I work on average 10 hours a day, 12 is common, answering the support
email and list stuff. There is only so many hours in a day that I can sit
and handle support questions straight through. So I take a 'break' and
handle the generally simpler, easier questions on the mailing lists. I am
also responsible for running all of those lists, so I look at them several
times a day to make sure nothing is munged.
Many of out customers use email to get support, it is just as viable as the
phones, so you are no one special because you called IMHO. Since it is
much easier and more efficient to have one person handle the email - so that
we don't have several people answering the same thing and wasting time and/or
confusing the issue - that's me.
I run all of the mailing lists, I answer nearly all of the support email,
and I am in the process of taking over the Web.
You, the customer, isn't losing anything - in fact you've already gained.
It used to be that there weren't enough resources to deal with email so it
sat and festered until there was time. Now I answer nearly all of it the
day it comes in, some things I just don't know and need to track down, but
rarely does email go more than a couple of days without an answer.
And the responses from us (me) on the mailing lists have increased too.
And as soon as I get my tools assembled, everyone will be able to use our
web, not just Netscape users. I hope to improve content over time too.
And they didn't lose a resource to do all of this, I started here on 8/28, so
the rest of support has the same resources, I'm picking up the electronic end
because I work better online than on the phone, it's the way I am. Of course,
I also handle phone calls as time permits.
So if you want to slam us for answering things online, you are slamming me
personally, and I simply don't take that from anyone.
I don't *have* to work until 10, 11, 12PM, or later. I don't *have* to dial
in on the weekend and answer the email I can so customers don't have to wait.
I could do my 9-6 and go home and leave it all to rot.
I don't - but letters like this make it more attractive.
-MZ
-- Livingston Enterprises Technical Support Phone: 800-458-9966 FAX: 510-426-8951 support@livingston.com <http://www.livingston.com/> 6920 Koll Center Parkway #220, Pleasanton, CA 94566