Make it easier BUYING a system
Advertising and Marketing, Service and Support, Small Business, Simplify IT submitted by felix.schwarz
Jan 3
IMHO Dell looses sales every day due to an over-complicated order process (at least in the small business area). In the small business section you get an offer directly from Dell by phone and have "special" contact person who you should call directly. After you get the offer by email, you can't just order the offered configuration on the web but you have to call your contact person and confirm the order.
The problem is that your contact person may be not available (vacations, calls with other customers), business sales is not available 24/7 and you can not order by calling other Dell call center agents. At least this is the current situation in Germany.
A recent experience should illustrate the issue:
I administer some networks for small businesses (up to 20 employees) which do not employ a dedicated network admin. In December a client needed a new notebook so I asked Dell for a quote on a Latitude laptop (Friday, 28.12.) and got a quite interesting offer. I needed to check back with my client to talk about some minor equipment details. So I could not order on Friday, I called Dell again on Monday (31.12.) but my contact person was not available (vacation). The mailbox named another agent as temporary delegation. This one was not available too any more - at 12am on a normal work day.
I called the phone central but the agent told me - even after I insisted, that I just want to order and already have an offer from Dell - that no agent can accept the offer now and that I have to call again on Wednesday (2.1.). I stumbled as this is something that I expected in a small shop with 1 or 2 employees but not in a global corporation with thousands call center agents world wide...
The delay was especially problematic as the new notebook was needed ASAP (as always), in mid-January at the latest and my sales person told me, they could probably manage to ship it by the 15th of January if I order in December.
2. January: My sales person was still not available. The alternative one was busy, I spoke on her mailbox but got no call back on Wednesday.
Finally, I got a call back today (3.1.) by my sales contact but now Dell just needs too long to ship the product to the customer so I had to choose another supplier which costs about 20% more but ships in a few days! Dell lost a sale due to poor internal organization despite superior technical quality AND a lower price.
I suspect that no other call center agent was available to accept my order because Dell has an internal reward system on the basis of customer orders and they have an internal codex that no-one may take customers away from another Dell agent.
I suggest:
1. If a small business customer has an offer, make it possible to place the order 24/7 (at least in Germany, you can not do this right now). Sometimes I need to work on Saturdays or late in the night. Just provide a web page where I enter the offer number and the payment option.
2. Do support established payment options even if these are unknown in the US. In Germany, "Lastschrifteinzug" is widely used (works like a Credit Card but you give the seller your bank account number and the permission to get the money directly from your bank account) but is not offered by Dell.
3. Improve your shipping times (may apply only to Germany). I know, that Dell is built on the "Built-to-order" principle but customers really expect that *I* ship computers "just in time" for them, too. And they don't announce this a month in advance but only a few days, 2-3 weeks at the most. Mostly, they just need ordinary business computers, nothing special, just "Windows ready". Why does Dell not provide some computers which are pre-assembled, can't be configured in any way (maybe choose the monitor you like) but are shipped to the customer within 24/48/72 hours?
110
Openly Support Folding At Home
Healthcare submitted by dwood
10/31/07
I think that Dell should openly endorse and support Stanford's Folding @ home Program to help cure diseases.
How Dell Endorses this program is how they do it.
For those of you who dont know that it is, look here:
link removed.
-70
Add a switch to disable all LEDs for entertainment mode (laptops)
Laptops submitted by fry-kun
Jan 17
I like to watch DVDs on my laptop in the dark. Unfortunately, there are always green LEDs that light up right in my face every time I do. Some of them I can disable (numlock, capslock, wifi, bluetooth) - but others stick around (power/HD/battery indicators).
I'd like to have a switch to disable all LEDs at once, for use while in "entertainment mode".
490
OS X on Dell Hardware
New Product Ideas submitted by daveander
Jan 18
Remember when Michael Dell expressed interest in licensing OS X for Dell PCs? Apple responded with an emphatic NO, but there's a way to accomplish this without Apple's blessing. Simply offer an Inspiron model (Desktop and Notebook) with the exact same hardware as the MacBooks/iMac. Then let the end users install OS X themselves via one of the methods described on sites such as www.osx86project.org. Many of us have been using OS X on our Dells for quite some time now, but we've run into problems with unsupported hardware. Making a Dell with the same hardware the Macs use would help us out immensely. It should be an Inspiron model to keep prices low, since most of the OSx86 users would just buy real Macs if they could afford them. Please consider this request. There are many people in the OSx86 community who would jump at the chance to buy a MacBook compatible Inspiron. This could be done with little effort on Dell's part and with no risk of litigation from apple, since the end users would be doing the OS X installations.
-210
Enough with the blue LED's already!
