Most companies that sell technical products must provide support and training. Rates for on-site support from technology companies hover between $1,000 and $1,500 per day plus expenses. A small percentage of companies willingly choose to pay these rates because they see a return on their investment through increases in productivity and efficiency. A much larger percentage of companies though refuse to consider an “extra” expense such as support or training. They believe that the purchase price of the system should include technical support at no extra charge.
Support and training services are often an afterthought to the purchase or the sale. Many sales people will donate support or training to win a sale which further devalues its perceived worth. Does technical support cost money or make money? This article will look at several aspects of the technical support and training dilemma and suggest a few perspectives that should be considered.