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FEBRUARY2016APRINCIPLEDTECHNOLOGIESTESTREPORTCommissionedbyDellInc.
DELLPROSUPPORTPLUSFORPCSANDTABLETSWhensomethinggoeswrongwithyourPCortablet,dealingwithtechnicalsupportcanbearealhassle.
Betweenfindingtheinformationtechnicalsupportneedsaboutyourlaptop,waitingtospeakwiththecorrectpersononthephone,andtroubleshootingtheproblem,itcanbeafrustratingprocesstoresolvetheproblemandgetbacktowork.
That'swhyDelloffersProSupportPlusforPCsandtablets—itspremiersupportservicewithDellSupportAssisttechnology.
AccordingtoDell,ProSupportPlusprovidesproactiveandpredictiveautomatedsupportthatcanreducetheamountoftimeandnumberofstepsinthetroubleshootingprocess.
FormoreinfofromDell,visitdell.
com/supportassist.
TocomparethesupportexperienceprovidedbyDell,Apple,HP,andLenovofromacustomer'sperspective,wefatallydamagedtheharddriveinalaptopfromeachvendorandworkedwiththerespectivetechnicalsupportstafftotroubleshoottheissue.
DelldeliveredabetterexperiencethanApple,HP,andLenovo—wehadaresolutioninjustafewminutesandasmallnumberofsteps,withouthavingtocalltechnicalsupport.
APrincipledTechnologiestestreport2DellProSupportPlusforPCsandtabletsFASTERSUPPORTRESOLUTIONWITHLESSHASSLEWeinducedaharddrivefailurebydroppingeachlaptopuntilitcouldnolongerloadtheoperatingsystem.
Wethenmeasuredtheamountoftimeandnumberofstepsittooktoresolvetheissueusingeachvendor'stop-levelsupportservice.
Weconsideredourissueresolvedwhenthetechnicalsupportstaffcorrectlyidentifiedtheharddrivefailureand/orinitiatedanactionthatwouldfixit.
Figure1showstheamountoftimerequiredtoresolveaharddrivefailurewithtechnicalsupportstafffromthefourvendors.
Figure1:DellProSupportPluswithSupportAssistrequiredlessthan5minutestoresolveaharddrivefailure(mm:ss).
DellProSupportPluswithSupportAssistprovidedthefastestresolutiontoourharddrivefailurewiththeleastamountofeffort.
Dell'spre-bootdiagnosticsgaveusanerrorcodetoenterintoanonlineformatsupportassist.
dell.
com,andashorttimelaterwereceivedanemailconfirmationthatourreplacementharddrivewasontheway.
Fortheotherthreevendors,wehadtomakeaphonecalltotechnicalsupport.
Thatrequiredgoingthroughmenuoptions,waitingonhold,andprovidingbasicinformationbeforetechnicalsupportstaffcouldevenstarttotackletheactualproblem.
Whiletheamountoftimespentwaitingtotalktoatechnicalsupportrepresentativecanvarywidelyduetofactorssuchascallvolume,theprocesstakesawayvaluabletimeforyourbusyworkdayandcanbeveryfrustrating.
APrincipledTechnologiestestreport3DellProSupportPlusforPCsandtabletsInadditiontotime,wealsomeasuredthenumberofstepsrequiredtoresolveourharddrivefailure.
AsFigure2shows,DellProSupportPluswithSupportAssistrequiredthefewestnumberofsteps.
Figure2:DellProSupportPluswithSupportAssistrequiredonly8stepstoresolveaharddrivefailure.
DETAILEDRESULTSDellProSupportPluswithSupportAssistEventhoughtheharddrivefailurepreventedourDelllaptopfromloadingtheoperatingsystem,wecouldstillrunpre-bootdiagnosticsbypressingF12duringthebootprocess.
TheDellSupportAssistpre-bootenvironmentprovidedanerrorcode,whichweenteredintotheformatsupportassist.
dell.
com.
Withintwominutes,wereceivedanemailfromDellSupportAssistnotifyingusthatithaddetectedafailedcomponent,andthatareplacementharddrivewouldarriveonthenextbusinessday.
