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Dell considers Google+ for video customer support

This rain backdrop clearly shows I am in the UK, sir

Dell is mulling over direct engagement with prospective customers via Google+, and judging by the feedback from some corners it could do with upping its existing pre- and post-sales support.

The social networking tool is now more than three weeks old and has over 10 million users on-board, including Dell chief Michael Dell. The Texan tech titan has been frequenting chatrooms otherwise known as "hangouts".

"I am thinking about hangouts for business," he was reported as saying. "Would you like to be able to connect with your Dell service and sales teams via video directly from Dell.com?"

Google+ user Matthias Gutfeldt questioned whether Dell's customer service and sales would want a video feed "while angry customers shout at them because something's not working".

The response from Judson Lester was affirmative to having a Dell person on video, with the proviso that said person provide "human" answers.

"Only if they're actually personally experienced. I've had a lot of frustration with Dell support personnel being an inefficient interface to a call tree ... if I could talk to someone in support to actually get a human answer to my question, yes."

The medium of customer service was not the issue, rather "the lack of knowledge of the people we connect to," said Hugh Messenger. "Sorry to say, but Dell's tech support has become somewhat of a standing joke. Adding 'hangouts' isn't going to help."

Considering new innovations to tap up customers directly is bound to ruffle resellers' feathers, some of whom find they are still competing with Dell's field or telesales sales bods – although Dell reckons that issue is less commonplace. ®

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