Survey Finds Networking Equipment Quality Not Meeting Expectations
IT and Home Users Report High Levels of Problems with Networking Equipment Resulting in Costly Support Calls and Product Returns
Mountain View, CA—December 5, 2006—A recent Web survey, commissioned by The Fanfare Group, found that IT professionals and home consumers are increasingly experiencing issues with the functionality of networking products such as routers, DSL modems, wireless access points, print servers, network storage devices and switches. Consequently, the amount of money spent on technical support is on the rise for this increasingly complex networking equipment. The survey offers a dramatic look at the broad implications to manufacturers of networking devices in terms of quality, technical support and business costs.
Of the 821 individuals surveyed, who purchased or installed networking equipment for their work (IT) or home networks in the past 24 months, more than one third (37% of IT and 46% of home users) reported experiencing problems with the functionality of networking equipment. Additionally, more than half (58% of IT and 53% of home users) reported having at least one support call for a networking equipment problem that took more than one hour of direct interaction with a technical support engineer to resolve - not including time spent on hold or waiting for a response.
Other key findings in this survey include:
- 62% of IT and 39% of home users who have experienced a problem with a piece of networking equipment have returned a problematic device
- 22% of IT and 35% of home users exchanged the problematic device for a different brand
- Google was cited as the most frequently used online resource for troubleshooting problems; manufacturers' Web sites the second most frequently used online resource
- 92% of IT and 82% of home users reported contacting technical support for issues with their networking equipment
"The findings in this survey underscore the growing need to address the quality of high-tech devices that infiltrate our daily lives," said David Gehringer, vice president of marketing for Fanfare. "These quality problems are seriously impacting device manufacturers not only in terms of increased technical support costs, but also with loss of business and credibility when a customer turns to an alternative solution. In the highly competitive network equipment space, consisting of industry giants and eager startups, there is market share to be gained by turning quality into a competitive advantage."
About the Survey
This Web survey was sponsored by Fanfare, a provider of test automation software for high-tech equipment vendors, and was conducted in October 2006 via Zoomerang using the zPro survey tool and zSample panels. Participants consisted of individuals with responsibility for purchasing or installing networking equipment for their work or home networks. A total of 821 individuals who purchased or installed networking equipment for their work (IT) or home networks in the past 24 months responded. A full report is available for review on Fanfare's Web site at http://www.fnfr.com/downloads/documentLibrary/index.aspx
About Fanfare
The Fanfare Group is revolutionizing the way high-tech equipment vendors manage product release cycles. By combining test development, execution, documentation, and automation into a single step, the company offers the first commercially developed test automation software for validating the functionality of high-tech equipment. Using the FanfareSVT™ family of products, quality assurance teams improve customer satisfaction and reduce QA costs. More information about the company and FanfareSVT can be found at www.fanfaregroup.com
Media Contact:
Marisa Marzano
Big Sky Communications
marisa@bigskypr.com
(705) 484-5105
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