posted 04-26-2001 08:24 AM         

I am starting this topic in the hope that it will lead to some improvements at Segue support - because I am still impressed with the product and hope the company survives it's competition with Mercury.

Please share your frustrations under this thread so Segue management can read some of the complaints in a unified thread, and try to endorse practices to prevent them in the future.

Thanks,
Joe V.
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I hope someone from Segue is reading this thread - Heidi - are you there ? - or better yet, I will send it to them.

I purchased Segue stock around > 6 years ago, at ~ $10, when the tool was clearly superior to WinRunner. I watched it run up to ~$20, and eventually back down to where it is now. I definitely know this is in part becuase the company poorly handles support of its existing customers, - both technical and general customer service.

When a company pisses off its ardent supporters, it must be doing something TERRIBLY wrong.

I've attempted to contact Segue to get quotes on various maintenance upgrades, only to find out that THEY can't determine what our company originally purchased and is entitle to, not to mention the failure to return calls regarding quotes (i.e. REVENUE) in a timely manner if at all. I don't believe they even realize the extent to which this poor service takes place (no CEO in their right mind would allow it). All these calls (especially requests involving REVENUE) should be TRACKED and Segue should ensure that prompt, clear responses are given.

I've heard another story where a person attempting to use Segue in their organization called for technical support, only to find out from their Segue representative that their maintenance had expired. What did the representative do ? Why, what any failing, short-sited company representative would do - he disabled their technical support. It's hard enough to find people tenacious enough to overcome the hurdles and show "win" situations to non-supportive managers without Segue putting obstacles in the path of the automation engineers. What would have been done by any client-focused company, both for common courtesy and good customer relations, is to find out if the customer was notified that their maintenance had run out, and prompted them to renew BEFORE cutting off their technical support. In this story, it turns out that the company was NOT contacted to renew their maintenance agreement AND that the person on Segues contact list (i.e. ME) was no longer with the company. The Segue representative did not straighten out who the new contact should be, and establish a relationship with them - despite being given the information by the automation engineer.

Another poor service story - I know they failed to notify the company I currently work for when the maintenance ran out on SilkPerformer, and now want to make a big deal over whether they will upgrade our initial purchase at the standard maintenance upgrade price. Of course, we have plenty of support in working a deal with Mercury regarding us making use of their products - I'm still waiting for a quote from Segue(> 2 months since I initially asked).

Segue's slow response times and lack of good client relations with their existing companies directly pushes thier existing customers to that other big automation company that does have their act together in this area. And it's only natural that once an experience automation engineer commits to a new tool, they will be more likely to promote that tool in the next organization they visit.

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posted 04-26-2001 09:08 AM         

It'll be interesting to see what comes of this thread - at the last Twin Cities User Group meeting, customer service came up and a Segue rep (I will protect his identity in this forum) said that people who say the service sucks have not used it since early '99 when there were some problems. According to this person, all that has been taken care of and users should look to Segue again for resolution of their problems. Well let's find out, uh?

posted 04-26-2001 09:13 AM         

It would be a good idea for us to contact Segue directly or get Segue to do a customer satisfaction survey.

The problem is that, if prospective companies who wish to use Segue products stumble across this site, what will they think when they read topics like this?

Yes Segue support is a concern, and for the amount being paid you expect more, and yes it does frustrate me.

But at the same time I love working with a product that is so powerful and flexible, that in most cases you can find work arounds for the problems encountered... and if not then you stand a better chance of finding a solution by sharing it in this forum.

I have used Rational products and Segue, and I *really enjoy* using Segue's products.

The less companies going to Segue means less jobs available for Silk Testers, and I certainly don't want to see that happen, especially when there really aren't all that many at present available in the UK.

posted 04-26-2001 10:38 AM           

quote:

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The problem is that, if prospective companies who wish to use Segue products stumble across this site, what will they think when they read topics like this?

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I strongly disagree with that statement. If I were considering deploying an automated testing solution using a tool as sophisticated and expensive as SilkTest or WinRunner, I would expect this forum to provide constructive data about the good, the bad, and the ugly of each tool.

A forum like this is a valuable place to exchange *constructive* anecdotal data regarding technical support issues and concerns.

posted 04-26-2001 10:42 AM         

quote:

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Originally posted by Beeblemaster:
The problem is that, if prospective companies who wish to use Segue products stumble across this site, what will they think when they read topics like this?

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No problem with what you are trying to get across, Beeblemaster, but playing devil's advocate, what will prospective buyers think when they find out on their own? That everybody in this forum lives in a vacuum?

I think the original intent was to compile somewhat of a list of CS grievances to pass along to someone at Segue who might be able to do something about it. This as opposed to individual complaints may shed light on the magnitude of the problem. Maybe you are right - maybe there is a better way. Pass an email? Fill out some kind of form or survey and send it to 'em? Nothing can happen unless a consensus is reached through discussion, though, because I don't think Segue is going to do it on their own.

posted 04-27-2001 11:00 AM         

The announcement made by Segue's Technical Support relates to recent improvements.
In October 2000, all of technical support at Segue Software moved from Lexington, MA, to Belfast in Northern Ireland. While this transition occurred in October much of the planning and expertise was being fostered over a two year period between Belfast and Lexington.

