Levels of service

Posted by Graham Rhind
Jun 28, 2013 at 12:41 PM

One of the things that will get me hooked on one program rather than another is the level of service that is offered by the developer. How easy they are to contact, if they reply, how quickly they reply, and how they follow up. We don’t often discuss it here, but it’s an enduring issue that I think people need to take into account when they’re doing business with suppliers.

At the risk of never getting a support e-mail answered again, I want to name and shame (and name and praise) on the basis of my experiences. I know others have had very different experiences, so it would be good to get their input.

Let’s start with the good. I have found the developers of these packages helpful, friendly, quick to answer and willing to take comments on board to help them improve their software:

- Goalscape http://www.goalscape.com - fully answer all questions, even at the weekend.
- GS-Base http://www.citadel5.com - a very helpful and responsive developer
- ThinkComposer http://www.instrumind.com/ - a very helpful and responsive developer
- Whizfolders http://www.whizfolders.com - a very helpful and responsive developer

I’ve had some mixed experience with these packages - some stuff is answered fast, other stuff seems to disappear into the ether:

- Connected text http://www.connectedtext.com/ - it seems to depend on Eduardo’s mood.
- KnowledgeBase Builder http://www.buildyourmap.com/
- Sciral (Sciral Consistency, Flying Logic) http://www.sciral.com - resolved a bug and released a new version within 24 hours with Sciral Consistency, but have been less forthcoming in support for Flying Logic

With these packages I can be sure of not getting any useful response:

- Ariadne http://www.prokarpaty.net/ariadne/ - to be fair I can’t seem to pin down the developer’s correct e-mail address, but 11 months to answer one e-mail was, I thought, a tad tardy ...
- EssentialPIM - http://www.essentialpim.com - these folks answer, but always with a curt “well, that’s just the way it is” response, even when I point out bugs which result in data loss (and I’ve lost a lot of data in this program, one way or another)
- Zoot - http://www.zootsoftware.com/ - I think Tom just hates me. I get about one response in 20 e-mails, if that. Even essential support requests, such as help with registration, doesn’t get a response. It does mean I can’t use that software.

What have others to say on the matter?

Graham