched it at CES, but thought it might be worth a few minutes to explain how it's set up in case some Direct2Dell readers find it useful. StudioDell is divided into three main channels: Home, Small Business, and IT Pro. Each channel has three programs that I've summarized in bullet points below.

  Please take a look at some of the sample videos. If you have ideas on topics you'd like to see covered, you can e-mail Studio_Dell@dell.com. I'm also interested in your reaction as well, so feel free to respond to this blog post if you have an opinion. I'll share any comments that you have with the team behind StudioDell.

  On a side note... soon, we hope to begin accepting videos created by our customers. Still working out some back-end details, but I'll  have an update in the next few weeks.

  Home Channel:

  • News You Can Use: Host Shannon McCormick takes you through the latest tech-related news and Dell product information. Sample video: XPS 710 H2C video
  • Tech Tips: Hear pointers and how-to's from Dell folks: Sample video: LCD vs. Plasma
  • Your Stories: Hear from our home users on their experiences with Dell. Sample video: Rich Peluso

  Small Business Channel:

  • Insights & Solutions: Learn the basics of technology to streamline your small business. Sample video: First Server-Based Network
  • Tech Tips: Tips to give your small business a technical edge. Sample video: How to Drive Website Traffic
  • Case Studies: Find out how other small business owners use Dell products and services to run their businesses. Sample video: Bike World

  IT Pro Channel:

  • Insights & Solutions: Discussions about enterprise-level issues we're hearing from our customers. Sample video: Virtualization: New Data Center Economics, Part 2
  • Knowledge Base: Technical walkthroughs for IT Pros from Dell enterprise technicians. Sample video: Setting up a DRAC
  • Case Studies: Hear from other large companies that have standardized on Dell products and services. Sample video: Unilever
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• Small Business 360 Website, Small Business Excellence Award Applications

  Tue. Jan. 16, 2007
  by Tom West, Director—Small Business Marketing

  Today, Dell introduced an online resource designed for small businesses, called Small Business 360. We know that many small business owners use the Web to do research on products and services before any purchase is made. Because of that, we've set up Small Business 360 to include all kinds of small business specific information like educational materials, strategies, case studies, solutions, online communities and more.
  

  It's also clear that our small business customers are interested in information specific to their industry. That's why we've arranged information into five of the most requested industries:

  • Accounting & Finance
  • Architecture & Construction
  • Law
  • Real Estate
  • Retail

  For small businesses who want to share ideas with their industry peers, our Small Business Community Forums are arranged into those same categories. Update: Here's a StudioDell video overview of Small Business 360.

  Small Business Excellence Award
  Starting today, Dell is accepting applications for the 2007 U.S. Dell/National Federation of Independent Business (NFIB) Small Business Excellence Award.  Established in 2004 to recognize small businesses for their innovative use of technology to deliver a superior customer experience, the award program is one of the highlights of my job. I've had the privilege of working with all three of our previous award winners, and the 2006 winner, Sew What? Inc. has a been a great partner for Dell—including being featured in our national print and online customer advertising campaign.

  The winner receives $30,000 in Dell products and services, a lifetime NFIB membership, and a day with Dell executives including Michael Dell. The nine finalists receive a Dell Latitude notebook computer and one-year membership to NFIB. Entrants must be a small business with 100 or fewer employees. Each must show how it has used technology to drive a significant change or develop a competitive advantage in delivering superior customer value and experience.

  We'd love to hear your story! Send us your entry by the deadline, March 30, 2007, for a chance to win. For more information on the award, visit www.dell.com/ceaward and tune into this StudioDell video to hear from past winners about the impact of the award on their businesses.

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