One of the main concerns with EqualLogic customers when Dell (NASDAQ: DELL) announced it was acquiring the company was a question of customer and reseller support continuing at the level where it had been. As many of us know, an acquisition can disrupt normal operations as smaller companies are folded into the large bureaucracies of newer parent companies. The delicate balance of not ticking off existing customers in the process is a huge concern.Nothing reassures customers of a small but important company like a celebrity CEO directly addressing issues before issues even come up. Dell CEO Michael Dell is making his case directly to existing EqualLogic customers and retail channel partners by stating that the acquisition will be a smooth process and EqualLogic customer support will remain at the high levels where it has always been.
One area that gets lost in computer industry-related acquisitions is the customer-support angle. You either retain existing employees from the acquired company or train parent company employees on new products. That second option takes time and resources, and that means costs. Dell said in its latest quarterly results announcement that costs were higher than normal in the most recently completed quarter, so how can it pare down customer support-related costs while making a bunch of acquisitions to beef up sales and bring immediate revenue relief? That's a question for any Dell shareholder concerned about Dell's loose grip on cost controls.
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