Do you consider software support from a live technician a luxury in the current economy? If so, think again. Without it, your company may be inviting chaos.

Quality desktop application support usually is the first to go when budgets are cut. After all, it’s hard to quantify its return on investment, and the demand for such support is often hidden. (For a more in-depth look at hidden demand, see “5 Lessons to Learn before Outsourcing.”)

But, if you consider the results of a landmark Dartmouth College study, you get a more accurate picture of what’s at stake.

When novices get their mitts on complex Excel formulas, errors abound.

For the study, researchers looked at the quantitative impacts of errors in operational Excel spreadsheets from five different companies. Among the more notable findings:

• Within a single organization, spreadsheet practice can range from excellent to poor.
• Some organizations use spreadsheets that are riddled with errors and some of these errors are of substantial magnitude.
• There is little correlation between the importance of the application or the risk involved and the quality of the spreadsheet.

The researchers also identified the major symptoms of poor spreadsheet practice, including chaotic design and complex formulas.

“In the hands of experts,” the researchers state, “complex formulas can be used to great effect.” When novices get their mitts on them, however, errors abound.

Although the study is two years old, its findings are as applicable today as they were when the researchers embarked on the project. They may be even more so in the current economic climate, in which companies have fewer employees and just as much work to be done.(Jen Darr)

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That’s because it is.

Tech publications have been abuzz lately about automated software support, due in part to Microsoft’s soft launch of Fix-It in late 2008. The product, which is still in its early stages, promises uncomplicated, automated fixes for common Microsoft software issues.

It’s a commendable effort. How much it helps the average corporate user, however, remains to be seen. In general, self-help software support does not work as well as assistance from an actual person. Knowledgebases are tech-jargon beasts, and make little sense to computer novices.

How many of your employees understand the importance of backing up the registry before poking around in it? (A bigger question: Do you really want your employees poking around in the registry?) And how many know that rebooting or clearing temporary files can resolve some common problems?

Knowledgebases are tech-jargon beasts, and make little sense to computer novices.

The result: The user will most likely spend too much time looking for his solution in a knowledgebase that’s written for developers, IT support techs and so-called power users. That’s a drain on productivity, and company money.

Self-help support also fails to anticipate future software snags, a practice known as “type 2″ support. For example, if someone wants to parse data in Excel, the Text to Columns feature will work beautifully. But if an employee parses data from the same source every week, using Text to Columns each time is hardly streamlined. In this case, a software support tech could suggest using a macro, and end up saving the employee’s time and the company’s money.

Sadly, CEOs looking to trim budgets – to “do more with less” – may use automated and self-help assistance as an alternative to live-person software training and support for employees. This is troubling. It works as a complementary option, but as the sole support source, it simply fails. (Jen Darr)

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