LAKE OSWEGO, ORE., January 1992 -- The first independent "hot line" to diagnose and resolve Novell NetWare technical-support problems is starting its third year of operation, and calls for help to 1-900-PRO-HELP" are increasingly complex as network users, administrators, value-added resellers, systems integrators and MIS managers move to larger, corporate-wide enterprise networks built around three or four servers and 300 to 400 users. 1-900-PRO-HELP and its related 1-800-YES-4TEC and 503-NET-HELP hot lines -- all operated by 900 Support Inc. of Lake Oswego, Ore. -- are also taking more calls from users asking for help in connecting NetWare to a growing array of systems and multi-tasking environments. Today's diverse mix includes Windows, UNIX, IBM SNA (System Network Architecture) and SAA (System Application Architecture) and the Apple Macintosh. The calling trends indicate a marked shift away from the virtually homogeneous networking environment that the certified NetWare engineers staffing 1-900-PRO-HELP encountered at the hot line's launch in December 1989. Smaller networks were prevalent at that time, typically configured with no more than 20 nodes operating almost exclusively under MS/PC-DOS. "The trends point to network users in the process of 'right-sizing,"' said Danton Mendell, president of 900 Support. "Right-sizing' is the migration from older, obsolete mainframes to a networked personal-computer environment, and multiple file servers. The corporation is replacing its centrally-located mainframe with an enterprise-wide network that links PCs," said Mendell. "It's a matter of economics. A LAN-based environment fosters competitive flexibility and improves productivity. A mainframe-based structure increases maintenance costs even as it frustrates the ability of a company to lead or adapt to changing markets and customer needs." The 900 Support hot lines counter the widening gap between the technical support that network users need and what is widely described as a crucial lack of responsive, affordable, expert support. Information Week, an industry publication, recently reported a survey by market-researcher Dataquest of 500 information-systems managers that showed widespread dissatisfaction with support from network operating systems vendors. "The 900 Support hot lines ensure that callers receive priority support. Callers don't have to wait for answers. It's the $50 solution to the $50,000 network problem, even with the changes underway in networking," said Mendell. The three hot lines provide callers with instant access to certified NetWare engineers -- around the clock and seven days a week -- for just $2.99 a minute. "That's a clear alternative to annual contracts for unlimited support that may cost $15,000, and high, fixed fees for service that may or may not be needed," said Mendell. "The 900 Support hot lines also eliminate the all-too-typical long waits on hold or waits for a technician to call back -- if the technician calls back. Instead, 900 Support provides callers with immediate access to expert help, which is critical when the network is down, employees aren't working and the company is losing sales and money." The pioneer service, 1-900-PRO-HELP, bills calls directly to the caller's telephone number. 1-800-YES-4TEC and 503-NET-HELP bill calls to a corporate account or credit card. After operating 1-900-PRO-HELP for almost a year and a half, 900 Support opened toll-free 1-800-YES-4TEC in April 1991 for corporations and government agencies that block access to 900-number-based telephone services. 900 Support opened 503-NET-HELP in August 1991 for international network users, administrators and engineers unable to dial the 800-and-900 number-based services from outside the United States. Overall, the volume of calls to all three hot lines is up 200 percent from the prior year. 1-900-PRO-HELP posted the biggest year-to-year gain, with 1991 calls up 300 percent over 1990 volume. Calls to the newer hot lines, 1-800-YES4TEC and 503-NET-HELP are up 60 percent. The big gain in 1-900-PRO-HELP calls reflects convenience, said Mendell. "Customers gain immediate access to the expert services they need, and the call is charged to the caller's telephone bill. That's simple and easy. The 1-800YES-4TEC and 503-NET-HELP hot lines provide an alternative convenience, where calls are charged to a corporate account or a credit card." Two categories comprise an almost equal 50 percent share of the calling volume -- first, end users and LAN administrators, and, second, value-added resellers and systems integrators that market, install, configure and maintain networks. The hot lines also receive calls from management information systems executives confirming system specs and proposals from consultants hired to build or expand a network. A typical call now takes 12 minutes, up from 10 minutes during the first year, reflecting the shift to more complex networks, said Mendell. Calls during the day continue to be simpler, relating to operation and maintenance of the network. Evening, night and weekend calls focus on upgrades, troubleshooting and new installations, an indication that callers do not tackle the most difficult problems during standard business hours. However, the mix of off-hours calls now includes more operation and maintenance questions as international callers make use of 603-NET-HELP. More than 95 percent of all problems are solved in one call. A problem that is not resolved typically requires the caller to perform a lengthy operation off line. "A caller may need help with a disk upgrade, for example," said Mendell. "In the course of investigating you discover they have not yet done a backup, so you instruct them to perform the backup off line, then do steps x, y and z, and to call back if they encounter any problems. You certainly don't want to keep the customer on line while waiting for the backup to complete." Printing and upgrades to NetWare 386 from NetWare 286 generate a lot of calls. Questions about NetWare Lite, introduced in late 1991, are increasing, and represent about 15 percent of the calling volume. Network printing is one of three surprises noted by 900 Support during the first two years of operation, according to Mendell. Network printing capabilities have increased. So have printing complexities -- "which is generating more calls for support than before Novell made network printing facilities more powerful," said Mendell. "For example, what was a stand-alone printer is now shared. That introduces complexity. The applications may not be aware they are running on a network. More complexity. The shared printer at the file server is now located at the file server or the workstation. Still more complexity. And NetWare must properly trap all the formatting and fonts at the workstation, for example, for transfer into the printing queue. " The second surprise is the number of large businesses and government agencies using the hot lines. "We targeted smaller and medium-sized businesses that couldn't afford an annual service contract," said Mendell. "Yet even the companies that can afford contracts are calling, which says they are not satisfied with the technical-support they are otherwise getting" The third surprise is the poor market share of Microsoft's LAN Manager. "Trade journals report Microsoft's LAN market share at less than two percent. Calls to the hot line confirm that. This may change as Microsoft moves to a new release that is reported to be competitive." Oregon-based 900 Support Inc. is today's pioneer in cost-effective, responsive, 24-hour customer support for users of personal computers and personal-computer networks.-- 900 Support Inc 15820 SW Upper Boones Ferry Rd, Lake Oswego, OR 97035 503-684-2826 +---------------------------------------------------------------+ | From the America On-Line & PC-Link New Product Info Services | +===============================================================+ | This information was processed with OmniPage Professional OCR | | software (from Caere Corp) & a Canon IX-30 scanner from data | | provided by the above mentioned company. For additional info, | | contact the company at the address or phone# indicated above. | | All submissions for this service should be addressed to | | BAKER ENTERPRISES, 20 Ferro Drive, Sewell, NJ 08080 U.S.A. | +---------------------------------------------------------------+