14 DAY TRIAL // Windows 7 is yet to be released to manufacturing, but this detail is by no means stopping Microsoft from already applauding the next iteration of the operating system for cutting support costs post-deployment. In the video embedded at the bottom of this article you will be able to hear Minu Iyer, senior program manager in the Microsoft IT Client Services Group, focus on Windows 7 supportability, discussing the impact that Windows 7 will have on reducing costs associated with supporting the platform in an IT infrastructure.
“At Microsoft, the deployment of Windows 7 led to an improved end user support experience, resulting in decreased Helpdesk costs. New diagnostic features, improved software and hardware compatibility, and an investment in self service support content supported an accelerated adoption rate,” Microsoft stated.
It is critical to note that the Redmond company is perhaps the first large corporation to adopt Windows 7 on a large scale, even though the operating system has yet to be finalized. This is done through what the software giant refers to as dogfooding. The term is designed to describe a company that “eats it own dog food.” In this regard, Microsoft deployed Windows 7 throughout its IT infrastructure starting with the earliest development milestones.
“The dogfood feedback received by the Microsoft Helpdesk was triaged on a daily basis. This helped us understand not only the product issues but also the IT challenges. The product defects were tracked for various silos like: device compatibility, third-party applications, networking, fundamentals, user experience etc. Microsoft IT monitored these defects and drove them to closure partnering closely with the Windows Engineering team. As a result, the deployment and the day to day operations for end users saw an improvement. As an organization this translated to a progress of decline in Helpdesk volumes and an increase in customer satisfaction,” Iyer noted.
Lower support costs were also praised as an advantage of choosing Windows Vista over Windows XP. It seems that Windows 7 simply carries on the legacy of its precursor. Iyer even shared some data in internal Microsoft customer satisfaction and incident rate associated with Windows 7.
“Internally, the satisfaction level with the operating system rose to over 90% during the dogfood program. Helpdesk in particular saw a lower Helpdesk call waiting time, resulting in cost savings through the dogfood program. The incident rate for operating system support has gone down by 42% after deploying Windows 7,” Iyer revealed.