Once upon a time, a hit in the IT environment was a scene from a training session for municipal office employees in a small town. When the instructor gave the command: “and now, please hover over the object with the mouse,” one of the trainees placed the mouse against the screen and waited patiently for the effect (because there was no other command)… Today, that little joke about the mouse is already quite dated. The environment is seething with completely different problems. And these are not problems stemming from user ignorance.
About two (not very nice) gentlemen
A short conversation at one of the companies offering IT tools, multimedia devices, and software for local governments. The conversation takes place at the invitation of the aforementioned gentlemen, at their company’s headquarters in Poznań.
– Soon we will be able to flood the regional market with LINUX-based software and multimedia projection equipment – they initiate.
– Soon we will be able to flood the regional market with LINUX-based software and multimedia projection equipment – they initiate.
– Gentlemen! There are companies in the region that have been working with local governments for as long as the reactivated local government has existed. They have contacts, arrangements, long-term agreements, support and references, as well as reliable service… – I tone down the mood of euphoria.
– These companies use our services because they have stopped developing themselves – comes the reply.
– Do you know the management of the office in (here the name of one of the Greater Poland cities is mentioned)?
To my affirmative answer, the issue is expanded: – This and other offices don’t even know what they are buying and from whom. Have you seen the server in that office? Our company made it. As far as I’m concerned, there is nothing wrong with that yet, so I try to pry the two gentlemen for more information:
– Anyone can claim a single implementation in any of the offices or assembling a server. But where are the recommendations?
A blissful calm settles on the faces of my interlocutors, complemented by increasingly wide smiles…
– Have you noticed that some of the offices take their equipment to Poznań for service? And why do you think that is? – and after a moment of silence: – Because the one who issues the invoice is actually a figurehead and has no idea about what they are selling and how it is repaired. We will repair this equipment when we have a moment of time for such matters. And as a rule, the repair will be paid, because the user is not familiar with the equipment and its operation, and at the time of purchase, they agree to a clause – included in the contract or added to the invoice in the “remarks” column – that service is performed free of charge only when the damage concerns hidden defects of the equipment or software. And since the user has no idea what they are buying and what this equipment is really about, how can they not destroy it?
– Have you noticed that some of the offices take their equipment to Poznań for service? And why do you think that is? – and after a moment of silence: – Because the one who issues the invoice is actually a figurehead and has no idea about what they are selling and how it is repaired. We will repair this equipment when we have a moment of time for such matters. And as a rule, the repair will be paid, because the user is not familiar with the equipment and its operation, and at the time of purchase, they agree to a clause – included in the contract or added to the invoice in the “remarks” column – that service is performed free of charge only when the damage concerns hidden defects of the equipment or software. And since the user has no idea what they are buying and what this equipment is really about, how can they not destroy it?
The article comes from the magazine “e-Fakty” 5/2005.