In a blog post entitled “Microsoft’s Support Sets Us Apart,” Barbara Gordon, corporate VP, Microsoft Customer Service and Support, accuses Google Apps of not providing the level of support end-users need. Here’s the scoop.
“When was the last time you called Google for help recovering a lost Google Doc,” Gordon asks in her blog entry, dated June 28th. “Were you even able to find a number? My guess is, no.”
Gordon then goes on to praise Microsoft’s array of support options, including traditional phone and email support, the automated Microsoft Fix It, the Microsoft Answers community answer base, and for larger enterprises, consulting services to optimize Microsoft Office and SharePoint deployments and train users ahead of time.
A Google spokesperson had this to say in response to Microsoft’s harsh words:
Generally Google Docs users don’t need help recovering ‘lost’ documents, as their documents are backed up in the multiple data centers in the cloud. This is more safe and secure than storing data on a single computer. Of course, we provide full support for all of our paying customers, including 24/7 phone support, and our partners play a key role in offering higher touch assistance, like change management support and end user training, for those who need it.
Anyone who’s watching the SaaS productivity space doesn’t need to be told that Microsoft and Google have been going back and forth like this for months, each trying to dig away at the other’s marketshare.
It’s worth noting, however, that while Google tends — emphasis on “tends” — to keep their digs at least somewhat subtle, focusing more on what they do have rather than what Microsoft doesn’t, Microsoft seems to enjoy digging away at weaknesses of Google and their Google Apps suite wherever they find them.
Will VARs and MSPs take sides or avoid the showdown all together?
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Posted In: Microsoft | Software as a Service and Hardware as a Service
Tags: Cloud | Cloud computing | cloud suite | Corporate VP Microsoft Customer Service and Support Barbara Gordon | customer service | Google | Google Apps | Google Docs | Microsoft | microsoft answers | microsoft fix it
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Happy to help you avoid the showdown. BlueTie(www.bluetie.com) offers better options and margins on a competitive Email suite for businesses. New reseller program launched just yesterday. Press release: http://www.bluetie.com/aboutus/pr.php?prid=52
Yet you still offer Exchange and SharePoint? Why?
Jeremy: Are you associated with BlueTie? Role at the company? Please let us know and thanks for reading MSPmentor.
-jp
I love Google…and I have never lost a Google Doc and I have MANY!
I used MS since it was on the market, but I converted to Google in 2009 and I NEVER use MS now!!!
I don’t need it! I am a goo gah goo gah HAPPY Google Head ….with more money since I don’t have to buy MS upgrades!
“Microsoft seems to enjoy digging away at weaknesses”….No it couldnt be!
Competition breeds innovation so I am all for this duel. However, aside from who is better out of the two, I just want to see commitment to initiative, and more importantly loyalty to the channel with said initiatives.
@Joe; Hi Joe, I’m the President of BlueTie.
@FrankM; We offer Exchange and Sharepoint as part of our Hybrid solution. Companies can run both Exchange and BlueTie Webmail on a single domain. This let’s them transition from their existing Exchange and Sharepoint infrastructure/service over time and/or to reduce costs by having some users on Exchange where they might need certain Exchange functionality but other users on Webmail.
I’ve never “lost a document” on Google Docs or Google Spreadsheets. I’ve messed one up and had to go back weeks in revisions to pull out the part I deleted, but Google Apps let me do that.
That said, I’ve lost Microsoft Office documents in many different ways. What is the Microsoft support line going to tell someone who has a corrupt Excel file and corrupt backup images of that Excel file?
Erik@5: Loyalty to the channel? That is the big question, isn’t it. I think both Microsoft and Google sincerely want to work with channel partners. But they’ll certainly run into a range of conflicts in the months ahead as they try to balance direct SaaS sales with partner-related programs.
Jeremy@6: Thanks for connecting with us, and disclosing your role at BlueTie.
Ian@7: Two months ago, I was interviewing Ingram Micro’s CEO. I was taking notes in Microsoft Word. Word crashed. Notes lost. Fortunately, Ingram’s CEO agreed to do a quick video interview with me as well. So, I agree with your point: Local/on-premise files are no safer than SaaS files…
-jp
When was the last time you were able to actually talk with Google about anything? It seems to me that their whole business model is set up to never actually have to talk with anyone.