Dell adopts online support; Compaq soon to follow

By DENI CONNOR
Network World, 08/30/99

AUSTIN, TEXAS - Compaq and PeopleSoft customers will soon be able to take advantage of self-service technical support software that the vendors claim will automatically diagnose and fix problems, saving companies help desk time and money.

The move follows Dell's introduction of similar services last week.

The offerings are the latest indication that so-called "e-support" services are gaining marketplace momentum. E-support is a method of communicating with employees and customers over the Internet about their computer problems. Experts say the services will enable companies to employ fewer customer support representatives.

According to International Data Corp. in Framingham, Mass., the e-support market will grow fivefold from last year's total of $1.9 billion to $10.4 billion by 2002.

"E-support software is a real boon to customer support because it automatically fixes many mundane problems and lets customer support technicians save time," says Tony Adams of Dataquest, a consultancy in Lowell, Mass.

Last week, at its first user conference in Austin, Texas, Dell rolled out E-Support - Direct from Dell, which includes software that lets users troubleshoot and repair systems and applications problems on their computers.

Dell's software, dubbed OpenManage Resolution Assis-tant, will initially work on nonclustered PowerEdge servers, and eventually on Dell desktop computers. Dell purchased the software and user licenses from Motive Communications, a supply chain automation company. The software lets an organization staff an online help desk, tie in product support knowledgebases specific to its products and distribute troubleshooting software to its customers.

PeopleSoft will announce this week that it will provide customers with similar software to troubleshoot and resolve software problems. Compaq is expected to announce next quarter that it will use Motive's software to automate troubleshooting in desktop PCs and ProLiant servers, according Scott Harmon, CEO of Motive. Compaq declined to comment.

One corporate customer finds the Dell offerings are a useful tool for remote monitoring.

"We are a Dell shop with 16 PowerEdge servers, three in Waco, the remainder in Austin, Texas," says Paul Michaels, a network administrator for ClearSource, a broadband Internet company. "When the Reso-lution Assistant software de-tects a problem, it automatically sends an e-mail to Dell technical support, so Dell can fix it."

"Without the software, I would have to drive back and forth from Austin to Waco to manage the equipment," Michaels adds. "Plus the software is always proactively monitoring the equipment and advising me of potential problems before they occur."

The client component can solve almost 30% of the typical problems a user has without the intervention of customer support personnel, Motive claims. With a printing problem, for example, the software automatically identifies and isolates the problem, narrows down the possible causes, and then tests fixes until the problem is resolved.

The software can reduce the amount of time users spend on calling tech support by identifying the network customers and their configurations, and then proceeding with any initial troubleshooting that can be done automatically.

Dell will also sell Motive's Duet software to companies that want to set up their own help desks. According to Motive, Duet starts at $165,000.

PeopleSoft sees a bright future for e-support products.

"As the level of customer confidence grows in e-support products, we will begin to use the unattended service to automatically fix customer software," says Jim Johnson, e-Support project manager at PeopleSoft. The company, an application provider for human resource management and other operation software, has implemented Motive Duet and combined it with a static support knowledgebase to make diagnosis more comprehensive.

OpenManage Resolution Assistant ships with all new Dell PowerEdge servers.