SAN FRANCISCO (02/03/2000) - Despite some supply problems last year, Dell still outperformed its competition when it came to satisfying corporate buyers of desktops, notebooks, and Intel-based servers, according to a study released Wednesday.
The Corporate IT Buying Behavior and Customer Satisfaction Study is a quarterly tracking service conducted by Technology Business Research. From October 1999 to January 2000 the company interviewed 389 IT managers at companies that buy 500 or more PCs a year, says Julie Perron, manager of primary research at the company. The weighted customer satisfaction scores are based on a scale of 100 points.
In corporate desktops, Dell increased its lead in the desktop satisfaction poll with a score of 88.17, easily besting second-place finisher Hewlett-Packard's score of 83.73. Third place went to IBM with 83.25; Compaq scored 82.69, and Gateway placed fifth with 80.96.
In corporate notebooks, Dell was the top performer with a score of 84.14. IBM took second with 81.40, Compaq third with 79.02, and Toshiba was fourth with 77.69.
In the Intel-server category, Dell scored an 88.89, narrowly squeaking by Compaq's rating of 87.09. HP followed in third place with 86.10, and IBM rounded out the top four with 83.20.
Dell Selling Too Well
Dell performed well--and the study says it is "essentially unchallenged"--in all three product categories. However, it did suffer some negative response in the area of delivery times. Increased volume demands on the company have hurt shipping schedules, Perron says: "As demand goes up, they take a hit on availability."
Gateway's fifth place finish in desktops was notable because it was a big drop from the two previous quarters when the direct-PC maker performed well. Perron says the lower rating was largely a result of the company's problems in the area of technical support calls.
IBM received improved marks for both its notebooks and desktops. Most notable was its leap from third to second in the notebook category, where, she says, Big Blue also received praise for its top-notch reliability and service and support.
Other results of the study: Compaq moved up in servers while dropping one place in both desktops and notebooks. HP's overall scores remained relatively stable, with some decline in delivery time. And Toshiba's notebook satisfaction scores remained well below those of Dell and IBM.