Please help for my studies

[Henry]

Hi Everyone,

My name is Henry and I'm a Master of Computing student at Unitec New Zealand
(www.unitec.ac.nz). I'm currently doing my Thesis titled: "Utilizing
Newsgroups as Customer Support Tool in Software Development Companies". This
research is about whether or not Newsgroups are effective for providing
customer support with low cost.

This is **strictly** academic, non-profit research, only doing it to
complete my degree. You are encouraged to contact to my institute (Unitec
New Zealand (www.unitec.ac.nz)) to verify my student details, if you ever
have any doubts.

For more information about my research, please visit my research page:
http://hyperdisc.unitec.ac.nz/postgrad/aungn01/surveysite/home.asp

I'm surveying the customers of software companies who use newsgroups to get
solution to their problems. I'm surveying 50 customers per company. However,
with the amount of newsgroups available at Microsoft news site, I'm only
surveying 1 person from this particular newsgroup.

The survey is only 12 questions so it shouldn't take more than 5 mins or so.
And this survey is **totally anonymous**.

NOTE: I would like 1 person with at least 1 year experience (Getting
solutions for their problems) using newsgroups, to answer my survey.

To participate in the survey...
- Go to: http://hyperdisc.unitec.ac.nz/postgrad/aungn01/surveysite/home.asp
- Click on "Start Survey" on the top-left of the page
- Enter the User Code (pick on below)
- Click Continue

Below are the user codes for 1 person...
59646230-0964-4B69-9F77-561FB156D701

If you ever had any doubts on what questions are being asked, you can view
the questions beforehand by entering "Guest-User" (without quotes) in the
User Code field and browse around the survey pages. After you've satisfied
with the questions being asked, you can use one of the User Codes provided
above and answer the survey.

Thank you all for taking the time to even read this post. If anyone of you
can answer my survey, it'll help towards completing my research and I'll be
very much appreciated!

Henry
Master of Computing Student
Student ID: 1118218
Unitec New Zealand

 

[Jim Macklin]

To get a valid statistic you will need to survey at least
20-30 from each group, ask your math professor about
statistical data.

Of the cuff answer is obvious, a newsgroup cost is nil, a
server farm can be run 24/7 for the cost of one tech support
person.

For the manufacturer it is very cost effective, for the
end-user it is as good as you usually get on the first and
second call to customer support.

Your thesis topic is more a marketing research topic than
computing.

G'day, put a lamb on the spit for me.


| Hi Everyone,
|
| My name is Henry and I'm a Master of Computing student at
Unitec New Zealand
| (www.unitec.ac.nz). I'm currently doing my Thesis titled:
"Utilizing
| Newsgroups as Customer Support Tool in Software
Development Companies". This
| research is about whether or not Newsgroups are effective
for providing
| customer support with low cost.
|
| This is **strictly** academic, non-profit research, only
doing it to
| complete my degree. You are encouraged to contact to my
institute (Unitec
| New Zealand (www.unitec.ac.nz)) to verify my student
details, if you ever
| have any doubts.
|
| For more information about my research, please visit my
research page:
|
http://hyperdisc.unitec.ac.nz/postgrad/aungn01/surveysite/home.asp
|
| I'm surveying the customers of software companies who use
newsgroups to get
| solution to their problems. I'm surveying 50 customers per
company. However,
| with the amount of newsgroups available at Microsoft news
site, I'm only
| surveying 1 person from this particular newsgroup.
|
| The survey is only 12 questions so it shouldn't take more
than 5 mins or so.
| And this survey is **totally anonymous**.
|
| NOTE: I would like 1 person with at least 1 year
experience (Getting
| solutions for their problems) using newsgroups, to answer
my survey.
|
| To participate in the survey...
| - Go to:
http://hyperdisc.unitec.ac.nz/postgrad/aungn01/surveysite/home.asp
| - Click on "Start Survey" on the top-left of the page
| - Enter the User Code (pick on below)
| - Click Continue
|
| Below are the user codes for 1 person...
| 59646230-0964-4B69-9F77-561FB156D701
|
| If you ever had any doubts on what questions are being
asked, you can view
| the questions beforehand by entering "Guest-User" (without
quotes) in the
| User Code field and browse around the survey pages. After
you've satisfied
| with the questions being asked, you can use one of the
User Codes provided
| above and answer the survey.
|
| Thank you all for taking the time to even read this post.
If anyone of you
| can answer my survey, it'll help towards completing my
research and I'll be
| very much appreciated!
|
| Henry
| Master of Computing Student
| Student ID: 1118218
| Unitec New Zealand
|
|
|
|
|
|

 

[CWatters]

Hi Everyone,

My name is Henry and I'm a Master of Computing student at Unitec New Zealand
(www.unitec.ac.nz). I'm currently doing my Thesis titled: "Utilizing
Newsgroups as Customer Support Tool in Software Development Companies". This
research is about whether or not Newsgroups are effective for providing
customer support with low cost.

Given a choice between two similar products I prefer to buy the one that has
a user discussion forum on the makers web site. The level of support users
provide each other is frequently better than that provided by the
manufacturer! I think the reason for this is that qualified technical people
don't want to work in a support role. They can get more interesting and
better paid jobs else where.

 

[Henry]

Hi Jim,

Thank you for the post. I'm surveying a total of 500 customers across 6
software companies (so 50 customers for each company). Initially I was
planned to survey as much as 5000 customers across the globe with different
translations to my survey for non-English customers as well. With advice
from my supervisor, I scaled down the scope to 500 customers who speak
English only. My supervisor is advised me to do that for my masters level
thesis. Only when I do PhD thesis, I'll be surveying on much larger scale.
However, I'll note your point and discuss it with my supervisors again.

