Dear Autodesk, Inc.
2 messages in this thread
Dear Autodesk, Inc.,
A few questions, please.
This message is coming to you via the Autodesk Multimedia Forum.
Hundreds, if not thousands, of people frequent this source of
information weekly. The Autodesk representatives who manage the
forum, known as System Operators or SysOps, do a fantastic job of
providing technical support for the myriad of questions that are
posed here. But….
1. ) Don't you think it would be wise to have someone from the marketing,
sales AND public relations departments appointed to serve as company
spokespeople in the ASOFT forum?
I've recently seen an announcement about your grant program, written
by Garth Chouteau, posted by someone who is not even an employee of
Autodesk! It seems that this should be the responsibility of a
company representative. Why not post all press releases to the
forum?
Questions about marketing and sales efforts would be better handled
by personnel involved in those capacities, rather than tasking the
already overburdened technical support personnel.
I've recently seen someone complaining about having to make more than
ten calls to Autodesk before getting an answer to a question. I can
relate to this as I have yet to receive calls in return to those I've
made to several departments. Even though I've been promised same. I
know you're a big company and I'm a small fish. However, the
questions I've raised are of interest to more than just myself. The
company obviously recognizes the value of this forum for
disseminating information. It is a cost-efficient means of
communicating with large numbers of people. Why not use it to its
fullest?
2. ) The November 1st policy was instituted to encourage "face-to-face" sales,
but it appears that the move is toward fewer dealers across the U.S.
Transactions will be harder to enact in a face-to-face manner if the
trend continues. I know of instances where dealers who wished to
continue to represent Autodesk products were washed out.
I also know of instances where interested individuals and companies were
denied the opportunity to become dealers for Autodesk Multimedia products.
How will it be possible for future transactions to take place in a
"face-to-face manner" given these trends?
3. ) Does the appearance of a Consumer Version of 3D Studio (in Canada)
mark the beginning of a two-tiered marketing approach to 3D Studio?
Will there be a Consumer Edition and a Pro Edition?
I have other questions for you. But I'll save them for later.
Thank you in advance for your consideration.
Kevin Gibson
Animation Nation <tm> -=We keep trying.=-
If I were running a large company like Autodesk, I'm not sure I'd want to let
my marketing and and PR departments mingle with the customers in such a forum.
Info-super-hype-way aside, online conversation is not a substitute for a
reasoned, well-written press release or marketing plan.
Too much contact with online denizens leads to "we've gotta have X" myopia.
You must realize that people who are smart enough to telecommunicate and spend
hundreds of dollars a month on CompuServe are probably not a typical customer.
I don't think the people online are a representative sample of all customers or
all potential customers. If someone starts wasting an hour a day talking with
the easily accessible users here, it means an hour away from the users that are
much harder to find…
"Why not use it to its fullest?" Because any truly official company
representative might be drawn into non-productive, public flame wars with any
yahoo with a modem. It's not as if there's an intelligence test required when
you buy a modem.
Most corporate events and communiques are very tightly controlled. Normal
business etiquette prevails a minimum. But online, it's much more "anything
goes." I wouldn't want to subject my employees to that… perhaps only a few
well-chosen volunteers 🙂 who have proven their ability to deal with the
public with diplomacy.
And I didn't make ten calls to Autodesk to get an answer to my question. I
made one call, and was bounced between eight-ten people before I got the answer
I wanted. Very different beast.