RE: MI question on MapInfo.. Newbie Response

[Warren Vick, Europa Technologies Ltd.]

Hello Laurie,

>       When you have higher management spend X dollars for something.  They expect
> results yesterday as most of you know.
> Try getting and answer from Tech Support your 90 day period is up, or you
> vendor screws up on filing the program correctly.
> There is very little reference referring items in another book, as for
> examples well most are a foreign language to most folks, most are not in
> laymen terms.
> Try to explain why your company needs to spend the 800 extra for training.
> That one goes over real well.

I think there's two important points to be made from your message. First is the 
importance to buy 
MapInfo products from an experienced partner. Many (including myself) do not restrict 
technical 
support to 90 days after purchase and will happily respond to user problems and 
queries (within 
reason of course). The second point is that above average queries does of course 
suggest that 
training is in order. Once a user is familiar with (say) MI Pro it doesn't seem to 
complicated - 
certainly there are more options and features in more common products like MS Word. 
However, 
a new comer to MapInfo does need to learn some things about mapping as well as the 
application 
itself so I would say the learning curve is initially deceptively steep. If you need 
results in a hurry, 
go back to a parter and ask about any consultancy or bureau services they might have 
to offer. In 
my experience, it is common to open a customers eyes to more possibilities with the 
products 
which often more than covers any additional expense incurred. 

I know that it can be very frustrating to get results quickly out of a new product. 
It's not a bad idea 
to treat your supplier as your own partner in desktop mapping, and not just a reseller 
approved by 
MapInfo. With a little persistence and assistance, today's newbie will be tomorrow's 
expert!

Regards,
Warren Vick
Europa Technologies Ltd, U.K.
www.europa-tech.com
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