Monitors and Displays, Laptops submitted by chewd
Jan 15
A small, sharp, pinpoint of blue light is absolutely the worst thing you could possibly do to your night vision! Theres a reason the panel lights in aircraft are always red, red light does not leave retinal artifacts that impair night-vision.
I know blue LED's are trendy, everythings got them these days. And bluetooth has "blue" right in the freakin name. But those of us who use notebooks for work, and work at night, find blue LEDs very irritating.
Blue being a very short wavelength is very penetrating. You can light an entire room with one blue LED, whereas red being a long wavelength is ideal for indicators & such as it does not carry as much.
Give us the option of changing the color of the LED's either through BIOS, software, or even physically replacing them (or just replacing a colored lens). Maybe it would be possible to let us turn down the brightness a tad.
It would be nice not to have to cover my new laptop with little bits of tape.
520
Have Firefox pre-installed as default browser
Software submitted by robinjfisher
02/19/07 **REVIEWED**
Does what it says on the tin! Most people only use IE because they aren't aware of other browsers - they think Internet Explorer is the Internet! What would really drive take up of alternative browsers is if Firefox was pre-installed as the default browser so that when people look for the "Internet" in Windows, they are using FF.
Firefox advocates at Dell have initiated discussions and driven action around exploring alternative internet browsers and experiences. As you can tell from our response to the Linux community, open source continues to be a part of our conversations about new products and services.
115743
Ubuntu Dell Repo
Linux, Service and Support submitted by tekhawk
07/20/07 **PARTIALLY IMPLEMENTED**
basicly a simple idea dell to support the ubuntu community a little bit by running a repo for its laptops and desktop if nothing more to support the software that they install on the system and to provide driver updates theses repos should be setup on the machines before shipping so that the users can get the driver updates quick and easy and offer driver on there for all the drivers that there are for dell machines that are support on linux not just the shipping lines
so that user might find that other machines then the ones you ship with ubuntu can easly be made into power ubuntu operating machines
As matt_d has said below, we have repositories for Red Hat Enterprise Linux, Fedora, Novell/SuSE Linux Enterprise Server, and a growing one for Ubuntu. Check it out here http://linux.dell.com.
7450
No OS Preloaded
Linux, Operating Systems, Sales Strategies submitted by agreer
02/17/07 **PARTIALLY IMPLEMENTED**
I have a XP Pro retail copy, will soon buy retail vista, I also like Linux: Make WINDOWS-FREE, and OS-Free an option for more than just expensive business lines.
Dell has systems available that do not have an OS pre-loaded called N-Series line. You can check them out at www.dell.com/nseries.
85150
AMD on higher product lines in Laptops and Desktops
Accessories (Keyboards, etc.), Sales Strategies submitted by daryldeal
11/11/07
Lack of AMD processors in the more expensive product lines in laptops in desktops is really non-consumer budget friendly. I mean, AMD nowadays provides the best Price/Performance ratios. Dont get me wrong saying INTEL core 2 duos arent, but AMD provides headroom flexibility for us consumers to have the best Price/Performance ratio for a laptop and desktop that we would surely enjoy, without not paying that much for performance.
For example in gaming. you guys can rig a laptop or desktop with a good/best performing AMD processor thats definitely cheaper than Intel C2D's. WIth that you can put additional firepower in the Video Card. Get my point? Now thats the way to go, Best price/performance ratios.
Get AMD's in those higher product lines of laptops and desktops, so that the consumers can experience the Price/Performance ratio to the fullest.
150
Start offering DELL products to the general public in Poland
Dell, Linux, Sales Strategies submitted by lukasz.wisniewski
11/12/07
According to today's local newspaper Gazeta Wyborcza [1], by 20th November, 11:30 to be more exact, Dell will just have manufactured their first notebook in Lodz, Poland. Unfortunately, even though I am inhabitant of this city, it is more than unlikely I will buy DELL notebook anytime soon.
Firstly, the current policy of your company in Poland is "Only for enterprises and institutions" (original in Polish: Tylko dla firm i instytucji). Such a approach seems to me to be more than just bizarre. Do you happen to realize Poland is something like 38 milions of your potential customers? Just for instance, in my city, there are two big public universities, several private ones - you see the universities but not the students. Is this of your concern? I guess not but Apple is already there offering discounts for students.
Secondly, start distributing preinstalled Ubuntu for Poland as well. I actually do not see the point why you do this in UK, Germany or France and not in Poland. People of Poland are more eager to install open-source products, just let me remind you that according to XiTi monitor [2] open-source Firefox browser has market share of 39.6% in Poland, whereas in Germany - 38%, France - 23.9% and UK just 18.7%.
