Case Study 2
Customer Support and Knowledge
Management at Microsoft
1. Explain why the best customer support
is none at all.
• If product meets consumer standards and
issues are a minimal, its is not cost
effective for the program provider to
maintain a large consumer support
program.
2. List the benefits and costs to Microsoft
of support news groups.
Benefits
• Since they are user
driven, user groups
are very cost
effective
• Make it easy to
solve common
minor problems
Costs
• To set up, maintain
and police the
various forums that
the newsgroups
uses
3. Why do users bother to answer other users’
questions? What’s in it for them? Suppose you
manage a group of technical personnel. How much
time do you want them to spend each day solving
other people’s problems? How can you control such
activities?
• Personal experience
• Assisting others with a common interest makes
other people feel good about their abilities
Class Discussion
4. What are the dangers to Microsoft in supporting
a newsgroup? How can a newsgroup backfire on
Microsoft? Do you think Microsoft edits or censors
the newsgroup postings? Should it be able to do
so?
• Some dangers of newsgroup support include: false
information an incorrect procedures that further
damage the situation
• Censoring newsgroup postings is essential in order to
protect user base from those with malicious intent.
• Microsoft should be able to censor and edit all postings
in it’s use groups because Microsoft owns and
maintains the servers in which the newsgroups are
maintained.
5. List the benefits and costs to Microsoft
supporting user groups. Consider both customer
support and marketing benefits.
Costs
Benefits
• Since employees attend
user groups, they can
learn of new practices
and uses of various
Microsoft software
• Can learn first hand of
issues that can appear
in new software
• Travel expenses for
participating
employees
• Lack of guarantee on
experience ( will
meeting benefit
Microsoft or their
agenda)
6. What are the dangers to Microsoft in
supporting a user group? How can a user group
backfire on Microsoft? What control can
Microsoft exert over these groups?
• Some dangers include having participating
employees not gain from the experiences and
the time lost as a result.
• A possible measure of control would be to
ensure that groups meet the Microsoft
agenda and add incentives that would
encourage them to become more invested in
Microsoft by purchasing more product or
creating valuable user groups.
7. How does an individual benefit from joining a
user group?
• Members can see how other people solve
problems within the program
• Members also have the opportunity to use
some of the programs in order to solve
problems with different software.
8. List the benefits and cost to Microsoft in
supporting the MVP program. Consider both
support and marketing benefits.
Benefits
• Microsoft having
MVPs adds the extra
benefit of having IT
specialists in the field
without keeping them
on the payroll
Costs
• Poviding services and
training to MVPs
• Inability to police
MVPs
9. Why, besides the chance to meet Bill Gates,
would someone want to become an MVP? What
benefits accrue with that status?
• Status
• Ability to help peers
• Posiblilty of Microsoft providing perks or
various services specific to MVPs
10. Summarize the information systems that
Microsoft uses to support these programs.
Information Systems
• Forums
• Database- ex. MVP stats, where they’re
located, level of expertise, what they have
been trained in
Class Discussion