To All:
3Com First In Network Hardware --
Satisfaction Scores Tight In All Survey
Areas
techweb.com
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3Com First In Network Hardware --
Satisfaction Scores Tight In All Survey
Areas
By Lynn Haber
Com Corp. edged out four competitors to take the lead in the highly
competitive Channel Champions network hardware category for the
second year in a row.
With an overall reseller satisfaction rating of 5.8, the Santa Clara,
Calif.-based vendor barely overtook second-place finisher Kingston
Technology Corp., which, in its first appearance in the poll, received an
overall satisfaction score of 5.7.
Close behind 3Com and Kingston, Fountain Valley, Calif., were three
vendors tied for third place: Intel Corp., Santa Clara; Cisco Systems
Inc., San Jose, Calif.; and Bay Networks Inc., Santa Clara. All received
an overall satisfaction score of 5.6 out of a possible 7.
Resellers gave 3Com the top rating in four survey areas: product
quality and reliability; upgradability and compatibility; product
availability; and return policies. However, it won only one of these four
areas outright. (Resellers gave 3Com a 6.2 in product availability, a full
two-tenths of one percentage point higher than second-place
Kingston.)
Underscoring the intensity of the competition in this product category,
3Com tied or won in four areas, Kingston tied or won in four areas,
Cisco tied or won in two, and Intel tied in one.
Intel, which tied with 3Com in this Channel Champions product
category two years ago and finished a close second last year, lost this
year by a wider margin than in 1997, slipping in price/performance and
co-op marketing areas.
Bay Networks, meanwhile, failed to win any of the eight areas included
in the reseller survey. Although the company received its highest scores
ever in two areas-a 5.8 in both product availability and upgradability
and compatibility-it lost ground in product quality and reliability,
where resellers rated it fourth out of five companies.
Though not on par with Kingston, Cisco also fared well in its first
Channel Champions outing, tying 3Com in the area of product quality
and reliability with a score of 6.3 and even beating every contender in
technical support with a rating of 5.8.
The secret to 3Com's success in the poll was that it did not have to
blow away its competition to win because it earned solid second-place
scores in all the survey areas in which it did not place first.
Some resellers were not surprised 3Com came out on top in areas such
as product reliability and availability.
"The NICs are always available, I've never had to call technical
support, and I've never had to return any," said Prit Gill, sales manager
at MegaMicro Devices Inc., Milpitas, Calif., who is a big user of 3Com
NICs.
Jerry Dickson, owner of Jerry's Computer Solutions, a Lubbock,
Texas-based reseller that installs a lot of 3Com 10/100-Mbps hubs,
said: "The 3Com hubs are a little expensive, but their overall
component quality can't be beat."
Raju Padole, account executive at En Pointe Technologies Inc., Los
Angeles, agreed that in terms of product quality and reliability, 3Com
is a name he and his customers can rely on.
Padole offered one reason for 3Com's first-place score in upgradability
and compatibility. "3Com now offers several product lines with a nice
growth path. They used to offer that kind of expandability in only one
product line," he said.
"The company's product pricing is also great," Padole added. He
pointed out that 3Com's Office Connect solutions for small and
midsize businesses give his customers the performance they need at a
good price.
"If users want more functionality, they can buy optional modules when
they need to. I'd rather sell a customer what they need versus
over-engineering a solution," he said.
Padole also said he has seen considerable change at 3Com over the past
six to eight months in the areas of product strategies and channel
programs. "3Com streamlined its router line of products, and offered
more tools and rebates and more flexible upgrades," he said.
Regarding 3Com's tie with Cisco for top score in product quality and
reliability, Padole said: "When it comes to routers, I think that 3Com
knows Cisco is the one to beat."
While 3Com did not win in either vendor response time or co-op
marketing programs, some resellers noticed improvements in the
vendor's efforts in these areas.
Gill said the confusion that arose around the time of the merger
between 3Com and U.S. Robotics Inc. has waned, and getting in touch
with someone at 3Com has become much easier.
Padole agreed. "There was a time when the reps were invisible and
seemed indifferent about returning calls," he said. But over the past six
months, he has noticed a change. "Now, 3Com is a more willing partner
to help work out strategies on both small and large accounts," he said.
Dana Christensen, business development manager of SuperStack
products at 3Com, said resellers know what counts the most: product
reliability.
"We have always invested and continue to invest dollars into research
and development as well as leading-edge manufacturing capabilities,"
Christensen said. More extensive product integration also enables
3Com to reduce product production costs as well as product points of
failure, she added.
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Key to 3Com's business strategy is the vendor's desire to be viewed as
a true provider of end-to-end solutions-from the NICs to the hubs and
switches at the edge of the network-to-core products, she said.
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"In all of these product categories, our intent is to be an industry leader
without sacrificing product quality or reliability," Christensen said.
3Com backs up its commitment to quality with a limited lifetime
warranty on many of its products, she added.
3Com also recognizes the importance of preserving customers'
investments in network technologies, and therefore makes product
compatibility and upgradability a core feature in its various hardware
lines, Christensen said.
Providing tools and resources, as well as ongoing training and
marketing programs, goes hand-in-hand with 3Com's engineering
efforts, she said.
According to Tiffany Finocchio, manager of channel development at
3Com, the company continues to bolster its Network Partners program
for resellers.
Finocchio said that over the past year the company realized it has not
invested the time it should focusing on its small and midsize accounts.
"We're looking at that now and are working on how to support all our
channel partners," she said.
In the meantime, 3Com has significantly beefed up lead generation
through a faster access program, Finocchio said.
Christensen pointed out that 3Com's newest line of stackable products
targets price-sensitive small to midsize businesses. Not only do the
new products offer high quality, but they are easy to install, she said.
"We're extending our expertise to a new set of customers," she said.
3Com's work on all fronts-in products, engineering, manufacturing,
pricing, support and marketing-has paid off in the results of this year's
satisfaction survey. The vendor's strategy to forge partnerships with
resellers has led to success with the channel once again.
However, there are no shoe-ins in this Channel Champions product
category. The question is: Can 3Com maintain or lengthen its slim
lead?
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If these articles are correct, then it appears that 3Com
"owns the channel". Does any body have any better
way of getting hundreds of thousands of people working for
a company? |