Thirdly, by preinstalling Ubuntu I mean making it an option anywhere where there is an OS selection option on your website. I clearly see no reason in the world why you keep offering such a miserable Ubuntu notebook in Europe instead of something more powerful - Inspiron 6400n with Intel T2130 processor. In your opinion, how impressive is that nowadays?
Last but not least, DELL, please stop participating in this devoid of good sense campaign "Dell recommends Vista..." which is sarcastic. You really do not have to put down this sentence on your website as in Poland you force people to use Vista leaving no other choice.
Take all these remarks under your consideration unless it is OK with you that Poles should travel to Germany in order to buy your notebooks. Hear our voice, DELL!
Signed,
Lukasz Wisniewski
student of the Computer Science
Technical University of Lodz
Links:
[1] http://miasta.gazeta.pl/lodz/1,35136,4662983.html
[2] http://www.xitimonitor.com/en-us/browsers-barometer/firefox-july-2007/index-1...
4090
DELL OS
submitted by bubuasb
11/12/07 **NOT LIKELY**
Dell should create its own operating sistem like Apple
-370
Linux Customer Survey
Dell Web Site, Linux submitted by aikiwolfie
11/12/07
I've noticed Dell likes it's on-line surveys. So why hasn't one been done for Linux? If it has can we see the results?
Conduct an on-line survey of customers asking them if they have;
1 ) Heard of Linux?
2 ) Used Linux in the past?
3 ) Intend to use Linux in the future?
4 ) Currently use Linux?
5 ) What are/were the systems specs of the PC Linux was installed on?
6 ) Which distributions have they used?
7 ) Which distribution do they prefer?
8 ) Why did they stop using Linux?
9 ) What problems have they encountered using Linux?
10 ) If they haven't heard of Linux, what do they think Linux is?
11 ) Do they want to buy Dell PCs with Linux installed?
12 ) List the applications you use the most on Linux.
13 ) Are there any applications you would like moved to the Linux platform that are not currently offered on Linux.
14 ) Is there any particular piece of hardware you'd like to see supported in Linux?
15 ) Would you like to see better hardware virtualization support, better bleeding edge support and better thread handling (processors are hardware too)
490
No Limits! Make **all** choices available **anywhere** in the world
Sales Strategies submitted by mrw
09/16/07
First example: The Germans are second class customers, because they don't get the same choices for Ubuntu Laptops as in the USA. We here in Switzerland are even third class customers, because we do not get an Ubuntu Laptop at all.
Other example: The choices I can make for a notebook depends on how I walked through your shop! Sometimes for the same Model, I can chose a low end Harddisk, sometimes not. That's absolutely ridiculous! Please allow any possible hardware combination!
Allow to select any matching hard disk in any laptop (or desktop)! Allow to setup any kind of memory, especially e.g. one(!) 2GB module instead of two 1GB modules, give the choice for between either a mirroring display or an anti-glare display for any available display size and resolution. If technically possible, allow to choose between NVidia and ATI, and allow to chose the Memory of the card. Allow to completely deselect the operating system and all kind of installed software.
First: Make all offers available anywhere in the world!
Second: Do not limit the possible combinations!
Shouldn't the customer be king? Let us all choices!
3990
Low Power Usage Machines
Environment, Desktops and Laptops submitted by bluefoxicy
06/12/07
This proposal suggests creating specifically low-energy systems, with mid-level performance. We suggest a market for this proposal; a handful of existing technologies useful to these ends; and theoretical initiatives to continue on with this initiative.
This proposal suggests low-energy, mid-level performance systems. These systems would serve for generic tasks taken by a number of individual groups; in a nutshell, the system would function as a generic machine running Linux, although further initiatives would allow running Windows. These machines would be geared more towards tasks such as Web browsing, E-mail, audio and video encoding, video conferencing, and graphics editing; but would find deficiency in running high-intensity real time scientific applications or leading-edge 3D games. Such machines would utilize less electricity and thus cost less to run; also laptops and computers running on UPS would last longer on battery.
Existing technologies include alternate processor architectures such as Intel's Xscale ARM processor as I suggested earlier[1]; Mary Lou Jepsen's new LCD design[4] as I suggested earlier[2]; a low-power wireless chipset; and flash-based disks.
The Intel Xscale ARM processor runs at 600MHz and only in 32-bit mode, dual processor SMP could allow 1200MHz total. The high efficiency of the ARM architecture allows high performance at these low clock speeds; more importantly to this proposal, the Intel Xscale@600MMhz consumes 0.5 watts of power[3]. An Intel Core2duo X6800@2.93GHz consumes 75 watts of power[3], while a Core2duo U7600@1.20GHz consumes 10 watts. A dual processor Xscale system would utilize 1 watt of power for 1.20GHz to run the processors; this translates into lower heat production and thus reduced cooling requirements as well, further reducing power usage and also possibly allowing for fanless, quieter systems.