Many of the commentaries and samples posted here relate to past and not recent experiences by individuals, and are far from a true reflection of Segue's Technical Support department today.
In order to put some of the commentaries read into perspective, I have provided examples of how we measured technical support at Segue in Feb/March:

- 98% of all telephone calls get live answer
- 94% of 1st line questions issues resolved same day
- 48%+ of 2nd/3rd line questions resolved same day
- 74%+ of 2nd/3rd line questions resolved within 72 hours
- 91%+ of 2nd/3rd line questions resolved within one week
- Segue Technical Support hours of coverage extended in March to 18*5 M-F i.e. 4am - 10pm EST
- a new and more effective escalation process for all current customers
- all email call notifications received a live and not automated response within one business hour

I guess the only way to determine an opinion for yourself is to use Segue's technical support and make your own judgement.

As a current and active Segue customer you should be assured that Segue's Technical Support department represent your success in using our technology.

Best regards

Stephen Jennings
Director, Technical Support
Segue Software Inc.

posted 04-27-2001 01:25 PM         

I think it was a bad move since customers would like to be close to the support center

posted 04-28-2001 07:56 AM         

quote:

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Originally posted by tlvranas:
I asked that question at Quest 2001. The answer was that the cost of people in Europe is less then in the US. Also, it is easy for Segue to keep their support reps.

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I don't care where they keep their reps as long as they're there when I need them. But they should teach them to speak with an American accent so I can understand what the hell they are saying! (Of course, they probably don't understand what I'm saying either).

.Grace

posted 04-29-2001 11:49 AM         

chaz

posted 04-30-2001 12:11 AM         

BTW , what's a "EK" ?

posted 04-30-2001 07:59 AM         

1. Segue is painfully aware of the problems they have had in tech support over the years and they ARE working on it. Anyone who has been using their products over the last decade has to admit improvement. Nonetheless, Stephan, you've done yourself and the company a disservice by posting what you posted. The entire post appeared defensive and seemed to downplay the issues people in this forum are having right now; today! Rather than defend the changes you are making, you need to be hearing the cries of your *customers* and asking yourself, "How can we make this even better?" There is no doubt at all that your toughest competitor's support far exceeds yours in satisfying the needs and desires of the customer and potential customer.

2. I'm a little disturbed at the thoughts posted by SteveC, that all the support issues have been taken care of with reference to the '99 date. While this may have been overstated, and perhaps misquoted, even the assertion that there are no support issues by the Segue rep is ignorant and blind. I have a list of unresolved issues on my whiteboard, some of which are MONTHS old.

3. There is a difference between Tech Support questions and Tech Support issues. Questions are expected from those new to the product who are unclear on how to configure it and use it for basic tasks. There needs to be a separation within the Tech Support ranks at Segue wherein questions are dealt with quickly and effeciently by those who can do so, and powerhouse issues are passed on to the heavy hitters who can address them. More than once, I've had issues with SilkTest which ended up in code changes being made to the product. The problem is, I had to go through the whole litany of frontline support questions and processes in order to get the issue truly addressed. Once it got there, however, I was given great care.

4. Jake, WebEx is awesome isn't it? For those of you who are having difficulty with an issue and it just isn't getting resolved, and Segue can't reproduce it, request a WebEx session so they can literally see the issue on your machine. It is as good as having an engineer in your office!

5. I'm also a little bothered by the comment made by Chaz; - "I seem to solve the problems I had with silktest by myself, while their technical support was still working on the problems I presented them." - If this is the case, Chaz, you contacted support way too quickly. Those on my team know they need to work an issue extensively before they give up and look for outside help. I also understand there is a point at which it hinders productivity to continue beating on a dead issue, or one which I am clearly not going to be able to figure out. I could be completely wrong, but it just sounds like you raised the help flag too quickly. Perhaps not.

6. As to the whole purpose of this thread... If our goal is to just flame the snot out of Segue Tech Support, we are out of line. However, if our purpose is to raise the issue before Segue so that the process can improve even more than it has, then our cause is just and honorable. I have pointed several Segue reps to this forum for that very purpose, telling them, "You need to read what people are saying about your product and your support process." Clearly others of you are doing the same. The very fact that Stephan is here posting his thoughts is a testament to the fact that this is working.

Now, if they will just take it seriously...

posted 04-30-2001 01:05 PM         

quote:

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Originally posted by tlvranas:
I asked that question at Quest 2001. The answer was that the cost of people in Europe is less then in the US. Also, it is easy for Segue to keep their support reps. If they were in MA with the main office, then after a year or two, the techs will be looking to get into development and away from the phones.

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It should not matter whether it is in Ireland or USA. If what Steve Butler said is true about "staffing the Segue Support group with (only?) Computer Science people...", then these people will be singing "On The Road Again" as soon as they see positions/offers in the Development area or other areas that pays more $$$.

See article below:

http://biz.yahoo.com/bw/010419/2408.html

``In 2000, our service and support division hit record revenues of over $13 million,'' said Steve Butler, Segue's president and chief executive officer. ``Now, operating with 200 percent more trained computer science professionals, our service and support staff is able to resolve client issues faster and more efficiently than ever before - making our service and support offerings by far the best in the business.''

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[This message has been edited by Gilbert (edited 04-30-2001).]