Service is Part of the Product

Let me start by saying that i love HP.

It’s not Apple-level cult-like love, but it’s gadgetlove nonethelss. HP designs are 21st century industrial-hip, functionally impeccable, and with an overall coolness factor to boot.

Nowhere is this HP love more manifested in (2) gadgets i have that are so dear to me .. my HP iPaq Phone (Mobile Messenger rw6828) and of course, my HP TX1000 TabletPC.

For perspective, i change laptops on an average, once every 1 1/2 years. Cellphones, probably every 9 to 12 months.

But my HP iPaq phone is something i treasure. Every person who looks at it always jokes that i’m probably replacing it soon, mainly because it looks so battered and bruised all over. But that’s because i use it so heavily! it’s literally an essential part of my daily operating life. My iPaq and i already have a groove, and i can’t imagine divorcing it. In fact, i’ve bull-headedly had it repaired 3 times already.

It has flaws. It’s GPRS, not 3G. It’s 2MP Camera, not even the current standard fare which is 3.2MP. Yet, i still can’t bring myself to give it up. I’d probably complement it with an iPhone 3g in the future (once the price is right), but not replace it entirely. Funnily enough, i saw some brand new iPaq units yesterday at 50% off and actually considered buying one. Yes, the same model.

There’s even more love for my TabletPC. It’s usefulness just has me crooning. From its portability, to Zinio Reader, to watching videos, to normal work functions, to OneNote, to… ahem … comic-book reading tablet-style, this is something i’m not giving up. Again, i’m all set to get a macbook pro, but it will complement my Tablet, not replace it.

For me, these 2 gadgets have hit that beautiful intersection of design and usefulness.

But this long-winded declaration of love for my HP gadgets transitions into a more sober note.

You see, great products alone do not make a brand. It’s the must-have and cornerstone, i must say. But beyond that, it’s the whole experience and ongoing relationship with the products that makes the brand a true brand in the consumers’ eyes.

It’s the continuing contact that truly defines the love.

Let me cut to the chase.

I brought my TabletPC to the HP service center this morning. Long story why, but it’s cool. And besides, that’s not the point.

I have been there quite a few times already, and the story continues to be the same.

It’s a great place — free-flowing coffee, lounge-like chairs, entertainment via DVD movies and magazines abound.

But the service … is ….. just ……. so ……… freaking …………….. slooooooooooooooooooow.

I came in and got my service number, which was #36. Currently being served upon sitting down was #30.

With supposedly (3) service representatives, i finally got my face-time …

… after one whole hour.

You’d think that’s not so bad.

But you see, one week ago i was in Quezon City Hall processing some papers for a business.

There were at least 3x more people compared to the HP service center.

But i finished in half an hour.

When the bastion of bureaucracy – a government office – services faster than your multinational company, then you know you’ve got a huge problem on your hands.

—

It seems that the HP service center just doesn’t get it.

I don’t care about the free-flowing coffee, the lounge-like chairs, most especially the pile of magazines.

Nobody derives pleasure in going to a service center and having something repaired. It’s an unnecessary hassle and categorically a point of time. In fact, it means that you’re unable to use whatever it is you’re having repaired.

The whole point — the overarching need of a customer — is to have the service repair experience to be over as quickly and as painlessly as possible. That’s the core need.

Nobody wants to stay sick for long, even when placed in the best amenities in the world. Everbody wants to just get well ASAP.

THIS IS WHAT YOU SHOULD BE SOLVING, whoever-you-are in charge of the HP service center. Speed of service.

Not the lounge-like chairs. Not the free-flowing coffee.

Let me get in, have my beloved HP gadget diagnosed ASAP, and return it to me even more ASAP as i’ve got withdrawal symptoms.

You’re wrecking my love-relationship with the HP brand because of this.

If i wanted to chill, i’d much rather go to starbucks.