Yes, it's obvious that newsgroups are most cost effective customer support
tool. However, I need prove for that and I'll be getting information from
the 6 software companies those selected for this research. Additionally, I
need to know if newsgroups can provide good quality (or at least acceptable
quality) to the users. From my experience, it can but it's not enough for my
thesis.

Also, you're correct that my degree is not a pure computing degree. In fact
my degree is more flavor on Information Systems than Computer Science.
That's why I'm carrying out a research project that blends business and
computing.

Regards,
Henry
Master of Computing Student
Student ID: 1118218
Unitec New Zealand

 

[Henry]

Thanks for the input.

Regards,
Henry
Master of Computing Student
Student ID: 1118218
Unitec New Zealand

 

[Jim Macklin]

Good luck with your studies. Since I am so smart, I rarely
ever use customer support beyond reading the manuals that
come with the product. It is amazing what is included in
the manuals and on-line. I come to these newsgroups because
it is my social life (slightly tongue in cheek).

BTW 6 x 50 is 300

| Hi Jim,
|
| Thank you for the post. I'm surveying a total of 500
customers across 6
| software companies (so 50 customers for each company).
Initially I was
| planned to survey as much as 5000 customers across the
globe with different
| translations to my survey for non-English customers as
well. With advice
| from my supervisor, I scaled down the scope to 500
customers who speak
| English only. My supervisor is advised me to do that for
my masters level
| thesis. Only when I do PhD thesis, I'll be surveying on
much larger scale.
| However, I'll note your point and discuss it with my
supervisors again.
|
| Yes, it's obvious that newsgroups are most cost effective
customer support
| tool. However, I need prove for that and I'll be getting
information from
| the 6 software companies those selected for this research.
Additionally, I
| need to know if newsgroups can provide good quality (or at
least acceptable
| quality) to the users. From my experience, it can but it's
not enough for my
| thesis.
|
| Also, you're correct that my degree is not a pure
computing degree. In fact
| my degree is more flavor on Information Systems than
Computer Science.
| That's why I'm carrying out a research project that blends
business and
| computing.
|
| Regards,
| Henry
| Master of Computing Student
| Student ID: 1118218
| Unitec New Zealand
|
in message
| | > To get a valid statistic you will need to survey at
least
| > 20-30 from each group, ask your math professor about
| > statistical data.
| >
| > Of the cuff answer is obvious, a newsgroup cost is nil,
a
| > server farm can be run 24/7 for the cost of one tech
support
| > person.
| >
| > For the manufacturer it is very cost effective, for the
| > end-user it is as good as you usually get on the first
and
| > second call to customer support.
| >
| > Your thesis topic is more a marketing research topic
than
| > computing.
| >
| > G'day, put a lamb on the spit for me.
| >
| >
| > | > | Hi Everyone,
| > |
| > | My name is Henry and I'm a Master of Computing student
at
| > Unitec New Zealand
| > | (www.unitec.ac.nz). I'm currently doing my Thesis
titled:
| > "Utilizing
| > | Newsgroups as Customer Support Tool in Software
| > Development Companies". This
| > | research is about whether or not Newsgroups are
effective
| > for providing
| > | customer support with low cost.
| > |
| > | This is **strictly** academic, non-profit research,
only
| > doing it to
| > | complete my degree. You are encouraged to contact to
my
| > institute (Unitec
| > | New Zealand (www.unitec.ac.nz)) to verify my student
| > details, if you ever
| > | have any doubts.
| > |
| > | For more information about my research, please visit
my
| > research page:
| > |
| >
http://hyperdisc.unitec.ac.nz/postgrad/aungn01/surveysite/home.asp
| > |
| > | I'm surveying the customers of software companies who
use
| > newsgroups to get
| > | solution to their problems. I'm surveying 50 customers
per
| > company. However,
| > | with the amount of newsgroups available at Microsoft
news
| > site, I'm only
| > | surveying 1 person from this particular newsgroup.
| > |
| > | The survey is only 12 questions so it shouldn't take
more
| > than 5 mins or so.
| > | And this survey is **totally anonymous**.
| > |
| > | NOTE: I would like 1 person with at least 1 year
| > experience (Getting
| > | solutions for their problems) using newsgroups, to
answer
| > my survey.
| > |
| > | To participate in the survey...
| > | - Go to:
| >
http://hyperdisc.unitec.ac.nz/postgrad/aungn01/surveysite/home.asp
| > | - Click on "Start Survey" on the top-left of the page
| > | - Enter the User Code (pick on below)
| > | - Click Continue
| > |
| > | Below are the user codes for 1 person...
| > | 59646230-0964-4B69-9F77-561FB156D701
| > |
| > | If you ever had any doubts on what questions are being
| > asked, you can view
| > | the questions beforehand by entering "Guest-User"
(without
| > quotes) in the
| > | User Code field and browse around the survey pages.
After
| > you've satisfied
| > | with the questions being asked, you can use one of the
| > User Codes provided
| > | above and answer the survey.
| > |
| > | Thank you all for taking the time to even read this
post.
| > If anyone of you
| > | can answer my survey, it'll help towards completing my
| > research and I'll be
| > | very much appreciated!
| > |
| > | Henry
| > | Master of Computing Student
| > | Student ID: 1118218
| > | Unitec New Zealand
| > |
| > |
| > |
| > |
| > |
| > |
| >
| >
|
|
|