Understanding the benefits of first call services
October 11, 2012
Innovative third-party hardware maintenance providers are increasingly offering first call services. These solutions allow customers to make the vendor their point of contact for all repair-related issues. This type of service can come in handy in a variety of situations. To understand the full benefits of the solution, consider what normally happens when a server fails.
One of the first things you have to do during a hardware failure, assuming the device is under warranty, is call the OEM and submit a support request for the equipment that was damaged. In many cases, IT managers end up on hold for a few minutes, sometimes even half an hour, before speaking with a live representative.
The actual call can take a long time, and while the IT manager is trying to make the formal help request, configuration changes must be made to get systems running again despite the broken server. Most IT managers do not have the time to wait on hold while work needs to be done in the data center.
First call services resolve this problem by giving IT leaders immediate access to a third-party customer support representative who can take the help ticket and forward it to the OEM as needed. This accelerates the response and frees IT workers to get things running as quickly as possible.
