Office Suite Success
Buyers like the new Web and voice features, but price, functionality and integration still close the deal
Although prices vary depending upon contracts and licensing arrangements, users and resellers agree Microsoft Office tends to be more costly than its competitors. Alan Bechara, vice president and chief operating officer of Comark Federal Systems Inc. in Chantilly, Va., a reseller that handles all three office suites, said the Corel WordPerfect Suite 8 costs half as much as Microsoft Office at face value.
"The Corel suite is one hell of a deal," Bechara said. But he added that the scales tend to tilt toward Microsoft when users begin evaluating the total cost of a product over its lifetime. "Microsoft is guaranteed compatible just because so many people already know how to use it," Bechara pointed out. "You save money because it's easier to support. Fewer file translations mean fewer day-to-day headaches."
GTSI officials estimated that Microsoft Office accounts for 75 percent of its total suite sales, with Lotus SmartSuite winning 15 percent and Corel WordPerfect accounting for the remaining 10 percent. Bechara said Microsoft Office easily makes up 90 percent of his suites sales. "If you're thirsty, you order a Coke," Bechara said. "The average buyer will just order Office. The underdogs may have more features, but Microsoft has popularity."
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