Tom=E1s =D3 h=C9ilidhe wrote:
>> It's important to remember that it's
>> better to sell 1000 units at $100 a pop, than 10 at $1000.
>
> 1000 x $100    =3D    $100,000
>
> 10 x $1000   =3D   $10,000
>
> I don't know what the product is, but another thing I would take into
> account is the irritation I have from people calling me when they've got
> difficulty with their product. If the product in question is
> low-maintenance, then sure go with the 1000 units. But if you're gonna
> be getting phone calls from 5% of the customers, it might be worth
> taking $10,000 instead of $100,000.

The math does not support your conclusion.

> 5% of 1000 customers =3D 50 phonecalls

Assuming $100/hr and each phone call taking one hour,

$100,000 - $5,000 =3D $95,000

> 5% of 10 customers =3D half a phonecall

$10,000 - $50 =3D $9,950

> Just thought I'd throw that in there. I get phonecalls from people who
> have put the cable into the wrong socket, even though the instructions
> clearly state which socket it goes in. Then, when I ask them to make
> sure it's in the right socket, they reply that they're 100% certain it's
> in the right socket because they "put it back into the same socket that
> they took it out of". Then when I ask them to actually look at what's
> written above the socket, they call out the wrong name. And then there's
> the people who hit Factory Reset on the product (which by the way can't
> be done accidentally).

Sounds like you work in tech support for an internet company?

Anytime we get a phone call from someone having difficulty using our =

product, we assume that it is a problem with the product's design, not the =

customer's intelligence or motor skills. Every week there is a tech support =

meeting, with one of the engineers in attendance. One of the purposes of th=
e =

meeting, is to identify the biggest headache for tech support (and =

presumably, the customer). Solutions range from changing the hardware =

design, updating software, or even as trivial as changing a sentence in the =

installation guide. Time and time again, this approach proves the old =

axiom -- "Quality Is Free". The effort put into improving a product pays fo=
r =

itself many times over through increased sales, and reduced support costs.

> Some people are just thick with a capital T.

Some engineers are just Arrogant, with a capital A. :)

Vitaliy =


-- =

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