Actions, Not Logos
Amey was one of three HP customers applauding the service and support provided by their partner The Computer Specialists (TCS), a Whitesboro, N.Y.-based HP Gold partner. All of them said HP is being short-sighted if the company does not value the service provided by TCS or the strong bond between TCS President Chuck Kokoska and their organizations. Acknowledging that he is a strong HP supporter, Amey stressed that he would do "almost anything to work with TCS" because of Kokoska's service credo. "As an end user, I know that Chuck will do whatever it takes to meet our needs, even if it costs him money," Amey said. "If HP isn't responsive to VARs, those VARs are going to start recommending other products. I value the relationship with the VAR more than I do the relationship with HP."
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STEVEN BURKE \ Can be reached at (781) 839-1221 or via e-mail at sburke@cmp.com. |
Linda Findlay, IT manager for Bailey, Haskell and LaLonde, an 85-employee insurance agency in Oneida, N.Y., said she has been a TCS customer for 14 years and always seeks Kokoska for product recommendations. "I'm loyal to Chuck," she said. "I rely on him to recommend products."
Jon Bassette, computer network manager at Lowville Academy and Central School, Lowville, N.Y., said his relationship with Kokoska is more important to him than his relationship with HP or Dell. It was Kokoska who got him to buy an HP server rather than a Dell server, Bassette said. That server arrived earlier this month, after a seven-week wait that tested the patience of both Bassette and TCS. "If it weren't for Chuck, there is no way I would have waited this long," Bassette said.
The bottom line with all three of these customers is that for them it is not the manufacturer brand that they are buying, but rather the solutions and support provided by partners such as TCS. At the end of the day, solution provider actions speak louder than vendor logos. That is something HP had better recognize, otherwise it will find itself dealing with a lot of unhappy customers and VARs that have moved to more fertile ground.
What do you think of HP? Let me know at (781) 839-1221 or via e-mail at sburke@cmp.com.