Mary Lou Jepsen designed a new display technology[4] for the One Laptop Per Child project. This technology uses a bright white LED and refraction to project colors to individual pixels; power usage reductions come from removing the high-power fluorescent back light. The display has color artifact issues, currently solved by applying a slight amount of blurring; sharpness falls below 200dpi. I am unsure of the potential to improve this technology for sharper displays; however it does have a wider color gamut than a normal LCD, and a very low manufacture cost.
The One Laptop Per Child project also uses a low-power wireless networking chipset. I believe this chipset uses an embedded, low-clockrate, self-clocked ARM processor with built-in RAM used to store firmware (loaded by the driver). The chipset uses, overall, a few tens of milliwatts of electricity at most; the power footprint of this wireless chipset is almost nothing. The particular chipset is an 802.11b chipset; however, similar designs for 802.11a/g/n chipsets should be possible. Having such a low power usage chipset for wireless would obviously contribute to the lower power footprint of the system.
Flash based "hard disks" (main storage) also supply a method of reducing system power usage; unfortunately, the technology carries a high price tag. Newegg sells 16GB USB flash drives for around $130, so I estimate retail price of 96GB flash storage drives would fall at $780 currently. Still, the price point moves rapidly with this technology, so in a few years this will become quite viable; I remember around 2003 things like 128MB drives cost $90, and 2GB drives cost $200 in 2005. If we look at the 2005 price and assume at least an 8-fold increase in capacity for the same price, then 128GB flash drives should fall around $100-$150 by 2009; realistically, the fabrication processes for smaller semiconductors become easier and the capacity per price grows exponentially.
Further theoretical initiatives include a hardware x86-to-ARM translator chipset; low-power 3D graphics; and static graphics buffers that can stay on without the CPU or most of the graphics chipset.
This proposal specifically suggests a low-power-usage ARM processor; however, modern operating systems run on x86. Modern x86 processors use a RISC language internally and apply translation to x86 instruction code to produce RISC instructions; in the same way, an expansion chipset could translate x86 code to ARM. The BIOS and its shadow would always run directly on the ARM; but a setting in the BIOS would control whether all other code runs on x86 or ARM. Setting this to x86 would activate a chipset which translates x86 instructions to ARM instructions upon fetch, and caches the output in an additional cache (Possibly a reserved segment of main memory, size adjustable in BIOS for performance). In the presence of a completely ARM operating system, this translation chipset could be completely disabled and unpowered, saving power.
Many desktop applications utilize menial 3D graphics, or can be accelerated by 3D graphics. A fully OpenGL 2.0 or higher and DirectX 10 or higher supporting 3D chipset could provide support to desktop environments like Aero and Compiz and simplistic games on the level of Armagetron or Nexuiz. This chipset could run at a low clock rate and utilize a low power footprint; not much power is needed to run simple 3D desktops. The chipset could alternately scale to high clock rates as needed, possibly supporting more intensive 3D applications.
The AMD Geode GX and Geode LX contain an integrated graphics chipset. This graphics chipset maintains the video buffer even when power to the processor is completely removed (power to the graphics area stays). I believe it also can maintain the display with most of the graphics hardware off, as long as the frame buffer stays powered; in this case, the same static image can stay on the screen, so as long as the cursor isn't blinking and the mouse isn't moving power usage drops drastically. A graphics chipset which behaves in this way would allow for large power savings if a properly coded operating system took advantage of it.
Once again, this proposal in general suggests low-power, mid-performance machines for desktops and laptops. The above ideas give some possible methods for implementing this; further research is required, but I believe I've given some interesting direction here.
[1] http://ideastorm.com/article/show/67331/ARM_PCs
[2] http://ideastorm.com/article/show/67334/LowPower_nomercury_LCD_Monitors
[3] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/CPU_power_dissipation
[4] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Children%27s_Machine#Display
1540
External low voltage power supply to power PC and all peripherals
Accessories (Keyboards, etc.), Desktops and Laptops submitted by carlolsen
04/20/07
Separate the power supply from the PC, so that you have only one power supply that converts 110 v to DC, that then supplies power to your computer, your LCD, your printer, hubs, external disk drives, and other peripherals.
That way, you waste less power, you have less heat next to your comptuer, battery backups don't need to re-convert back to 110v, you can run on a low voltage system with clean DC power, etc.
This also elliminates the need to have many different "wall warts" to power all the different peripherals, instead, you just have a cable from the master power supply to each peripheral.
This master power supply could also contain an optional battery backup.
90
 track my votes
|
|
jackie_c
kara_k
dawn_l