Working Up

by Dwayne Phillips

Excellent maintenance sometimes indicates a faulty product or service. Sometimes, no maintenance indicates a superior product or service.

I first encountered this over 20 years ago. We had purchased similar products from two companies, let’s call them Smith Inc. and Jones Inc. for now.

The conversation went something like…

“What happens when a Smith Inc. widget breaks?”

“We call their 800 number, an expert answers, they talk us through the situation, and if necessary a team of technicians is on the road in 15 minutes and be at our location as soon as possible.”

“What happens when a Jones Inc. widget breaks?”

“Don’t know. Never had one break before.”

So, which product would you rather buy? Which company is better for customer service and product maintenance? Which product would you rather build?