Here's an interesting factoid. Microsoft (commodity electrons at monopoly prices), mouse maker. contract law specialists, and mutual fund extrordinaire, receives NO earnings from support.
-JCJ
MS Capitulates on MVPs
by Andy Patrizio
3:00 a.m. 27.Oct.99.PDT
The email has proven mightier
than the executive.
Microsoft doesn't often backtrack
on its policy decisions, but it did
just that this week when it
reversed a decision to
discontinue its Most Valuable
Professional (MVP) tech support
program after a tidal wave of
protests by the very people who
rely on MVPs.
Read more in Executive Summary
Microsoft MVPs are unpaid
volunteers who aid users of
Microsoft products when technical
support staff are unavailable or
unable to help them. The MVPs
got the news Thursday in an
email saying their services were
no longer needed, and their
volunteer benefits would be cut
off.
MVPs launched an email
campaign from their Web site,
forwarding letters from customers
to chairman Bill Gates, president
Steve Ballmer, and other
Microsoft executives.
"A lot of people felt they'd been
robbed of valuable, independent
advice," said Karl Peterson, a
Visual Basic MVP since 1993 and
administrator of the MVP Web
site. The people who complained
to Microsoft were IT managers
and company presidents. "I don't
think Microsoft realizes the power
we exert on the Internet. The
advice we give exerts a lot of
influence on people who in turn
exert a lot of influence on
people."
Cutting off the MVPs' benefits
meant no more MSN membership,
no more free subscriptions to
Microsoft Developer Network
(MSDN) and TechEd CD and Web
information sources, and a loss
of access to support newsgroups.
But most important to the MVPs
was their loss of access to
Microsoft support personnel.
"What bothered us wasn't that
the program was shut down, but
the manner in which they did it,"
said Peterson. "They showed no
valuation at all to people who'd
been designated a valued
professional."
On Monday, Microsoft cried
"uncle."
"We were surprised that the
response was so strong," said
Eileen Crane, manager of the
MVP program at Microsoft. "It
tells us that the MVPs have been
doing an outstanding job and our
customers are extremely happy
with them and we look forward to
this continued mechanism of
support."
Crane insists it was not an
attempt to shift customers to a
fee-based support, as some
conspiracy-minded MVPs thought.
"We weren't looking to make
money on support," she said.
"We do not make a profit on
supporting our customers. So
that was not a part of the
decision."
Instead, the plan was to take
funds being spent on MVPs, who
have to work around their day
jobs, and spend it on full-time
Microsoft support personnel.
"Customers are looking for a
guaranteed response time and an
escalation path for support
problems," said Crane.
Not only are the MVPs back, they
are gaining influence within
Microsoft. Microsoft is looking at
ways to have MVPs work with
support personnel, and the
company is starting an advisory
council consisting of MVPs,
customers served by them, and
Microsoft support employees to
look into possible improvements
in the program.
wired.com |