DellSupportAssisthadcollecteddetailsoftheharddrivefailureanddeterminedtheappropriatesolutionforus.
ThereplacementharddrivedidindeedarrivethenextbusinessdaywithMicrosoftWindows10pre-installed.
Weinstalledthereplacementdrive,andwewerebackinbusiness.
Dellallowedustokeepourdamagedharddrivewithoursensitivecorporatedata.
WithDellProSupport,thetroubleshootingprocessonlytook8steps,lessthan5minutes,andnotimeonthephone.
Insteadofuspickingupthephoneandcallingtechnicalsupport,DellSupportAssistproactivelydiagnosedAPrincipledTechnologiestestreport4DellProSupportPlusforPCsandtabletstheissue,andthenDellautomaticallydispatchedthereplacementharddrive.
WithDellProSupportPlusandDellSupportAssist,ourissuewasresolvedwithlittletimeoreffortonourpart.
Lenovo–OnsiteandAccidentalDamageProtectionOurphonecallwithLenovo'stechnicalsupportlasted11minutes.
ThecalltimewasshorterthanwithAppleandHPbecauseLenovotechnicalsupportdidnotattempttotroubleshootourissue.
Insteadofsendingusareplacementharddrive,Lenovosentusashippingboxthatrequiredustoreturntheentirelaptopforrepair.
EventhoughthephonetimewasshorterwithLenovo'stop-tiersupport,theplanstillrequiredustocall,andphonewaittimescanvary.
Wewereunabletousethelaptopforseveraldays,andLenovokeptthedamagedharddrivewithoursensitivecorporatedata.
HP–NextBusinessDayOn-siteCoverageforNotebookswithAccidentalDamageProtectionServiceHP'stop-tiersupportpackagerequiredover20minutesonthephonetoresolveoursupportcase.
WealsohadtoprovidesysteminformationaboutourlaptopthatDellSupportAssistcollectedproactivelyonourbehalf.
Afterthephonecall,HPsentusablankreplacementharddrivethatarrivedthenextday.
Twodayslaterwereceivedtworestorediscs,whichweusedtoreinstalltheoperatingsystem.
HP'stop-tiersupportrequiredthatwereturnthedamageddrivewithinaweek,withoutprovidingawaytowipethedrive.
Ifwehadnotreturnedthedrivethatincludedourcorporatedata,wewouldhavebeenchargedforthecostofthereplacementdrive.
Apple–AppleCareProtectionPlanWespentalmostanhouronthephonewithAppletechnicalsupport.
Apple'sresolutionrequiredustodrivetotheclosestAppleStoreandleavetheMacBookProattheGeniusBarovernightforrepair.
Applereplacedtheharddrive,andwereturnedtothestorethefollowingdaytopickuptherepairedlaptop.
TheAppleStorekeptthedamagedharddrivewithoursensitivecorporatedata.
APrincipledTechnologiestestreport5DellProSupportPlusforPCsandtabletsCONCLUSIONDellProSupportPluswithSupportAssisttechnologyprovidedthebestsupportexperienceforourharddrivefailuretestcase,withtheleastamountoftimeandfewestnumberofstepstoresolution.
DellSupportAssistdiagnosedthedamagedharddriveandsenttherelevantinformationtoDelltechnicalsupport,greatlyreducingtheamountofeffortonourpartincomparisontoApple,HP,andLenovo.
APrincipledTechnologiestestreport6DellProSupportPlusforPCsandtabletsAPPENDIXA—SYSTEMINFORMATIONFigure3providessupportplananddetailedconfigurationinformationforthetestsystems.
SystemDellLatitude14E5450Apple13-inchMacBookProHPEliteBook840G2LenovoThinkPadT450Supportplan(3years)ProSupportPluswithnextbusinessdayOnsiteServiceAppleCareProtectionPlanNextBusinessDayOn-siteCoverageforNotebookswithAccidentalDamageProtectionServiceOnsiteandAccidentalDamageProcessorIntelCorei5-5200UIntelCorei5-3210MIntelCorei5-5200UIntelCorei5-5200UProcessorfrequency2.
2-2.
70GHz2.
