Simple: call volume. Just in the U.S. there are a couple hundred million people with PCs, and you want to get them shunted to the correct call queue as quickly as possible. Statistically speaking, you're probably calling a general IBM help number with a PC problem. I don't think the statistics are even close on that question, actually.
A lot of people think of IBM as the universal help desk. On a trip a few years ago the person sitting next to me on the airplane struck up a conversation and eventually learned (because he asked) that I work for IBM. Whereupon he asked me for help getting his HP printer working with his Apple Macintosh. (And come to think of it you probably can sign a contract with IBM for that sort of service. But he didn't sign a contract with me. :-)) Another side reason is that z/OS doesn't fail an awful lot, and if your, say, credit card transactions have stopped running you probably aren't going to be unfamiliar with how to get ahold of IBM if necessary. IBM doesn't have to do so much hand holding on a general 800 number, basically. You wouldn't find myriad other IBM products first (or even second) in the call queue voice prompts either. As a rough comparison, when you call the GE Answer Center, is the first thing you hear, "Press 1 for assistance preventing a nuclear meltdown with the GE Boiling Water Reactor"? No, you're probably going to hear first about toasters, microwave ovens, and refrigerators. (And I think GE sold some of those to Black and Decker many years ago, if memory serves, so it's an apt analogy.) It's precisely because the product is so important (GE Boiling Water Reactors and IBM z/OS) that you don't hear about it at the "Press 1" level. If you prefer, the vendor is trying to clear the riff raff out of the way right away on the odd chance you're a VIP trying to stumble in through the service entrance. :-) - - - - - Timothy Sipples IBM Consulting Enterprise Software Architect Based in Tokyo, Serving IBM Japan / Asia-Pacific E-Mail: [EMAIL PROTECTED] ---------------------------------------------------------------------- For IBM-MAIN subscribe / signoff / archive access instructions, send email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] with the message: GET IBM-MAIN INFO Search the archives at http://bama.ua.edu/archives/ibm-main.html
