Free Tech Support for Computer Resellers
Prior to this undertaking, PSS tech support requests for
SBS were often transferred between multiple system engineers to handle
multiple interrelated products such as NT Server, Proxy Server, and
Internet Information Server.
The second phase of free tech support for computer
resellers was rolled out in mid October 1998. This free tech support
initiative established several password-protected Microsoft Direct Access
newsgroups, accessible through an NNTP-compliant newsreader, for VAPs to
use to interact with Microsoft PSS engineers.
The offerings covered every major channel-supported
product including Office, SQL Server, SBS, Windows 95, and NT Server. The
newsgroup approach also left the door open for potential peer-to-peer
interaction among computer resellers , in effect creating a virtual online
community of computer resellers, interested in Microsoft small business
platforms.
Computer Resellers Get Business Critical Phone Support and Marketing
Tools
The third phase of free tech support offerings that came
out of the Roundtable meetings was Business Critical Phone Support (BCPS).
Implemented in April 1999 for VAPs in the U.S. and Canada,
BCPS was designed to supplement the Microsoft Direct Access tech support
newsgroups and created specifically for "business down" or
emergency issues.
The Roundtable computer resellers had been asking for free
tech phone support since the first Roundtable meeting in June. BCPS was
chartered to handle major outages that were not conducive to the several
hour delays inherent with the newsgroup approach to tech support.
Besides the overwhelming need for technical support,
computer resellers at the Roundtable meetings needed more marketing and
advertising assistance from Microsoft.
These computer resellers wanted to leverage Microsoft's
product marketing efforts through customizable marketing tools. Some of
the marketing recommendations included the creation of product-specific
sales centers, downloadable, customizable brochures, and the top 10 things
to know about a specific product.
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