50GHz2.
2-2.
70GHz2.
2-2.
70GHzProcessorcores2222Memory4GB4GB4GB4GBStorage500GB500GB500GB500GBGraphicsIntelHDGraphics5500IntelHDGraphics4000IntelHDGraphics5500IntelHDGraphics5500Batterycapacity38Wh60Wh50Wh23.
2Wh(front)23.
2Wh(rear)Display14″1366*76813.
3″1280x80014″1366*76814″1366*768Wireless802.
11a/b/g/n/ac802.
11a/b/g/n802.
11a/b/g/n/ac802.
11a/b/g/n/acBluetooth4.
04.
04.
04.
0OSWindows10Professional64-bitOSXElCapitanWindows10Professional64-bitWindows10Professional64-bitFigure3:Supportplanandconfigurationinformationforthelaptopsthatwetested.
APrincipledTechnologiestestreport7DellProSupportPlusforPCsandtabletsAPPENDIXB—HOWWETESTEDDAMAGINGTHEHARDDRIVESWedroppedeachsystemwhilerunningtheMAXONCINEBENCHR15benchmark,andrepeatedtheprocessuntileachsystemcouldnolongerloadtheoperatingsystem.
SettingupCINEBENCHR151.
DownloadCINEBENCHR15fromhttp://www.
maxon.
net/en/products/cinebench/overview.
html.
2.
InstallCINEBENCH:a.
Right-clicktheCINEBENCHZIPfile,andchooseExtractAll.
b.
IntheSelectaDestinationandExtractFileswindow,clickBrowse,clickDesktop,andclickOK.
c.
ClickExtract.
Conductingthedroptest1.
Placethefullychargednotebookontotheplatenofthedroptester,withthenotebook'sbaseflatontheplatenandthescreenfacingforward,openata120-degreeangle.
2.
LaunchCINEBENCHR15bydouble-clickingtheCINEBENCHR15.
exefileintheCINEBENCHR15folderlocatedontheWindowsdesktop.
3.
ClickFile,andselectRunallselectedtests,fromthedropdownwindow.
4.
UnplugthesystemfromACpower.
5.
Onthedroptablecontroller,holddowntheArmbutton,andpresstheDropbuttontodropthelaptop.
6.
ScantheharddrivewithHDDScantocheckforbadblocks.
7.
Repeatsteps1through6untiltheharddrivefailstolaunchWindows10.
APrincipledTechnologiestestreport8DellProSupportPlusforPCsandtabletsAPPENDIXC–STEPSFORPROBLEMRESOLUTIONFigure4showsthestepsrequiredtoresolvetheharddrivefailureforeachvendor.
StepsDellAppleHPLenovo1PressF12andselectDiagnosticstolaunchtheEnhancedPre-bootSystemAssessment(ePSA).
Call1-800-275-2273.
Call1-800-334-5144.
Call1-855-253-6686.
2ClickYeswhenyouseethecolorbarsduringthedisplaydiagnostic.
NotetheErrorCode,ValidationCode,andServiceTagwhentheharddriveerrorisdetected.
TellphonemenuyouarecallingaboutaMacBookPro.
Tellphonemenuyouarecallingaboutanotebook.
Press3forrepair.
3Onanothercomputer,navigatetohttp://supportassist.
dell.
comTellphonemenuyouarenotcallingaboutsigninginorauthentication.
TellphonemenuthatyouhaveanEliteBookPress1forThinkPadbrandedproducts.
4EnterErrorCode,ValidationCode,ServicetagfromtheePSAalertwindow,andclickNext.
Tellphonemenuyouareready.
Describeproblemtosupporttechnician.
Press1forLenovoProduct.
5ClickNext.
Tellphonemenuyourserialnumber.
RemovebatteryandACadapter.
Press1forThinkPadbrandedsupport.
6SignintoyourDellaccount.
Providename.
Holdpowerbuttonfor60seconds.
Press1forlaptop.
7ClickCompleteRequest.
Describeproblemsymptoms.
PutbatteryandACadapterbackintothelaptopPress1fortechnicalsupport.
8Receivedemailthatstatesharddrivewillbeshippednextbusinessday.
