Having dealt with about every network player out there over more years than
I care to admit I would say that the support I have gotten from IBM/Tivoli
compares well with anybody else - in fact better than most. I have also
worked with HP Openview. In my humble opinion if you switch to HP Openview
you are going to be faced with the same support issues and stuck with an
inferior product. If you want to find out what a real support nightmare is
do as we have and become a huge Microsoft/NT shop :-)
Blaine Owens
Eastman Chemical Company
Email - bowens@eastman.com
Phone - (423)229-3579
Fax - (423)229-1188
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Leslie Clark [SMTP:lclark@us.ibm.com]
> Sent: Thursday, May 06, 1999 8:10 AM
> To: NV-L@UCSBVM.ucsb.edu
> Subject: Re: Netview support
>
> I spent a number of years as a full-time, on-site IBM SE for a large
> customer
> and the most important part of my job was interceding on their behalf with
> the IBM Support center for all sorts of products. I also read a lot of the
> PMRs
> when I'm looking for clues to problems of my own. Here are some tips for
> speeding things up.
>
> 1) Do your homework. Know precisely what problem you are having. A
> vague problem description will add at least two turnarounds. Have
> detailed instructions on how to recreate the problem. Giving a precise
> description of the problem makes it more likely that support will
> recognize it as a known problem, or hand it to a specialist right off.
> 2) Consider the time zones and work week for your geography and that
> of Austin and Raleigh. Every turnaround can be 24 hours if you don't.
> 3) Be at the latest maintenance level of the code and be able to recreate
> the problem at that level.
> 4) Read the diagnostics manual. It is excellent. You know what data they
> are going to ask for, so have it ready, and VERIFY that the data is good
> before you send it.
> 5) Verify that the data got there after you send it. The longest delays in
> most PMRs happen when the support center asks for data and there
> are several turnarounds in getting the right data to them.
> 6) Use electronic tickets. This makes it easy to bug them if you have
> not heard back. Don't wait.
>
> And remember that you, the customer, will almost always know more
> about the product and its behavior in your environment than the first
> people you talk to in Support. They have access only to very simple
> environments compared to most customers.
>
> Cordially,
>
> Leslie A. Clark
> IBM Global Services - Systems Mgmt & Networking
> (248) 552-4968 Voicemail, Fax, Pager
>
>
> ---------------------- Forwarded by Leslie Clark/Southfield/IBM on
> 05/06/99
> 07:56 AM ---------------------------
>
>
> Scott Wilson <Scott.Wilson@PREDICTIVE.COM> on 05/05/99 05:37:02 PM
>
> Please respond to Discussion of IBM NetView and POLYCENTER Manager on
> NetView
> <NV-L@UCSBVM.UCSB.EDU>
>
> To: NV-L@UCSBVM.UCSB.EDU
> cc: (bcc: Leslie Clark/Southfield/IBM)
> Subject: Re: Netview support
>
>
>
>
>
> Having worked lots with NetView support, and also working extensively with
> OpenView in multiple customer environments...
>
> I have to agree with James here. I have had my problems with NetView
> support in
> the past, and have used NetView support extensively over the years, and I
> do
> feel that you must know how to escalate problems in order to get action
> some
> times. The problem that I see is that none of the lower level techs will
> ever
> offer to escalate. You must tell them that the problem needs to be
> escaleted or
> set to a "crit sit" - and a crit sit will get you VERY good response based
> on my
> experiences!
>
> All help desks have their issues, take a poll on the OVForum reflector and
> ask
> the same question of the HP help desk and you will get the same mixed
> reviews.
>
> HTH,
>
> Scott
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
> James Shanks <James_Shanks@TIVOLI.COM> on 05/05/99 01:20:11 PM
>
> Please respond to Discussion of IBM NetView and POLYCENTER Manager on
> NetView
> <NV-L@UCSBVM.UCSB.EDU>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
> To: NV-L@UCSBVM.UCSB.EDU
>
> cc: (bcc: Scott Wilson/Herndon/Mid Atlantic/Predictive)
>
>
>
> Subject: Re: Netview support
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
> I hesitate to get involved here, because obviously I am part of the
> problem. But there are channels for problem escalation when you have one
> open. You can request duty manager involvement if you don't think your
> response is timely. And you can become a "crit sit" if you think the
> appropriate resources are not being brought to bear on your issue. These
> get you additional people looking at the problem resolution process and
> making sure that the problem is being worked.
>
> But other than that, I am not aware of anyway you can "nudge Support"
> except through your IBM/ Tivoli Marketing rep. He or she can complain on
> your behalf, but unless you have a current problem open, I don't see that
> as having much effect. Most of the timeliness issues I am aware of come
> down to headcount issues -- how many skilled people you have and how many
> want to do the product Support job.
>
> I don't suppose it will do any good to say that our stats on problem
> resolution time, APAR turn around, and all like that are competitive with
> other Support groups in Tivoli. In fact NetView consistently beats
> Framework in these areas.
>
> But if your aren't satisfied, then by all means, you should let someone
> know.
>
> My two cents.
>
> James Shanks
> Tivoli (NetView for UNIX) L3 Support
>
>
>
> Connie Logg <cal@SLAC.STANFORD.EDU> on 05/05/99 12:50:52 PM
>
> Please respond to Discussion of IBM NetView and POLYCENTER Manager on
> NetView <NV-L@UCSBVM.UCSB.EDU>
>
> To: NV-L@UCSBVM.UCSB.EDU
> cc: (bcc: James Shanks/Tivoli Systems)
> Subject: Re: Netview support
>
>
>
>
>
> I thoroughly agree.
>
> At 02:40 PM 5/5/99 +1000, you wrote:
> >Netviewers
> >
> >I'm looking for feedback on Netview Support. From our point of view in
> >Australia, Support can only be described as extremely poor. Whenever we
> log
> >a call, we find it takes forever to get a problem acknowledged and have
> to
> >continuously chase to get a response. More often than not, problems are
> >fixed ourself or through the cooperation of this forum.
> >
> >Your feedback will be used to give Netview support a bit of a nudge in
> the
> >case that this problem is universal
> >
> >Thanks and regards
> >
> >Phil
> >**********************************************************************
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> >use, dissemination, distribution or reproduction of this message is
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> >
> *********************************************************************
> " Of course the opinions expressed here are my own. "
>
> Connie Logg CAL@SLAC.Stanford.Edu ph: 650-926-2879
> Network Management and Performance Analyst
> SLAC (MS 97), P.O. Box 4349, Stanford, CA 94309
>
> "Happiness is found along the way, not at the end of the road."
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