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Case
| HBS Case Collection
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2007
(Revised from original 2002 version)
Dell Computers (A): Field Service for Corporate Clients
by
Frances X. Frei, Amy C. Edmondson and Corey B. Hajim
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Abstract
Explores the highly successful PC and low-end server manufacturer's entry into the large-scale server market in the United States. A key difference of this new market is the intense service element required to support the larger hardware. Specifically, the industry standard is to have a technician onsite with a required part within four hours of problem diagnosis. This type of service presents a problem for Dell, as its potential customers are widely dispersed throughout the United States. Should Dell create an in-house field service team to ensure service quality and maintain control of its customer relationships or outsource the field service to a third-party provider? Complicating the issue is the presence of IBM, the biggest player in the large-scale server market.
Keywords: Hardware;
Customer Relationship Management;
Job Cuts and Outsourcing;
Service Operations;
Business or Company Management;
Emerging Markets;
Problems and Challenges;
Service Delivery;
Computer Industry;
United States;