Improvement Through Feedback

For nearly three years now I've been calling our customers after they purchase a computer. I don't work off a script and no two calls are the same. 

I might call to check in to make sure your new computer arrived safely. I might call to see if you're happy with your purchase after you've had a few weeks to run the new system through its paces. And I'll be honest, sometimes I call customers to shoot the breeze. A few weeks ago, I called a man who was on his way up the mountain to plant his skis into fresh powder. I told him I lived in Utah, and we spent the next 10 minutes talking about our favorite ski resorts. 

I've talked to people in cars, boats and trains. I've called customers who wanted to rib me after a Seahawks loss or congratulate me after a playoff win. One woman took my call during a spinning class. I offered to call her back at a more convenient time. 

You might wonder why Puget Systems pays me to call people who have already purchased a computer. Yes, I want to make sure you're happy with your computer, and I love hearing how you use it each day. But I'm really hoping that will share with me something we can do better. 

Customer feedback is golden because it helps us improve our product, our service and ourselves. Most of the feedback I gather is overwhelmingly positive. This helps us determine what's working and encourages us to continue down that path. But the not-so-positive feedback is also incredibly valuable. Most of this comes at the end of the call in the form of, "Well, there is this one thing you could do…" 

It's a privilege to accept this feedback because it tells us customers care enough to help us improve. We respect all feedback, even when it's not easy to hear. So along those lines, I want to share with you some of the feedback that's helped us improve. We've solved a few of these issues, while others are still a work-in-progress. 

"I wish you offered the same computer in a smaller case." 

We love large cases for a variety of reasons. They allow you to add additional components and they tend to offer more cooling options than smaller cases. But we hear you, and are working to provide our certified systems in smaller cases. We're now offering both our Serenity and Peak in a much smaller Silverstone SG10 case that's downright diminutive compared to the Fractal R5 case. We have more work to do in this area, and know that smaller case options are a high priority for many of you. 

On a related note, we recently released a video that gives you a visual comparison of the most popular cases we use in builds today. 

"I wish your support department was available in the evenings and/or weekends." 

Our support hours are 9-6 PM PST which overlaps with the work hours of many of our west coast customers. That's not ideal, and we understand this. Since we don't outsource support, extending support hours into the evening and weekends requires hiring more technicians to fill these gaps in coverage. If you require support outside of our normal hours, please let us know, and we'll work to accommodate your request. 

"I love the binder full of information you include with my computer, but can I get it in PDF format?" 

Yes you can. As of last week, you'll find the PDF version of your binder under the My Account area of the website. 

"I should be able to select my own computer name when I order." 

This is a work-in-progress. If you want to designate the name we give your computer, please let your sales consultant know, and we'll take it from there. We hope to automate this process in the future. 

"Why are you running gaming benchmarks on my workstation?" 

Quite a few customers have told me they would love to see benchmarks that are applicable to the type of programs they use. We currently perform a number of industry standard benchmarks on each computer we build, including some that are game related. Our engineers compare your benchmarks to similarly configured computers we've built before. If your benchmarks score lower we know there's an issue, and can fix it before shipment. 

We've tried to add more context to each benchmark we perform so that you know what we're testing and why. For example, we run a benchmark called GeekBench 3 that measures processor and memory performance. Another called Alien and Predator tests screen resolutions, frame rates and the performance of your GPU. 

We still have work to do in this area. If there's a benchmark you'd like us to consider, please let us know

"I wish you offered more Linux options."

We know through your feedback that many of you select Kubuntu and then wipe it to install your preferred Linux version after delivery. Some of you have told me that you will install the OS no matter how many options we offer. But some have asked us to offer mainstream distributions like Red Hat and Mint, and we want to be open to those requests. Please speak with a sales consultant if you require an operating system we don't currently offer. 

"I want a turnkey solution." 

You've told me how much easier your life would be if we'd install and optimize all the software you need to run your business. Day Traders have told me they want to purchase 6 to 8 monitors from us and have them configured so all they have to do is attach them to the back of the computer, and they're ready to go. 

While it isn't feasible for us to become experts in all software categories, there are some customer profiles that match up well with our expertise, and we are working to provide turnkey solutions in those areas. Stay tuned. 

"I want more How-To videos." 

Today you'll find a few videos that cover basic maintenance and servicing of our computers, but we know there's a lot more we can do. I know a lot of you would like us to create unboxing and getting started videos. I know a few of these are in the works today. Having videos you can refer to at any time may also help bridge times when a technician isn't available. 

It's not easy to put into words how much we've learned from the feedback you've kindly provided over the years. Please know that we hear you and are working to implement a lot it into our business. If you have anything you'd like to share, please leave a comment below.