HolddownCommandandRandpoweronthecomputer.
PresspowerbuttonandstartpressingF2.
Provideinfoaboutlaptopproblem.
9ConnecttoWi-Fi.
SelectEnglishProvideserialnumberforthelaptop.
10ClickApplemenu.
SelectComponentTest.
Providemachinetype.
11Selectstartupdisk.
SelectHardDrivetest.
Statewhetherlaptopisapersonalorbusinesslaptop.
12Closeoutofscreen.
ClickQuickTest.
Providebusinessname.
13SelectDiskUtility.
ReportfailureID.
Providebusinessaddress.
14SelectDisk0.
Provideserialnumber.
Providephonenumber.
APrincipledTechnologiestestreport9DellProSupportPlusforPCsandtabletsStepsDellAppleHPLenovo15ClickInfo.
Providephonenumber.
Providename.
16Providemoredetailsofaccident.
Providename.
Provideemailaddress.
17Provideemailaddress.
Statethatlaptopisacompanylaptop.
Approvestatusupdatesviaemail.
18Powerofflaptop.
Providecompanyname.
Describelaptopbehavior.
19PoweronlaptopwhilepressingCommand+Option+P+R.
Providecorporateemailaddress.
Approvedepotboxbeingsent.
20Powerofflaptop.
Providebusinessstreetaddress.
Writedowncasenumber.
21PresspowerbuttonandholddownCommand+R.
Describephysicaldamage.
Verifylaptopproblemtimeline.
22ConnecttoWi-Fi.
StatewhetheryouneedatechniciantoreplacetheHDforyou.
Re-verifyphysicaldamage.
23SelectEnglish.
Statewhattypeofimageisonthelaptop.
Stateifsystemispasswordprotected.
24SelectRe-installOSX.
ValidateOStype.
25ClickContinue.
26ClickIagree.
27ClickonOpenDiskUtility.
28VerifynoTimeMachineBackuponsystem.
29ScheduleAppleStoreGeniusBarappointment.
Figure4:Thestepsrequiredtoresolveaharddrivefailureforeachvendor.
APrincipledTechnologiestestreport10DellProSupportPlusforPCsandtabletsABOUTPRINCIPLEDTECHNOLOGIESPrincipledTechnologies,Inc.
1007SlaterRoad,Suite300Durham,NC,27703www.
principledtechnologies.
comWeprovideindustry-leadingtechnologyassessmentandfact-basedmarketingservices.
Webringtoeveryassignmentextensiveexperiencewithandexpertiseinallaspectsoftechnologytestingandanalysis,fromresearchingnewtechnologies,todevelopingnewmethodologies,totestingwithexistingandnewtools.
Whentheassessmentiscomplete,weknowhowtopresenttheresultstoabroadrangeoftargetaudiences.
Weprovideourclientswiththematerialstheyneed,frommarket-focuseddatatouseintheirowncollateraltocustomsalesaids,suchastestreports,performanceassessments,andwhitepapers.
Everydocumentreflectstheresultsofourtrustedindependentanalysis.
Weprovidecustomizedservicesthatfocusonourclients'individualrequirements.
Whetherthetechnologyinvolveshardware,software,Websites,orservices,weoffertheexperience,expertise,andtoolstohelpourclientsassesshowitwillfareagainstitscompetition,itsperformance,itsmarketreadiness,anditsqualityandreliability.
Ourfounders,MarkL.
VanNameandBillCatchings,haveworkedtogetherintechnologyassessmentforover20years.
Asjournalists,theypublishedoverathousandarticlesonawidearrayoftechnologysubjects.
TheycreatedandledtheZiff-DavisBenchmarkOperation,whichdevelopedsuchindustry-standardbenchmarksasZiffDavisMedia'sWinstoneandWebBench.
TheyfoundedandledeTestingLabs,andaftertheacquisitionofthatcompanybyLionbridgeTechnologiesweretheheadandCTOofVeriTest.
PrincipledTechnologiesisaregisteredtrademarkofPrincipledTechnologies,Inc.
Allotherproductnamesarethetrademarksoftheirrespectiveowners.
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